to ask how you become organised and together? Seriously how??

[inatrance]

This is a question for any of you who used to be disorganised/flaky and are now organised and sorted. I have been like this for so long and I drive myself and everyone around me crackers. I'm unbelievably forgetful, I am late a lot and I'm rubbish with finances. I'm so fed up of cringing because I'm so bloody rubbish and make stupid mistakes all the time!

I've got an 8mth DS and a 10yo DD and while I've always had disorganised tendencies, since I had DS, it's gone from bad to ridiculous and I feel like I am constantly trying to catch up with myself.

I'm self employed (which is for the best as even I'd have sacked me by now) and have somehow managed to run my businesses haphazardly over the last ten years without fucking up too massively. Well, not often anyway...

Well, no more, I've had enough. I am using the New Year to kick me up the arse and I need your help.

If you used to be crap and are now brilliant and incredibly organised, please, please tell me how you did it. What changed in your mind and where the hell did you start?

Bakelitebelle
My dh is exactly the same as is his dad!!!

I started off filing his stuff in a random box, then i started to open his mail for him and file it all..bills and things. Anything to be actioned his gets next to his dinner plate to do now or file and write on board. He has one little basket in the kitchen to dump his crap in. Anything left any where else is put in his basket.when full i make him tackle it.

I have found the best way to deal with his hoarding/ full basket is to set a date that i will do it for him unless he can do it himself. I tell him it is all going then let him negotiate and save a bit. He is getting better, he actally threw all his socks that didn't match. Wires make him identify what they are all for, bag and label them. He won't know and then you have free pass to bin them.

Its unhealthy to hoard, keep repeating this to him.

I love this thread

It has prompted me to get out my twenty year old filofax, OMG what an amazing thing, I have put everything I need to do in there and am workign my way way through it. I get it out every time I am travelling to work and back and tick off what I can.

All the clutter that was in my head is now out there on paper, waiting to be ticked off

It may have been said already but I must say that if you are trying to sort out your finances one thing you should do is ask your bank for a list of your direct debits as it's easier to get a clear picture rather than going through bank statements. I did and was appalled to discover that I was paying insurance for mobile phones that I last had over 5 years ago!!

If unsure what a dd is for ask your bank for details and cancel anything that is unwanted.

BTW, how can I save this thread - would like to be able to refer to it in future!

put this on good housekeeping but no responses. anyway, you lot will surely know... (and apols if someone has posted links and I've missed them)

Been lurking on the organisation thread and feeling all galvanised to do something about our domestic administration situation. We're actually not too bad and last year DH bought some sturdy plastic filing boxes for all our bills/paperwork/important documents. Only problem is they are utterly hideous. Great big boxy purple plastic things. Yes they do the job but as our 'hidden storage' options continue to dwindle, I need something pretty or just inoffensive that I can have on the sideboard (for easy access to encourage regular filing activity)
Does anyone have any beautiful filing options they'd like to share with me?

I also would like to know if there is a way to save this thread, I'm referring to it daily and trying to do at least a couple of the things on it. I'm trying to not go upstairs without stuff to take up there, such a simple thing but my whole downstairs is starting to look a lot clearer.

I've found that too Saina, it is tricky with babies, my DS has been in his walker playing while I've been sorting washing out today. He's good company bless him.

I would imagine your best bet is to copy and paste it into a word document - I don't know how long AIBU threads hang round for.

I've got some nice boxes and file things from Ikea that I'm finally putting to use Farrow. I'm finding that labelling them is helping as I usually just chuck all my incoming paperwork in them (to hide it ) but I've been through the pile and chucked everything chuckable and have an 'action needed' and 'To file' so far..

I recently got some lovely (pretty) boxes from Home Bargains - £1.99 for two (flatpack) 28cm x 36cm x 18cm.

Bargain!

De-lurking to say thanks for this thread and all the ideas! I am stealing lots of them and Maison de PiffPaffpoff now has:

• a central family diary on the island the kitchen
• an expandable paperwork folder for action/filing/school letters/etc in the living room so no more scary huge pile of papers freaking me out.
• rota for housework
• 6 bags of clothes/toys taken to charity shop
• a full car boot of general crap taken to the tip
• plastic crate of eBay items ready to be listed
• tonights tea made and sitting in the fridge waiting to be reheated (and all the dishes are done and put away!)

I am determined to get on top of things, the clutter and disorganisation has really been getting me down so new year, new house! Keep sharing the ideas please.

I just wanted to say I'm still here watching and enjoying this thread and loving the ideas I don't think I've had any better ideas than those already suggested but when I do......

I think everyone is being really encouraged by this so thanks inatrance!

hopefully this will give us all more time for MN and

No Clue, You can get similar note books to the moleskin at Asda for a £1. I have been sent back repeatedly by work to buy more they love them!

I'm semi-organised and when I went back to work was shocking people with my organisation. Unfortunately my true self has come back and I am now wading through a mess.

Someone said earlier that they went away and came home and realised it was time to change. Same here. We went away to a lovely cottage and I realised when I entered the door and I felt like the walls were crowding in on me, that a change was needed.

