Personal Organizing – Organizing Yourself

“You can find pictures anywhere. It is simply a matter of noticing things and organizing them. You just have to care about what is around you and have a concern with humanity and the human comedy.”

-Elliott Erwitt

Hey homemaker! Before marriage and kids, when you only have to worry about yourself, it’s much easier to stay organized. When you add children, a husband, and a home into the mix (sometimes even pets) then you’re juggling a lot of things and you can quickly be thrown into utter chaos and disorganization.

The first thought is to look for ways to organize your home and family but really getting your own self on track is most important and will result in better results all around.

#1 Prepare for the next day in advance

It’s a well know personal organizing tip to get ready for the next day the night before.

This means

• Pulling together tomorrow’s outfit.
• Preparing breakfast the night before
• Making sure your purse and keys are in their designated spot.
• Checking your calendar for tomorrow’s agenda.

While organizing your home and family is a wonderful idea if you mom, yourself, are not organized then all your efforts to organize your surroundings will come to naught. Your hard work and home organizing efforts will quickly be undone if you don’t curb the bad habits that got you here in the first place.

In a nutshell don’t blame the family.

You have to recognize…

• What bad habits you have that are keeping you from getting your home organized.
• Recognize that home organization is going to have to start with you.
• Take the steps to bring it all together.

What Bad Habits Are Keeping You Disorganized at Home?

Do you feel you have to do everything so it will be done right? I’m guilty of this but I know how it can set you back.

Your spouse and your children are perfectly capable of helping out in the home. They may not clean and organize exactly as you do but that’s okay. If they are willing (and they should be) then you have to learn how to delegate tasks across the whole family so you are not doing it alone.

Children and Chores

From a very early are children are capable of helping in the home. It is a good thing to teach your children to do household chores.

Children can make their own beds, clean their own rooms and begin learning to care for their own bathrooms.

They can set the dining table, wash the dishes, take out the garbage, and clean up their own messes. And no rewards for this stuff either. This is part of their duties as part of the family.

Everybody chips in together.

Your Own Bad Habits

Do you put things off until a mountain becomes a molehill? This is another thing I’ve been known to do. Who doesn’t procrastinate? But procrastination in the home only makes those molehills mountains when it comes time to finally tackle things.  They don’t go away. I’m talking about things such as dishes, laundry, filing, and taxes.

Are you easily sidetracked? Computers and gadgets can add to this problem. Oh, mom, it is so easy to just park right down and spend an hour on the internet when you should be attending to something in the home! I mean who likes housework?! Well, I learned a valuable lesson when my computer started having issues. I got so much done when I had to limit my hours online. When I was online I had to be focused on working, not wasting time. And with all the new time on my hands that wasn’t being wasted online, I got quite a few pending projects done. Go figure! So let’s try and limit the time we spend wasting time. Use a timer to keep track and be firm with yourself about getting things done.

Do you buy things just because they’re cute, you “have to have” them, or you or someone you know might need it someday? If clutter is on your guilty list then you may be an impulse buyer with no real direction when it comes to purchasing things. Start stopping yourself the next time you’re out shopping. Easier said than done? Yes, it does take work but be proactive in trying to save money and space at home. Don’t let that salesperson talk you into buying the latest new gadget. Think carefully when considering a new purchase. If you can’t think of a place where it can be stored you probably don’t need it. If you have it already don’t get another one just because. Be thoughtful in your purchases. Have a set plan for using the item and a permanent home where it won’t be clutter.

If you answer yes to any of these questions then you may have an issue with organizing your home and that issue may be you!

So rub your hands together and let’s get busy!

Steps to Help you Get Personally Organized

1. Start your day off right.
2. Set Goals: (and write them down). Goals will give you something to aim for.
3. Prioritize you Goals: When you list your goals put the most important ones or the ones you have to get done sooner, first.
4. Manage Your Time: Be reasonable about getting things done and about how long they take. Stay away from time wasters.
5. Use Tools: Use a calendar or two. Use timers, planners, and even apps to help you be organized about your time and how you spend it.
6. Write things down: Lists are good and writing things down (as opposed to typing them in) helps you to remember things.
7. Don’t Procrastinate: If you’re guilty of procrastination make yourself accountable. Tell someone your goals and when you need to have them completely by.
8. Recognize which bad habits are keeping you from  [easyazon_link identifier=”B009UGKEC4″ locale=”US” tag=”mommybabytool-20″]being organized[/easyazon_link]on work on changing them.
9. Create simple routines for getting through your day.
10. Get a Daily Planner. The tool of the ultra organized.

These simple steps can mean more organized surroundings, loads more time, getting tons done, and less stress!

Homemaking Organized is all about organizing your home life but it all starts with you. If YOU are disorganized about how you spend your time and the way you go about getting things done it will show up in your surroundings. Take care of you first and the rest will follow.

I hope these tips will help you become more organized about how you spend your time.