Let's Get Organised.

Daisychain1

This morning I read a good quote that 'A Sunday well spent leads to a week of content' and instantly I realised I need this is my life today and every other day in fact. Everything always seems so manic, disorganised and out of control and my yearning for a simple life seems so far away. But enough is enough. Today is the day that I openly declare that I am getting organised in all areas of my life, from housework to the day job, time as a family and time for myself and this will be a place to record it all as I regain control.

Of course being a money saving forum it should have an MSE twist which will be to reach these goals and achievements without the need to spend a fortune and the ultimate goal is to enjoy getting my life back into a sensible order without feeling like its a real chore. I will be the first to admit that I often need a kick up the behind to get things done but I thought that if I could do it with a group of people then it might not feel so bad. So this is a thread with my to do lists on.

I would love for you to join me if you too feel completely overwhelmed with life sometimes and we can do this together.

So for today my list is:
Batch cooking in the kitchen and get together a meal plan for the week.
The pile of ironing that is toppling over.
2hrs of small business work.
A good tidy up
A couple of hours out with the OH to a local free event
Start a new book.

I will report back at lunchtime to celebrate (I hope) my achievements.

I have never started a thread on this board before so please tell me if something like this already exists as I don't want to cross threads and step on anyone's toes.

Daisychain1

bossymoo

Like!

I'm about to hang out the last of the washing, will have the kiddies choose which of their hundreds of drawings brought home from school they wish to scrapbook and which can be recycled, then we are visiting the small locomotive place nearby.
I'll also make some lunchables for the next few days, I'll be working from home but equally don't want to be distracted in the kitchen...

Ooh, must try find a monitor cable...

mrs_motivated

That quote certainly rings true for me Daisychain1... I find if I have a good Sunday and plan the week ahead, I not only have more time but feel happier too

Susan1962

You might want to check out the KonMari thread on here Daisychain - theoretically about decluttering and tidying but there are so many folk on there who have found it's made a huge change to their life overall - myself included.
Today I had planned to declutter the bedroom and change bedding. Must have been channelling your quotation as I've got rid of one huge donation bag; one big rubbish bag; several items into their proper places (ie other rooms); changed the bedding; folded and put away two loads of washing and helped the OH with some design work he's doing for one of his projects. Am now planning on reading for an hour or so before tackling dinner and the other never ending chores.

Daisychain1

Hello Bossymoo, Mrs Motivated and Susan1962

Bossymoo - I hope you had a great afternoon out and the weather held out for you. It's turned nasty here with rain and mist and I definitely feel a night snuggled up with my book coming on.

Mrs Motivated - I definitely feel more relaxed this evening knowing thatim pretty much sorted for the week ahead. It's only day one and already I feel much better.

Susan1962- I have heard of the KonMari method but don't really know too much about it. I suppose for me that clutter isn't too much of a problem but mainly the stuff I do have never finds its way back to its home. I'm also the worlds best procrastinator and if there was an award for this I would definitely win. I guess starting this thread was about getting myself and anyone else willing to join the ride motivated and feeling positive about getting those nagging to dos finally done.

So today the majority of the list got done and I can honestly say I feel more confident that the rest of the week will go more smoothly. The only thing that I didn't get around to was my small business work but it's not the end of the world and I not going to beat myself up about it. Instead I cooked up a storm in the kitchen. I made 5 pizza bases which went straight into the freezer, 3 apple and blackberry crumbles using foraged blackberries and apples from our tree and a victoria sponge to take in lunch boxes this week. I also did the ironing. I then had a lovely afternoon out with the OH but felt relaxed knowing that most things from my to do list had been ticked off.

All that remains now for the rest of the day is to make lunchboxes for tomorrow, get our clothes out ready for work and then I can finally get around to starting my book.

How did you all get on today? I hope it was a productive one

Hard_Up_Hester

In joined slimming world last week, so today I have prepped some meals for next week & made sure the fridge is full of fruit.
I'm also decluttering my sewing room, this is taking ages, but I will get there.
Hester

MrsPepperpot

I am following the flylady thread to get on top of the cleaning, but I too need a kick up the backside. I have been working Sundays for the last 2 and a half years and next week will be my last one. Although this is great as it means that I will time with my DH and DD it also means less money coming in so I also need to adjust my spending but also not waste the money that I have got.

So I will join you Daisychain1 if you promise to give me a kick from time to time. I need to keep my motivation up and need the support to do so.

Tomorrow DD has some friends over so I'm not sure what I will be achieving, but I would really like to finish my upcycling project and clean out the rabbits as well as doing the flylady list, as well as providing a fun environment for the kids and a picnic lunch.

Thanks for the post, this should be fun ...:T

pipkin71

I too, am in need of getting organised

Ill-health means there are periods of time where nothing gets done, things build up and then it's like climbing a mountain to get back on track.

I have dipped in and out of threads, reading, picking up ideas, but many are pages and pages long and I get lost in it all

So, I will read this thread with interest and start try to organise the home so that the mountain shrinks back to nothing more than a steep-ish hill

Susan1962

I have heard of the KonMari method but don't really know too much about it. I suppose for me that clutter isn't too much of a problem but mainly the stuff I do have never finds its way back to its home. I'm also the worlds best procrastinator and if there was an award for this I would definitely win. I guess starting this thread was about getting myself and anyone else willing to join the ride motivated and feeling positive about getting those nagging to dos finally done.

Daisychain the thing for me with KonMari is that it doesn't matter if you have a lot of clutter or just need help keeping things in order - it works either way. She's a bit airy fairy in some ways but at the heart of it is a good, simple system. Decluttering comes first and then tidying. I still have lots of clutter to deal with BUT the areas I've decluttered and organised as she suggested have stayed that way. For the first time in my life, my wardrobe and chest of drawers are consistently neat and tidy and I can find things immediately. I'm working on the other areas. Give it a try - most of us on the thread seem to start out googling her then ordering the book from the library. What do you have to lose?
(Full disclosure - I got so fed up waiting for our library, three months on, that I bought the book on Kindle, where it's cheaper LOL)

Daisychain1

Welcome Hard Up Hester, Mrspepperpot and Pipkin71. Thank you for joining me on this mission

Hard Up Hester - I also did SW earlier on this year and it really worked for me. I agree it does take some advanced planning but the results are definately worth it.

MrsPepperpot- I'm sure it'll be lovely to have your Sundays back as your own and for family time. What is your up cycling project? Fingers crossed that the weather holds out for your picnic tomorrow. It's so much easier to entertain children when the weather is good.

Pipkins71- Health is definately the top priority and we must not beat ourselves up if things can't be done straight away. This is why I wasn't too hard on myself earlier for not completing my to do list. My priority is my OH so whilst we had the chance I wanted to have some quality time with him this afternoon.

Susan1962- I must say it does sound good and I will be sure to have a look at the thread on here and see if I can get hold of the book. I'm up for any suggestions which will help and make life easier.

As this is a moneysaving website I should also mention that I am pleased to say I finished today's list without spending a penny :T

MoonJelly

I struggle to get organised. I am reading the Kondo Marie method but it seems that method works best if you live alone. My OH and DS are not about to throw their stuff away :rotfl:Not anyday soon anyway.

Also it is not so much the decluttering but the daily grin that I am no good at.

I like FlyLady but I actually harken to their original inspiration: The Sidetracked Home Executive book where they list a way to stay on top of your household routines. The authors Pam Young and (her sister) use 5"x3" index card files and this method seems simpler and more doable to me. I'm still reading it but it makes sense to divide the work in smaller bits put small tasks on individual cards and then file them away when you complete said task.
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