Anyone want to join me in becoming more efficient this Autumn?

[Thatsnotmybookworm]

Would anyone like to join me in a thread to encourage ourselves to be more efficient and organised this Autumn?
I'm about to return to work after maternity leave, and I've really enjoyed how organised and (reasonably) calm my life has felt over the past couple of months; I would really like to hang on to that state when I'm back at work, but I'll need to be pretty efficient to manage it; I'll need to figure out lots of shortcuts I think . Time is going to be my most precious resource and I need to manage it accordingly!
Would love some company on my journey

Me too please! I've been away for a month and I am so behind on everything!

So ive started a meal plan including lunches so easier to what to sort out each morning,
I need to put all labels on my little girls things before starts pre school tomorrow and finish washing ive started today. Good start to week 1

@queenofthedrivensnow we try to do at too but generally it's as we run out off things, or if things are on offer (mine and dds dairy free milks primarily! Usually £1. 40 and £1.80 a litre for our two!)
Ill be to get dh to put some instant meals in his drawers at work, might save a bit of cash!

@thatsnotmybookworm thanks! I'll try that when I next batch cook.

I've been very busy today, DD has been left to amuse herself a bit more than I'd like but getting organised will mean more quality time with her.

My desk is now clear and tidy, the kitchen is a bit cleaner too. Food shop for the week has been done, contract for my overnight nanny job written and printed ready for the parent to sign this evening, bag packed for overnight job, loads of washes done and a big chilli made. Chuffed with the amount I've managed :)

So I’ve been off the thread for a while because.... drumroll ... I didn’t look at my phone/the internet for a whole day! It was amazing - I just kept chipping away at tidying/washing up type stuff, was so much more relaxed, didn’t get distracted then freak out when I realise what the kids are up to etc.

Catching up on the thread has given me some good new ideas/motivation for another week though...

Aims this week include:

• clearing out a load of stuff to charity shops - I have HEAPS all over the house and really need a better system
• more slow Christmas present buying
• buying a few storage bits and pieces I’ve found that I think will help with my troublesome cupboard and my ‘floordrobe’ in the bedroom...

@QueenofCatan - my second trimester in my last pregnancy I had the most amazing energy and organisational power; I just had a fever for ‘getting stuff done’ (which has never been my normal state.) Fingers crossed you get a good second trimester boost too; pregnancy tiredness is really tough.

Thanks for the Money Dashboard tip too - need something to help with monitoring my spend so will check it out.

@squadron - I totally have the running out of steam problem too. I have got better though at not beating myself up over it and just picking things up again instead of dwelling on how things have gone wrong, which is what I used to do.

@Queenofthedrivensnow - love the pegs!!! I need something like that but not sure where we’d have the wall space. Possibly in a big cupboard after I clear it out...

@CorianderSnell I didn't really have ro and I had finished decorating my hall way but decided something had to give. Also my mum does some of my childcare and it saves me laying out all their kit as it's clearly visible!

Today I'm going to print out new reward charts and try and progress morning routines with the dc

@coriandersnell I es the same in my second trimester last time so I'm keeping my fingers crossed!

Yesterday's Acts of Organisation involved lots of life admin and work admin, photocopying, writing letters, calling various people and so on. Boring but dh was home so I could do it without DD helping! Today I have to give my house a good clean and tidy as I have a prospective family visiting tomorrow about childcare so I want the house to be spotlessly clean but with the inevitable child clutter! And I need to think of what to put in the slow cooker to get them twitching their noses 😅 having something nice cooking always seems to make people feel more at home apparently!

Welcome "@GiantPanda" and "@NorthEndGal".

I got home late from work yesterday and still cooked a proper dinner, emptied and refilled bags etc, but when DC had gone to bed, I felt like I really hadn't spent any quality time with them. So I've decided that as Tuesday evenings will be late home, I'm either going to have dinner made on Monday, or a super quick oven dinner; ignore all other housework as far as possible, and spend the little time we do have playing and having fun.

I am going hammer and tongs at it today, catching up on getting the house sorted.
So much camping gear to clean and repack....

Sounds like a productive day @NorthEndGal.
I have the house ready for the cleaner (finding the balance between not cleaning for the cleaner but not wasting money on having the cleaner spending time moving around things that I ultimately have to put away where they belong anyway, I hope).
Relaxing on the couch now with a Sheet mask on.

The soft silicone muffin trays are fab for freezing portions - I still use them now for some things, usually quite easy to pop out and put in a plastic bag in the freezer. Very handy for portions of tomato sauce (for pasta, I'm the only one that likes it).

Got a day to myself tomorrow so planning a bit of a clean-up. Will probably be filing old/tatty clothing into bags suitable for jumble/recycling etc.

Better get on and do the washing up before bed!

@Sassitude, that's a great tip on the silicone muffin trays, thanks.
Need to do my online supermarket order today.
Also need to pop into a dressmaker at lunchtime to see about attaching something to a new top that's gaping on the boobs. This needs to be done ASAP as I'll have to return the top otherwise and don't want to go past the return date.

