If you're really good at getting things done / staying on top of thingswhat are you like?

[chaiwalla]

What are your tips? What do you do! Do you wake up at the crack of dawn?

Do you plan from the night before/ week before? Is your mantra to tick off everything on your list before you go to sleep?

How do you do it? What's your mindset? How do you not get into the trap of procrastination? How do you keep motivated and determined?

I'm a bit uneven I think. I'm obsessively organised about work and deadlines (self employed, no one else to blame ), but I have to really force myself to do life admin. The home things I'm really organised with:

Making beds first thing
Always cleaning kitchen after dinner so everything's nice to come down to
Paying any bills and fees
Any food related stuff
Laundry I'm alright with
Organising activities

Things I'm crap at:

Replying to texts quickly
Replying to emails quickly
Answering the phone, ever

I find anxiety helps :(

I agree with the PP who said about slowing down.

I am at my most organised and stress-free when I concentrate on one thing at a time, get it done to the best of my ability, and then forget about it and move on. That goes for work, home, school, whatever.

But I also try and push myself a bit at my most productive times - first thing in the morning and late afternoon - because I know I can get more done and fit in a few extra things, then relax a bit more at other times. My lists are usually mental but I work through my diary school calendar for reminders etc

I think it's a mind set. I've always been the same. I am a list person. Currently have 7 lists. My work list. My general list. My Christmas ideas list. My holiday packing list (3 weeks time), my holiday to buy list. My 'books I'd like to read' & will give people as ideas if they ask me & my books I haven't read on my Kindle list.

Can I ask you organised people how long you are out of the house each day? How long do you spend in the evening/weekend driving dcs to activities etc? I just cannot get a grip at home - doesn't help that I live with a messy hoarder!! How do I get a 58yo dh into line, especially when he creates chaos all weekend then is away from home all week?

I'm quite organised and the house is always "visitor" ready, my routine
7am get up
Quick house work until 8am, DH wash up/dry/wipe down kitchen, me, wipe down bathrooms with wipes, empty bins, put dry washing away, feed rabbit, Hoover,
8am, shower wash hair, make lunch for work
9.10 leave for work
6pm get home, Dh makes tea he's home at 4.45
Me wash up, DD dry up, leave kitchen clean/tidy
Put washing machine on nearly everyday, if forecast is good do it in the morning and hang on the line, if bad wash in the evening and put on airers overnight
Sit down by 7pm ish , bed by 10.30

Days off, spring clean 1 room, or do 1 extra job eg clean oven/tidy cupboards

Admin, deal with it straight away, Bill needs paying, do it online now, letter needs posting do it now, make appointments/phone calls on lunch break at work

I work 32 hours a week (+sometimes 45minute commute each way) Dh 40 hours, not much commute, 3 teenagers, 1 rabbit, 4 bed house,
The trick is little and often, keep on top of everything, I never iron, have a place for everything, de clutter on a regular basis

Being a morning person helps a lot I think

I feel anxious if I am late, if I think I’m letting people done. I am a type A detailed orteintaed person.

For example. Dd was doing her reading in the kitchen/diner. As I listened I cleaned the glass lights and wiped down all the surfaces.

There are places for things and things go to their places.

Chalk board where I put the week up for everyone to see at a glance.

Bags and snacks and clothing are laid out and alter the night before.

I set my clock 10mins fast.

Batch cook and use the freezer stuff for the squeezed evenings and don’t be lazy on the non squeeze nights.

Kids do their own tidying, laundry putting away, empty the dishwasher and sort all sports kits for various activities.

All school admin is dealt with IMMEDIATELY.

I sometimes limit myself to 5 things on my ‘to do’ list for a day - which makes you focus on what’s really important and makes it achievable.

I try to deal with any forms, payment requests and dates for school and clubs as soon as they come in - so that they are done, and not hovering in a to-do pile.

I fill any dead time with jobs - e.g. unload dishwasher while toast is on, clean toilet while bath runs, put washing away while having a bedtime chat with teens.

I organise everything at work using Outlook - recurring tasks, colour coded diaries and categorising emails in inbox as to urgency are all particularly useful.

Keep chipping away at the washing and get things straight onto hangers to avoid ironing.

