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Organisational tips for 2022 please

45 replies

Chidjireta · 28/12/2021 18:57

My life has suddenly gone mad in the last three months.

I’ve started working an extra day at work, started a degree course and had my long term boyfriend move in with me. Then we’ve had Christmas and I’m only just about managing with the day to day stuff.

I’m lucky because I’ve just the one late teen DC at home so that’s not an issue but it’s all the other stuff that I’m falling behind with.

I’d love everyone’s tips on how to feel less harassed over the course of the week and then feel like you’re playing catch up at weekends.

Thankyou to anyone who takes the time to reply Smile

OP posts:
hivemindneeded · 28/12/2021 22:58

My keys for staying organised are very scaled down Flylady techniques.

Do 5 minute 'room rescues' - that's a tidy up where you set a timer and do as much as you can in 5 mins. It's so encouraging. You can give bath, sink and loo a quick swipe and straighten towels in 5 mins.

You can hang coats, pair shoes, chuck junk mail and wipe down main surfaces in 5 mins.

Do your main living spaces once a day.

Do a morning laundry load - put it on first thing in the morning then either hang it out before work or when you get back from work
Lights, darks, towels, sheets, delicates - one a day on weekdays.
Fold and put away laundry while your bath is running, or just before bed.

At the weekend, do a one-hour (or 30 mins if your DC helps - 30 mins each = 1 hour) clean where you strip and change bedding.

Keep week night dinners simple with a mix of very easy recipes and healthy ready made ones e.g. filled pasta with fresh pesto and salad or eggs, sweet potato oven baked wedges and peas.

If you like cooking you could batch cook at the weekend. If you don't, just keep it simple and make sure you both get your 5 a day, fibre and lean protein.

If your teen needs help getting organised, have a 15 minute session of getting your work/school bags ready for the next day together and setting out work clothes/uniform/sports gear etc. It really helps them establish an organised routine, especially if they are forgetful or have ADHD.

Set aside one night or work lunch hour a week (Flylady suggests Wednesdays) to check admin e.g. paying bills, booking dental/eye/hair appointments, sending birthday cards etc.

Akire · 28/12/2021 23:04

Whenever possible cook twice as much. Easy if only the three of you. One for dinner the next day or in the freezer. Then you can get away cooking for half the week.

Make sure partner is pulling their weight. If you have gone from a single parent household to a couple then in theory your work load should have halved not increased!

Try and sort clothes to wear for the week and ditto for school uniform, sports kit, going out wear. Saves all the frustrating have you seen my XYZ when they have 5min before they have to leave.

coodawoodashooda · 28/12/2021 23:08

I bloody love organising threads! Mine are to always empty the bin before it needs it, post birthday cards too soon as as you don't have the pressure of posting them when necessary. Have a big jar of small change for unexpected annoyances. Declutter, declutter, declutter. It makes an amazing difference to how quickly you can tidy and put things away.

Shambleseya · 28/12/2021 23:13

Use the TimeTree calendar app and follow The Organised Mum Method for housework.

Whatliesbeneath707 · 28/12/2021 23:21

I love these types of threads too @coodawoodashooda.
I am going to write down some of your suggestions!
I agree with the decluttering- I did Marie Kondo a few years ago and it made such a difference.
I'm currently working out what doesn't work in my home or what leads to clutter. My ironing pile isn't big but I need somewhere to store it until I do it so I'm reorganising my wardrobe so it doesn't get in the way.
I would say meal planning is always a good one and we've had a lot of success with the Gousto boxes.
It sounds indulgent but when I started a course & also worked full time, I employed a cleaner just once a month. It was so amazing as it obviously kept us clean but tidy too. She's so good that she now comes every fortnight.

I need to focus on my home finances and setting aside one day a fortnight is a good idea.

DashDotCom · 28/12/2021 23:21

-Cook double of every meal you make that can be frozen and freeze the second half
-set up shopping lists for online groceries, I have an 8 week rotation of meal ideas and I’ve plugged the relevant ingredients into 8 different shopping lists saved on my Asda profile. I just add all to my basket each week then delete out what I’ve already got
-whenever I’m talking to any friend/family throughout the year and they mention something they like (big or small) I save it on my birthday idea note on my phone. Come xmas/bday I’ve normally got at least 1 or 2 ideas for a person
-tidying- in our first smaller house we did “power hour” on a Friday evening where we both ran round cleaning as much as possible within an hour. House spotless for weekend. New house is bigger and we have a child now so we tend to do one hour for upstairs one day and one for downstairs another when it fits in.
-if you have a dishwasher put it on every night then empty it while the kettle or toaster etc is on in the morning
-get a 2022 calendar (I love busyb’s family planner ones as there’s a column for each person in the house) and fill in every thing you can think of now. Appointments that are due, birthdays, bills that are up for renewal etc
-de clutter a room at a time, EVERYTHING checked, put away or chucked. Less stuff you don’t need will make you feel more organised 😊

Twinkleylight · 28/12/2021 23:38

Iron shirts and trousers as soon as they come out of the washing machine and then hang out to dry. It's easier to iron out wrinkles from a damp, creased item of clothing then a dry one.

coodawoodashooda · 29/12/2021 00:15

Yeah everything you own is generating a potential job. Get rid of the stuff. I still have far too much crap but it's so much less and so much easier than before.