Omg the penny has just dropped about the muffin trays I have loads of those too! Thanks folks.

My male friend at work does serious batch cooking and sets aside a whole day for it. He uses those Chinese takeaway boxes and stacks his freezer. I notice he brings a decent lunch to microwave every single day. He said you have to work hard initially but once you are in the cycle you don't end up eating spag bol every day for a week!

@Thatsnotmybookworm re the no time with the kids. We go to Mac Donald's in the way home in Monday's. Not healthy food but very fast and then we get home free to play, have a leisurely bath with music on and bed early with lots of reading. I have bought the quality time with them

I'm finding this thread really helpful :-)

Silicone muffin trays are brilliant! Will buy some for my next batch of kids meals for work!

Yesterday's Act of Organisation was to clean and tidy all downstairs and do a long overdue toy and book swap. I got my inbox to zero too so plan to keep on top of that! I didn't have time to tidy our spare room, which I use as a sleep room for the little ones I care for. But I haven't had little ones in months so it's become a dumping ground to the extent that even the cot is full of boxes for the attic and there are clothes covering the floor thanks to DD emptying our washed and dried clothes bags which we hadn't put away yet, and prospective family asked to see the sleeping room Really regretting not doing that last weekend instead of this weekend! Hoping that it doesn't put them off.

Today I plan to chip away at the Amazon wishlists some more and get those organised as they are ridiculous. Not RL admin but with DDs birthday coming up some online admin needs doing!

I insist on a toy and kids item clear out before the dds birthdays which begin in October so I will be starting that this weekend.

Keep the tips coming I'm very motivated

I LOVE the Monday macdonalds plan QotDS! That’s exactly the kind of organisation tip I need - organising my life so there’s more time for things that matter and less hassle. Tuesday is our busy day and we have a cafe near by which might work for a similar plan...

I am feeling supremely unorganised today... I think a bit of decluttering over the weekend might set me up to feel like I can get on with stuff better next week.

@Queen and @coriander, I agree that buying time is often money very well spent.
I have a day off today; DC still in childcare although I will collect them early. That gives me six free hours so I have spent two hours on housework, mostly laundry and sorting clothes; this will free up time to spend with DC over weekend. I’ve had two hours me time and now I’m going to spend two hours on the house; moving some things around and then online shopping for interiors probably.

Monday MaccyD's is brilliant, I have two new clients so we may actually have enough money in to do that once a week or fortnight at a cafe or something!

This weekend we are blitzing my spare room to make it work ready for next week. Having fully tidied and cleaned the downstairs on Monday I've found it very easy to keep on top of it, which is very helpful. Little but often rather than the massive slog at the end of the day. And getting DD out of the house helps too

@Queen, congratulations on your new clients!

I really need to get some early nights in over the weekend as I’m very tired with the earlier starts since returning to work.

thatsnotmybookworm thank you! Desperately needed, only really got them as I'm the only CM left with two particular days together in my area I think, but I got a good vibe from them too.

I need some early nights too, it's amazing how a few can really sort you out isn't it?!

Oh god fast food is more groundbreaking than I thought he he. You're welcome!

Feel like I have to top that now but I keep thinking about the batch cooking and where to go with that here....

My other tip is to buy a shit ton of cereal bars and fruit winders at the beginning of each month (insert whatever non perishable snack works for you). Got to drag kids to something that's lengthy - shove them and juice bottles in your bag. It has to be a very short trip out for me to risk not doing that. Didn't need them? Back in the cupboard.

Essential items like toothpaste and deodorant never ever buy one at a time.

Have an ongoing task list on your phone all the time. Add to it as you go along. The other thing I do is look at the list and set reminders in my phone calendar. Remembering to fetch the dog wormer etc from the vets is my biggest challenge

Lots of great tips there@Queenofthedrivensnow; thank you.

Tried new clothes on DC this morning as we weren't rushing out. I tend to buy their clothes ahead in the sales and they get lots of gifts and some hand me downs too. Therefore both have a large pile of clothes 'to grow into', so I try to keep on top of what now fits etc. So annoying if I try something lovely on them and realize that they could have been wearing it for ages!

DD has a fast food tea one night a week after an out-of-school activity that runs right over teatime and finishes late! In the winter, I'll do a slow-cooker stew or similar for myself and DH.

Planning to have an ironing night tonight - go me on a Saturday! Does make things so much easier for the rest of the week though!

The after-school activities start again next week, so need to launder and pack all the bags/kit for those too.

I have been restoring the house back to order after the summer. Kitchen and dining room done. Plan to do rest of downstairs tomorrow then hope to do some elements of The Organised Mum to keep on top of housework.

I tend to use Alexa/Echo for shopping items - it's so easy to ask her to add something to my list the minute I run out, I would never remember to write it down. Also, the whole family add their shopping needs too.