Be kind to yourself - life is for living, so sometimes drop it all and just be in the moment.

Services like Moon Pig and Funky Pigeon are great for birthday cards and you can even do them way in advance and delay the sending date.

Try to have less stuff. Less to store and keep tidy and remember where it is.

Store sets of bedding all folded inside the matching pillowcase, so you don’t have to search for the matching bits when you change the bed.

Always cook more than you need and freeze for easy freezer dinners.

Use a slow cooker - nothing better than doing all the dinner prep before breakfast (usually do it while enjoying my first cup of tea of the day).

Unsubscribe from all but the most relevant mailing lists - so you don’t waste time trawling through emails or post that isn’t really of interest.

A shared family Google calendar is a great help. I enjoy allocating appointments to my husband!

Meal planning
YNAB
I never put anything away that needs action, such as post or emails.
Tidy up as I go.
Make a list and just move things around on it. It's a moving target.
Don't put things off. I was lent s book about getting your shit together which was helpful.

I prioritise all the time, and sometimes think fuck it, and read a book for a bit. I Keep deadlines.

I'm not annoying, ( hope not!) I just like what I can control to work for me, I've enough external shit fucking up my life without me joining in by being disorganised and making it even more stressful. Also being disorganised is not an excuse putting off unpleasant tasks or for letting me, dc and dh down plus friends, family.

I do much of what has already been mentioned. My biggest tip is to keep a notebook in my handbag and write down things as soon as they come up or I think of them. I don't expect to remember everything. I also find that keeping surfaces clear is really helpful and makes everything look tidy. I have to force myself sometimes but I do just get on with it.

Following

Pushed send too quickly, my favourite life tip is the art of the 15 minute timer. I can do absolutely anything for 15 mins (even my nemesis ironing) and I always find once I've done the first 15 mins I can go on if needed. There is definitely something in that first 15 mins that gets you in the right mindset. I am always specific in terms of what I am doing e.g. 15 mins guest bathroom or 15 mins drawer of doom. Try It, it really works.

If you can do it 5 minutes then just do it.

Google family calendar for what we're all doing.
To do lists of admin - which I often do on the commute (train).
If I need to do some things in the day I sometimes schedule it whilst I am at lunch (e.g. call plumber (number), book boiler service (number).
I rarely watch TV.

Agree being a morning person is useful. I never leave the house until I’ve made beds, got something out of the freezer for tea, washed up breakfast things, put a load of washing out (set machine on timer the night before), fed animals and humans.

I always get kids school stuff ready the night before and have a homework in/tray and timetables pinned up near the front door so we can easily keep track of who needs what. I work part time and do this on my days off as well, as the rest of my day is then free for cleaning, shopping etc.

I try to multitask e.g. cleaning the shower while I’m in it (!), catching up on the Archers while ironing. I work odd shifts which messes with my routine a bit, if I worked the same every week I would designate days for specific chores.

I have a big reorganise once or twice a year where I literally go through every single drawer and cupboard to keep clutter from building up. No point in shuffling through piles of crap when you’re trying to find something important.

Before I was ill and used to work my life was run like this.

I had the capacity to remember everything I needed to do in my head so had a perfect mental working list, I was like this at work as well. I didn't need to write things down. The processing speed of my brain and actions was incredibly fast.

I did lunches, clothes, bags ready the night before but with speed.
Preocrastination was something that just didn't happen with me.

The other thing was not having a completely useless partner and not ever being guilt tripped or feel obligated to be the keeper and bearer of all the mental load.

I think there's a difference between being disorganised and being forgetful.
I have all the systems but the short term memory span of a gnat so I often feel I'm not on top of things.
I do well at work because I'm at a desk with my to do list right in front of me but when I'm trying to multi task forget it. I walk into rooms and can't remember what I was there for and generally start doing something completely unrelated, carry unsent birthday cards around in my bag for days, lose the front door keys... bit of a disaster zone.
But I try hard so I don't beat myself up about it.

Wunderlist is great because I can have all of my lists together and it beeps to remind me to do things. It’s just beeped to remind me to hoover

I'm finding this fascinating reading these tips. I am not someone who was blessed with natural organisational skills. I have tried using many of these tips, but still struggle.