Chidjireta · 29/12/2021 07:58

Thankyou for all the replies! I’m at work today but will be looking into each and every post at break time. Thankyou so much Smile

OP posts:
CleanQueen123 · 29/12/2021 08:20

I love a good organising thread. My tips would be:

  1. make sure your partner and teenager are doing their bit.

  2. have a big declutter and clear the decks.

  3. meal plan. I bought a second freezer and have a spreadsheet where I meal plan for the whole month.

Then I do a massive Asda order and spend a day prepping everything. It makes life so much easier because I don't have to think about what we're eating.

I also double up on some meals, so for example I'll put a chilli in the slow cooker when I've got a long day in the office and then we'll have the leftovers with jacket potatoes later in the week.

  1. sort your clothes for the week on a Sunday evening. I put a whole set of DD's school uniform on a hanger for each day e.g skirt, dress, cardigan, and clothes peg tights and pants to it.

  2. write everything down on a wall calendar. I also have a diary but a wall calendar is good so everyone can see. If you get one of the family planners then get your DP and DC to add their bits.

coodawoodashooda · 29/12/2021 08:32

@CleanQueen123

I love a good organising thread. My tips would be:
  1. make sure your partner and teenager are doing their bit.

  2. have a big declutter and clear the decks.

  3. meal plan. I bought a second freezer and have a spreadsheet where I meal plan for the whole month.

Then I do a massive Asda order and spend a day prepping everything. It makes life so much easier because I don't have to think about what we're eating.

I also double up on some meals, so for example I'll put a chilli in the slow cooker when I've got a long day in the office and then we'll have the leftovers with jacket potatoes later in the week.

  1. sort your clothes for the week on a Sunday evening. I put a whole set of DD's school uniform on a hanger for each day e.g skirt, dress, cardigan, and clothes peg tights and pants to it.

  2. write everything down on a wall calendar. I also have a diary but a wall calendar is good so everyone can see. If you get one of the family planners then get your DP and DC to add their bits.

How do you prep everything? Like what?
WellTidy · 29/12/2021 08:49

M&S also does family calendars, I buy one every year. They have a hook and an open envelope for a pen to keep with it. Everything goes on ours.

I also keep one A5 notebook. All of my lists, ideas, notes, plans, jottings etc go in there. I keep a pen on a pen elastic on it too. Numbered pages work best for me. I use 361571 Notebook Medium (A5), Softcover, 123 Numbered Pages, Denim, Dotted this one

A triple laundry sorter. One bag for whites, one for lights and one for darks. Separate basket for reds and delicates. Only when a bag is full does it get washed. It stops me doing small loads all the time. I have this one which is out of stock but you can buy similar elsewhere. Towels are done separately as is bedding.

Buy clothes as an entire outfit, if you can, unless you already know what you will wear something with and already have it. Easier and quicker to work out what you’re going to wear.

Whatliesbeneath707 · 29/12/2021 08:53

Yes, good idea re the calendar. I'm waiting for those family ones to be reduced in the sales. The M & S one was still £10 yesterday.

CleanQueen123 · 29/12/2021 09:13

@coodawoodashooda some stuff I cook, some just goes in a freezer bag raw.

For example, I'll turn a whole bag of potatoes into mash and then freeze it in portions.

A lot of our meals are based around chicken thighs. In a freezer bag I'll put the chicken thighs and then whatever else makes it into a meal.

Top chicken thigh favourites in this house include pesto, Chinese style, Mediterranean, lemon and herb.

I'll also freeze all of the ingredients for things like chilli and bolognese together.

I do a load of soup for my WFH day lunches.

Plus I'll bulk buy things and then freeze them in portions. Sausages, sliced ham for sandwiches, bread rolls etc.

Pinterest has loads of ideas for "dump meals" which I think is the official term.

Twinkleylight · 29/12/2021 09:19

I've ordered the grid system diay from here: www.mumsoffice.co.uk/
It has space for lists, plans, notes and a calendar, there is also a Christmas version. It's basically a paper version of an electronic diary system.

thesnailandthewhale · 29/12/2021 09:43

I'd agree with the earlier poster about logging ideas for birthday / Christmas presents - I set up an Amazon wishlist for each family member and add ideas as I go. They don't have to be available on Amazon, you can just type an idea in and in the comments box write that it comes from X shop. Then I can send this list to grandparents etc who ask for ideas. I also have one for ideas for people that I need to buy for.

Chocolateteabag · 29/12/2021 10:48

I set the washing machine on timer last thing at night so that it finishes just as I get up to put kettle on - I then put bits in dryer or onto the drying rack while kettle boils

Then take out of dryer before I leave house (if it's a leave the house day) or before I start work if it's a wfh day

Pegasussnail · 29/12/2021 10:54

I have a 'birthday box' nothing fancy but a see through box with candles, cards balloons. So if dcs have a party to go to I throw in a voucher.