What is even worse is that I have a cleaner but its getting to the point that there is only a patch of carpet to hover and half a mirror everything else is cluttered!

So, thanks to this thread, I am going to start again!

off to asda to buy a notebook!

Haven't read all this but I do identify with people who write a list then lose it/want to add to it while they're in the shower and think of a new thing etc. I was told this memory trick. I was really sceptical at first but if you practice a frw times, it does work.
www.memory-improvement-tips.com/remembering-lists.html
scroll down to Number-rhyme pegs

I can run 2 mental lists - a daily one-bun list and if I want to remember stuff to write down or for the weekend, I make a rude one one-bum/ two-poo.

It really works!

Many years ago when my DM was young, she was overwhelmed by everything, and having come from a fairly disorganised background didn't know what to do. She is still grateful to DGM (paternal), her MIL for the tip about putting things on the stairs to take up.

I'm fairly organised but this thread is
a) brilliant for ideas
b) very inspirational!

I'm moving in 3 weeks and can't wait to set up some of the ideas!

Just marking my place. I've been lurking a bit and getting lots of inspiration, so THANK YOU.

I also go away and come back to my house with a strong desire to improve it. I have a friend who is super-organised and whenever I'm at her house, I feel relaxed and looked-after, because it has a calm, organised atmosphere. It feels like a huge mountain to climb sometimes to try to get my shit-pit up to the same standard, but I'm finding that by doing something, however small, every day, it's gradually getting better.

One thing I struggle with is finding a place for everything. My brain dithers over where would be the 'best' place and I end up putting things away haphazardly. Now I'm slowly earmarking places for stuff, and it's so much easier. A little bit at a time .

Agree that this thread is inspirational. I copied and pasted the whole thing yesterday, and while waiting for an appointment (for which I arrived an hour and a half early instead of the customary 10 minutes late), I started to go through this tome with a fine tooth comb and pick out strategies that will work for me.

One of the basic things is that I need to get going in the morning and stop fannying around in my pj's, and finding myself running late for the school run. So now, it's straight in the shower and clothes on. Next, get school stuff ready the day before. Have got a visual list on the kitchen wall for DS2 for his school things and he finds it really useful.

The main problem however, is clutter. And the amount of time I waste on the computer instead of dealing with said clutter. I need to get some rules about when I Facebook and MN and stick to them. Thanks to all for sharing strategies - so helpful xxx

Lists, lists lists! First write a list of everything you want to do in the house etc. This will be scary and huge. Do not try to do it all at once but restrict yourself to doing two things off it each day. Enormously satisfying ticking them off and surprising how quickly you will work through it.

Once this is done, buy a large A4 notebook and write the date at the top of the page each new day and, throughout the day, note down things that need to be done eg book dentist appt, pay gas bill. Tick these things off as you go and check back for things missed on previous days. This is how I used to do it when I was a seriously organised PA for several demanding bosses!!

For the being late thing, sit down and honestly and seriously estimate how much time you need to make it to the appointment or whatever and build that time in to your schedule. But you have to be honest about how much time it will take and, esp if you live in a big city, over estimate! And don't forget to take into consideration that it takes at least 10 mins to get everyone into coats, hats and gloves at this time of year.

Thanks so much for the flowers Countessbabycham! I have them on my virtual (clean and dusted) windowsill.

I'm on my phone so can't do them but I'm sending flowers to you all too for being so inspiringly organised and together and inspiring us disorganisedees.

This thread has magic powers though I swear, yesterday I cleaned and blitzed and my house is shining... shining I tell you!

And... (if you knew me you would know how big this news is) I have even managed to get off my arse and get to Zumba! I don't know how this has happened, I've not exercised for years but somehow I seem to have done it. Now alls I need to do is keep it up!

People who knew me pre-motherhood are often surprised at my family organisational skills now.
Lists, definitely! We have 4 whiteboards for lists, and a family calendar to keep track of who is where, who needs to get where, and when.
Routines help a lot. I used to leave my keys everywhere but now I have a hook near the door, to put them on when I get in, and when I go out I keep them in my left hand pocket. I always check I have keys before closing the door after locking myself out a lot more than once.
I clean the kitchen after dinner, so it looks nice in the morning, and wipe surfaces down before the school run so I come back to a shiny kitchen.
I pick up bits of clutter as I potter about, and put them on the stairs, and take them up next time I'm going upstairs.
I pay the children sweatshop rates to do housework for me.
I cook the same types of meal on certain days of the week so I know which basic ingredients to shop for i.e. mince on a Monday could be chilli, bolognese, cottage pie, meatballs, burgers with much the same shopping basics.

I also have "the wall", where all slips of paper pertaining to upcoming engagements are blutacked. It is the wall by the front door and the calendar is also hung there, so you can't leave the house without going past it. It also prevents said pieces of paper disappearing into a pile.

Am sitting at my desk eating the frog - sorting out the home insurance 2 weeks before it's due for renewal instead of the usual day before!

I love this thread! Just reading it makes me feel more organised!