So...I diarise everything, but then forget to look at the diary after I've written the entries.

I go to post letters with the letters in my hand and then literally walk straight past the post box.

I pick up something to put away and then spend the next 10 minutes hunting the house for the thing that has been in my hand the whole time I have been hunting for it.

I prepare lunches the night before then forget to take them out the fridge in the morning.

I was the child/teenager who took every book for every subject into school every day because otherwise I knew I would forget something. (Occasionally I forgot my school bag.)

I go out with odd shoes on (okay, so I've only done that last one twice).

Funnily enough, my mum always said how she had been super tidy and organised even as a child, but I said this to my dad once and he just laughed and said "Your mum? Nah, she just paid her sister to do the tidying for her!"

Oddly, I am never late for things, and have an encyclopaedic knowledge of birthdays and phone numbers, but other types of organisation just seem to be beyond me.

Keeping a list/diary/calendar helps - put things on and tick them off or move on to next day or whatever is appropriate. Make sure you look at it every morning and slash through the previous day so that you know where you are. Get into a routine of doing this and it certainly helps. I'd be in a right mess if I didn't write things down.

Do jobs as they arise, tidy as i go, get other household members to do chores too, (ok, the youngest need supervision).
Clean the kitchen every night after dinner.
Each job really only takes a few minutes.
Good luck!

Ok, so DH (works FT wfh mostly, with trips away), DD at uni, DS1 mostly lives with his dad, DS2 & 3 both FT here, with SENs and at special schools. I wfh with 3 pt jobs, and studying.
Organisation board in hall with calendar, one column per person. School stuff/vouchers/medical stuff pinned there. Google calendars for each aspect, so older kids and DH can see their bits and I see everyone's. I also have a 'house' calendar where I slot time in for washing/washing up/baths/eating, as otherwise I forget/put off. I try to do one wash a day, but don't always manage it. I try to 'dress to shoes' and use bits from flylady & kondo, although we still have huge amounts of clutter and messiness, as I don't get as much time to housework as I'd like. Clean the sink/loo/bath as I use them. Get uniform/bags sorted out as soon as they get home - often bath DSs as soon as they get home and straight into pj's. Pay as much online as I can. Our house is FAR from perfect, but we seem to muddle by.

I procrastinate readily, so I keep two or three projects in parallel and procrastinate from one by working on another.

The first 60 minutes in the morning keep our whole lives running.

I'm obsessed with coffee/espressos (Mediterranean) and don't give myself permission to have one until my morning routine is done.

I find the trick for me is to be a step ahead, that way if something unexpected happens (and it usually does) there's no mad catching up or stress.

While the DC wake up and laze about for little bit, I make beds, unload the dishwasher, breakfasts for DC, laundry on, prep ALL meals for that day (including any snacks, down to cutting fruit up) and ALWAYS make next day's lunchboxes.

It helps I wake up to a tidy house, with lunchboxes ready to go, clothes for me and DC all laid out and ready for the day.

After that, I'm allowed coffee and then I can focus on the DC. They both started reception this year and DD has ASD and is non-verbal so she needs a fair bit of help getting ready and primed for the day.

This means that most of the hard/annoying/boring prep work is done for the day, all meals pretty much organised for everyone and house is tidy. We have a lot of travelling and therapy sessions every single day so we get home late and it's important for us to come to a clean house and a nice nutritious meal.

Other than that, I have lists and reminders for everything, I organise all the birthday cards and presents for the month on the 1st, I declutter CONSTANTLY, meal plan religiously and shop online or do click and collect, we do toy rotation which means the playroom is airy, fairly empty and SUPER easy to tidy.

I also tie activities in (empty dishwasher while kettle boils, cleaning bathroom when children are in the bath, fold laundry while talking to DC, ironing while binge watching box sets, organise calendar for the week on a Saturday morning during DC's swimming lessons).

I think I'm always working towards free, leisurely time and since I can't relax if things are chaotic around me, it just works for me to get chores done and out of the way first.

Above all, I've learned to keep it as simple as possible, so we're becoming more and more minimalist and the happier for it.