A year ago, I was a self-proclaimed 'organisation queen'. Fast-forward to now having a 9-month-old, I would no longer give myself that prestige title. However, over the past nine months, I have learned to adapt to being more flexible with my organisation. This new life has also been the catalyst for the motivation for me to find more easy and more convenient organisation hacks.
Living in the fast-paced, whirlwind jungle that is more commonly known as 'parenthood', I now know more than ever that organisation brings me so much peace. Below are the tips that have saved me from a few meltdowns (but unfortunately not all).
1. Tidying up & resetting the house before bed: I know after a long day, all you want to do is either drink a bottle of red wine or call it a day at 6pm and go to bed to watch Netflix but spending just 15-20 minutes before bed will undoubtedly make your tomorrow less frantic. I must admit.. I have had a mental battle with myself on multiple occasions. At times, one part of me has no energy to even put a pillow back on the lounge and the more intelligent, less sleep deprived side of my me is telling myself to just get it done. Every single time I have thanked myself for doing it.
2. Plan your 'tomorrow' before bed: There is nothing more draining than using up brain space trying to remember things. This is even more draining if you are trying to get to sleep with all the things you need to do sitting on your mind. I swear by writing out my to-do list in my Daily Planner the day before and then adding to it the next morning when things arise. Doing this allows better quality sleep and reduces the chance of the 2am wake up with the feeling like you have forgotten something. Along with this, I also always prepare my clothes and food the night before, a habit I will be encouraging my children to do too when they can.
3. Employ the 'One In, One Out' Rule: For every new item that is brought into the house, choose one to go out. This can be with kids' toys, new clothes for yourself, home decor, and so on. We tend to use 20% of what we have 80% of the time, so find something that is no longer useful, loved, or purposeful to your life, and give it to someone who is more grateful and appreciative of it.
4. Make a home for everything: One of my top tips is to group related items together, find the appropriate storage to hold them, and keep the things you use most frequently in the most accessible places. Always store items close to their place of use. Label necessary items, so everyone can return things to the places they belong and teach your family, kids or whoever you live with that all belongings have a home.
5. Use a monthly calendar: Whether you like a large visual calendar like our Monthly Desktop Planner or a more small, convenient, on-the-go calendar like a weekly diary, store all of your events in the one place. Knowing that you put everything in one place, religiously is a reassuring feeling when you are booking appointments and saying 'yes' to commitments, knowing that you are not doubling up.
Top Tip:
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