Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Give me your top 3 organisational tips

59 replies

greenleaf5 · 25/02/2021 13:29

MNers! I need your top 3 tips or hacks to keep organised. 2 DS under 3 and need to sort my life out. Thank you

OP posts:
SeaToSki · 25/02/2021 13:32

Cut back on toys, clothes and toiletries. Put spare toys in the attic and rotate every 2 weeks or so. Put out of season clothes in boxes at the top of the wardrobes and get everyone using the same basic toiletries.

BikeRunSki · 25/02/2021 13:35

Meal planning
Answer school letters immediately (I realise yours are not school age yet).
Ditto party invitations
Online calendar shared with DH
Never go to bed with an empty fuel tank

SandysMam · 25/02/2021 13:39

Get a hand held hoover for whizzing round corners and surfaces, game changer for us.

Set a timer for 10 minutes and do as much as you can in that time.

Loads of frozen Annabel Karmel ready meals in the freezer...they are healthy enough and means DC can have a good dinner when you are too frazzled to cook (and you can have cheese and crackers!).

ElfHatOnPicture · 25/02/2021 13:41
  1. Use Google calendar for every single event
  2. Care less.
  3. 2.
ChannelJackieWeaver · 25/02/2021 13:42

Declutter
Load of washing every day (include put away if possible- dont iron unless really needs it)
Good storage for toys- KALLAX unit is good

SingToTheSky · 25/02/2021 13:42

I probably shouldn’t be answering as I am not organised 😂 but one thing that does help me is the idea of “future friend” - sorting something before you really need it because your future self will be grateful for it! Things like getting your/DCs’ clothes out the night before, getting bags ready etc.

I definitely think decluttering will be key for me getting my life on track but it’s so hard when I’m struggling to find the time/energy to do it

Knittedfairies · 25/02/2021 13:43

Adopt the OHIO principle (Only Handle It Once) i.e. if you get a letter, reply to it. If something needs to be put away, do it. Have a place for everything; if you want something new, decide where it's going to live before you buy it.

SingToTheSky · 25/02/2021 13:43

Oh and another tip I read was to only start a load of washing when you’ve put the last lot away. I haven’t implemented it yet but it does make sense given how quickly the clean laundry piles up and makes a mess

OneToThree · 25/02/2021 13:44

Deal with things as soon as they come in.

Write a list daily. If you don’t get it all done add it to tomorrow’s list. Try to finish list every day.

This is literally how I live my life.

Kids need new shoes, allocate that job to Saturday. If we don’t make it, it will either be a Sunday job or I’ll find the next convenient day/time that I can go and write in on the calendar.

Every job is either dealt with straight away or allocated a day to do.

Unescorted · 25/02/2021 13:46

@ElfHatOnPicture

1. Use Google calendar for every single event
  1. Care less.
  2. 2.
Grin

You are me.

Superstardjs · 25/02/2021 13:46

Sort out paperwork as soon as it enters your house: respond, recycle, file or shred immediately.
Keep your kitchen tidy and don't go to bed with a pile of stuff in the sink.

MrsMoastyToasty · 25/02/2021 13:47

Deal with post when it arrives and if it needs to be kept then file immediately.
Put things away not just down on the nearest available worktop.
Sell things once they have served their purpose.

firstimemamma · 25/02/2021 13:49

Daily job list on phone
Diary and weekly schedule on kitchen noticeboard (use both to make the daily list)
Morning and evening routines

PositiveNegative · 25/02/2021 13:52

Pack bags the night before.

Keep two boxes at the top of each kids wardrobe - one for too big / next season clothes, one for 'too small' clothes. Take 'too small' stuff out of circulation straight away. Sort kids clothes twice a year. Find regular people to give hand-me-downs to. Ditto toys.

If you have a downstairs loo, keep a basket in there with toothbrushes, toothpaste, hairbrush/hair items, facecloth etc. It will save a lot of trekking up and down stairs.

PositiveNegative · 25/02/2021 13:53

Oh and two from MN:

  1. Don't put it down, put it away
  1. If it takes less than 10 seconds, do it now
Docketpuo · 25/02/2021 13:53

I tried the toy rotation thing. Three years later found the box of toys in the attic. Different child enjoyed them then 🤦‍♀️

Docketpuo · 25/02/2021 13:54

Recommend Google calendar. Also set reminders on Alexa. Write lists.
Suspect decluttering would help.

TheRedBalloon · 25/02/2021 13:57

My mum always says it's easier to tidy round than clean up - ie keep on top of any hhold chores rather than let them build up.

If you're on very limited time to spare, just do 5 mins (timed) in each room - it's amazing how much you can get done.

Get tomorrow's clothes, shoes etc ready the night before.

Failing that, just lower your standards 😂

Zenithbear · 25/02/2021 13:58

Sort out paperwork as soon as it enters your house: respond, recycle, file or shred immediately

This

greenleaf5 · 25/02/2021 14:00

@SandysMam do you mean one of those smaller ones for the sides and car? Can you recommend one?

These are great- thanks everyone

OP posts:
sesquipedalia · 25/02/2021 14:03

Never leave a room empty handed. She merging always needs to be taken elsewhere. If you're going upstairs anyway, what needs to go up to, be journey but multiple purposes.

Drives me nuts that DH can walk past the hundred that needs to go upstairs 10 times abs he pops up and down but never thinks to do it!

BiddyPop · 25/02/2021 14:06

When you come home (from outings/nursery etc), sort out DCs etc and then sort out the nappy bag (or similar) - replenish everything straight away so there are spare nappies and nappy sacks, wipes, tissues, snacks (raisins etc), spare clean clothes etc all in bag ready to just grab and go when you are going out again (just add fresh drinks and any fresh snacks needed) rather than needing to refill the entire bag when trying to go out.

Take some time when you have some peace to think through exactly what you would find useful in the bag (other than above - sunscreen, lip balm, nappy cream, snack packs raisins or other log life snacks, a book or small toy each, pad of paper and crayons, calpol sachets.....you might think of more or might not need as much). And make a list of travel sized things to get, 1 for the bag and 1 for spare (to quickly replenish as needed). Or find good travel bottles and label well, and either fill from your larger home bottles or buy larger bottles to easily refill (and cheaper in the long run).

Get plenty of wash and wear clothes, concentrate on keeping things washed and dried as needed but only fold and put away once a week (we fold while watching a movie here) - you can rummage for clean things in an emergency but it also takes pressure off needing to wash ans dry more frequently.

ScepticalBandicoot · 25/02/2021 14:10

Declutter and organise your stuff properly with Kondo method or similar. It's a big up-front investment of time but saves huge amounts of time later on cleaning, tidying, and not having to do a half hour hunt every time you need your passport/a particular bit of paperwork/a screwdriver etc.

Make a to-do list of absolutely everything you need to do, whether big or small, short or long-term (and regularly check/update it).

Do a load of laundry every day instead of letting it pile up (unless you don't have enough dirty clothes for one, obviously).

If I could have a fourth it would be to get a cleaner if you can afford it, because it forces you to tidy up properly every week as well as getting the bulk of the weekly cleaning done.

Thatwentbadly · 25/02/2021 14:16

Declutter
Make sure everything has a home
Make sure DP pulls his weight - have a weekly chat about things coming up.
I have a list on phone of things which need be done by month
Eg
January
Claire birthday 16th
MOT
Smear due 2022

February
Boiler service
MIL birthday

SandysMam · 25/02/2021 14:54

Yes a handheld Vac. We’ve just got a Vax one, it was cheap but does the job!

Swipe left for the next trending thread