Does anyone else feel overwhelmed by the constant need to be organised?

[justsickofitthismorning]

I am completely overwhelmed with the relentless need to have stuff together. Book bags, bags for preschool, packed lunches, ballet shoes, swimming costumes. No matter how organised I try to be something is forgotten and it’s my fault and I end up charging around with whingeing kids and helpful suggestions from husband and end up blowing my top. I feel like I’m becoming this horrible shitty person to be honest and I dislike myself. Dd is now at ballet without ballet shoes. Feel absolutely hopeless.

This is what I did to help my disorganisation-

get a calendar that goes up on the wall. Fill it in every time you get a school email or appointment.
At the start of the month just jot down all the kids activities. Teach the kids to check the calendar for school stuff.

Buy different colour cheap drawstring bags (Amazon have them) different activity stuff go in them. As soon as clothes are washed, put them in the bag with all the other stuff like goggles or ballet shoes.

Your family has a “what’s going on this week” chat on Sundays. At Breakfast, dinner whenever. Check the calendar. Get child to check it.

you have too much to think about -
do a meal plan.
do a chore list with one thing a day during the week.
get your dc helping out
free up some headspace.

Oh I feel you. Its exhausting. Particularly on top of everything else. Can you ask your husband to share the mental load? Maybe they could take responsibility for every other days list of stuff? Notice how youve turned this against yourself when its not you, its an impossible task along with everything else. You're not hopeless, its just a lot.

Another mum here who really gets it and sympathises.. and my kids are only 2 and 4 so school hasn't even hit in full force yet!

For swimming and gymnastics, their things live in their bags. So I'll get home from swimming, instantly hang up wet things, then they go straight back into the bag once dry, and bag is put in its place ready to grab next week. Gymnastics shoes live in little backpack by the door which I add a water bottle to on the way out to the class, the bag never goes anywhere else. This doesn't always work...I once arrived at swimming lessons having forgotten the entire prepared bag!!!

Our changing bag (thankfully much lighter than it used to be!) gets reset within minutes of me walking in the door. If I don't do it instantly, it gets left on the table until I do as if I put it "away" on it's hook I'll forget. So if we used a nappy, I add a nappy. If 4yo needed spare underwear, I'll replace that. If they ate a snack bar, I'll pop another one in. It means in the chaos of leaving the house, I don't have to think about anything beyond taking the bag.

It's exhausting. My husband just doesn't get it. To be fair he has ADHD so he genuinely struggles with organisation, but he cannot understand why I start running around as soon as we get home sorting things out for the next time we leave 🤣

Wonder if there's am easy solution to this?

I think one solution that some people use is to have lots of spares of things like school uniform and sports club stuff so that there isn't the one pair of shorts that you're always searching for.