I guess I feel like I want to get practice now with the whole homemaking thing. One reason is because it's just fun to me! And another reason is that my life has come totally unglued in the organization department, and I'm finally chomping at the bit to get things back in order.
I knew it was going to take something drastic for me to get EVERYTHING back on track. But I knew I had to do it, because the stress I've been feeling lately just cannot be healthy. So here are a few things I'm going to try in order to remedy the problem.
1. Have devotions EVERY DAY.
This includes both my Bible Readings in my "Read through the Bible in a year" plan, and also a chapter of a devotional or other "faith book." I'm currently Reading "All Things Are Possible Through Prayer" which has nice, short chapters that are perfect for my morning devotional time! I know that staying in God's Word and beginning my days with Him will change things DRASTICALLY. This is the key part of my plan that I know will make everything else work :-)
2. ORGANIZE, organize, organize.
I was writing daily to-do lists, but for some reason that just wasn't cutting it. I would write things down, but would never end up doing the items on the list. This problem has inspired me to start a detailed home organizing system that I will keep in a binder. I'm sorry to be such a total NERD, but this stuff makes my heart race. I love making lists and organizing things on paper. And then when I actually get to check off something on the list...wow, it's like I get a little high. Come on, I know there are others of you out there ;-)
Well here's my binder so far. I spent a few hours on it last night. Unfortunately, I realized that the binder I bought wasn't big enough, and that we do not have a whole punch. I'll have to pick those up when I'm shopping this week in order to completely finish it!
Anyway, my binder is split up into 6 sections:
Weekly Planner - This is where I keep my weekly outlook and my daily schedules. Here's the weekly outlook for this week:
It includes my 3 weekly goals, to-do list, activities for the week, and then there's a spot for notes. One of my favorite Bible verses found in Proverbs is at the bottom: "The wise woman builds her house, but with her own hands, the foolish one tears hers down." It's a verse I've needed to hear lately, with my life in disarray.Here's a look at my daily planner for today. I have one for every day of the week, and have absolutely LOVED following it to a T so far today:
To-Do Lists: In this section, I keep my handwritten, running to-do list. I print the final one on my weekly outlook.Grocery and Shopping lists: Pretty self-explanatory
Cooking Recipes and Meal Plans
Baking Recipes
Crafts & Projects - Here I'll just type ideas for projects, or lists of supplies I'll need to complete them.
And that's all the sections! In the beginning of the binder, I have placed a cute pink notebook, just for random notes or thoughts:
And each section has a cover page. It has the title of the section, plus a verse from Proverbs 31 that goes along with it, and a cute 50s picture (because when I think of homemakers, I immediately think of the 1950s. These are the women I'm striving to become...I don't think they're repressed, I think they're awesome!)
Oh, and I bought new pens! I'm a dork, but I love new pens. And they're my favorite kind: Profile from Paper Mate. They write very smoothly, if you're ever looking for a nice pen.
Okay, so anyway, moving on...3. Take time for "15 minute quick-cleans." During this time, I'll just look around the house for 15 minutes, and clean as much as I can during that time. It's kind of fun, kind of a race against the clock. Yes, I have to do things like this to make housework fun!
4. Write 3 major goals for every week (you can see mine on my Weekly Outlook above). This way, I can get at least 3 somewhat bigger projects done every week. Instead of putting them off for so long that they just never get done!
So there it is. My crazy type A personality at its finest. I hope you don't think I'm too much of a nerd! lol...I can't help it, this stuff excites me!
Happy organizing!
Sounds like a great plan!
ReplyDeleteI love it! I am a freak about making lists and checking things off as well! As moving comes, I have to be super organized. Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeleteYay for new pens & organization! I enjoy getting them and love finding awesome new ones. so yeah, I'm a nerd too.
ReplyDeleteWow, you are really organized! you put me to shame. My organizing notebook resides in my brain, but even then it's not nearly as organized as that! I should probably take a few tips from you. Amazingly though I'm not organized at all, things usually end up getting done at some point - just maybe not when I planned, because if something else comes up, I don't stick to plan A. I'm a perfectionist though, so I tend to fiddle and clean and straighten throughout the day, so maybe that's why my house isn't totally in shambles!
ReplyDeleteI LOVE this idea! I may have to try it out and see if it works out for me. I may be a little too ADD to stick to it, but it's worth a try!
ReplyDelete