Same with envelopes and stamps - have a zip pouch for all that a5 size too)

Batch cooking and using the slow cooker. Our local butcher has a pack of 15 chicken fillets. I wrap in pairs. Keep frozen peppers etc. So some nights it's a matter of cooking a pouch of microwave rice and dinner is done.

Sundays I usually cook roast chicken or pork and I make the extra pork into a sweet and sour or chicken into a stir fry.

coodawoodashooda · 29/12/2021 10:59

[quote CleanQueen123]@coodawoodashooda some stuff I cook, some just goes in a freezer bag raw.

For example, I'll turn a whole bag of potatoes into mash and then freeze it in portions.

A lot of our meals are based around chicken thighs. In a freezer bag I'll put the chicken thighs and then whatever else makes it into a meal.

Top chicken thigh favourites in this house include pesto, Chinese style, Mediterranean, lemon and herb.

I'll also freeze all of the ingredients for things like chilli and bolognese together.

I do a load of soup for my WFH day lunches.

Plus I'll bulk buy things and then freeze them in portions. Sausages, sliced ham for sandwiches, bread rolls etc.

Pinterest has loads of ideas for "dump meals" which I think is the official term.[/quote]
This is a great idea. More sensible food shopping is going to be my best money saver this year.

Twinkleylight · 29/12/2021 11:13

Keep all your Christmas food receipts and record the total you've spent in a diary. Make a note of what was a hit, a miss and what was wasted so you can adjust the shopping list for next Christmas.

coodawoodashooda · 29/12/2021 11:41

Take photos of any invitations.

CleanQueen123 · 29/12/2021 13:51

@coodawoodashooda it's been great for us. I think I spend around £100/120 per month on food shopping. £80 on the big shop which also includes washing powder etc. Then maybe £5 a week on any fresh veg top ups.

Some of the recipes have been hit and miss but I've got a good list going now and it's a nice mix of things to chuck in the slow cooker and tray bake type meals.

Chidjireta · 29/12/2021 14:44

Thankyou so much everyone for all the really amazing advice.

I was starting to get overwhelmed with everything, my DM was diagnosed with cancer earlier this year and my heads not been straight since. I seem to have lost the ability to multitask.

Luckily my DC is very independent so I’ll be asking a little bit more from them and my DP. He is absolutely lovely but we’re still finding our groove together.

I’m going to go through the thread properly later and write down all the amazing advice being given here as I really appreciate it Flowers

OP posts:
TeacupDrama · 29/12/2021 15:27

if you have next monday off instead of Jan 1st allocate the whole day to organising ( if you are off this week as well you could do it tomorrow
large calendar

  1. write all known appointments parents evenings birthdays and holidays on also when MOT / car/ house insurance due and a further note 3 weeks in advance apparently you get best deal 3 weeks ahead and MOT will keep date if done in previous month
  2. Write a housework and admin job list and rota
include daily and weekly jobs all days empty and load dishwasher wipe kitchen work surfaces check bathroom make beds deal with mail immediately, laundry if necessary 15 minutes each for you and DH plus food prep time. your child is more independent so hopefully can manage to do own homework tidy after dinner a few times a week clean own room then allocate different tasks to people all of weekly tasks another 15 minutes for you or DH monday dusting and vacuuming tidy lounge tuesday clean bathroom wash towels wednesday clean kitchen wash bedding thursday meal plan and make shopping list friday food shop put everything away ready for weekend wash school uniform Saturday 1 hour blitz by everyone in house ( includes kids) followed by coffee then 1 hour blitz in garden or a 1 hour deep clean of one area maybe the freezer or the junk drawer ( this may just be you and DH or maybe kids again) then by lunchtime you are finished till monday apart from food prep so that is 30 minutes a day for you and DH say 10 mins for DC and 2 hours at weekend so total hours is 10+ hours plus cooking time Sunday NOTHING it is important to build in down time whether this is chilling or hiking ( it doesn't have to be a sunday also try and have one evening where no -one is out at any activity)
  1. Study at the same time your child does their homework
  2. look at your budget both financial and time; if you need 6 hours extra time a week to study someone else needs to more and you need to save time that may cost more money; extra prepared ingredients, a cleaner,
just like in most jobs time planning is rarely wasted

5.Don't do stuff that doesn't need doing, don't wash stuff that has been worn for 2 hours, don't volunteer time you don't have, say NO to something you do not always need a reason don't over commit
6.Once a month set aside an hour or two for paperwork / digital admin
7.limit the number of weekend projects to 3-4 a year when you spend the whole weekend working on something maybe painting or decorating or garden stuff

Chidjireta · 29/12/2021 16:26

@TeacupDrama that’s an amazing post, thankyou so much Flowers

I’m not working Monday so I’m going to write down all the posts from on here, put them with your plan and get started.

OP posts: