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?

Oo there's a list?! Please may I be one of the lucky recipients?
Thankyou thankyou!

I read something yesterday which struck a chord. It was saying that completion of tasks releases small amounts of endorphins and uncompleted tasks lead to feelings of anxiety. While I can't vouch for the science, anecdotally, this makes sense and may be where I am going wrong.

I hardly ever actually complete tasks. I do a bit on all of them, like one of those plate spinner performers. When the plate is about to crash to the ground, I do a bit more. I apply this to everything. I'll unload/load the dishwasher/hang up washing while the kettle is boiling, stop as soon as it has boiled and continue next time I have that sort of "dead" waiting time. So it's rare that I haven't started something but just as rare that I have finished it.

Those of you who find things easy, do you split into tasks that you start and complete in one go or do you plate spin?

By the way, to those helpful people down thread who recommended the pen pot, thank you thank you thank you! What a difference such a small act can make!

I wrote down all the different tasks that need doing in my house. I then split them into 'weekly' 'fortnightly' and 'monthly'

I then rotate them so I only do two or at most three small jobs a day along side my normal daily tidy up.

The receipt envelope has worked a treat already!

I have realised how important having a place for everything is and am trying to sort through that.

2012 is the beginning of my new organized life! I refuse to be embarrassed by lateness/ messy house/ missing deadlines again!!

Thank you ladies, I am loving this!

Can I have a master list too please?

Can anyone that would like the masterlist please PM me their emails - it's saved as a word document. Then I will send them out today

Steala, I tend to break large jobs down into their component parts and complete them task by task. A lot of the jobs I have to do (relating to my cake decorating business & rotary) cannot be completed in one hit as they involve drying/setting or consulting others.

This thread has revolutionized my life. Everything, and I mean everything, is now on my Google calendar and therefore on my iPhone. I've shared nearly every event with my husband so that he is now in control of his life too

• my children are being colour-coded tonight
• the menu plan is done & is on the fridge door
• we use an 'Organised Mum' weekly planner on the fridge and this helps the children a lot but husband is blind to it
• the filing will now be done on a Thursday night & and will instigate the 'touch it, file it' approach or it will end up at the bottom of the pile again
• receipts now have their own envelopes
• I'm using Wunderlist for keeping track of my own morning & evening checklists, my general 'to do' list and my children's lists as well
• washing & laundry plan completed
• the boys have laminated lists and this works a treat. Will now do a weekly chore/pocket money one.
• I'm swishing & swiping my sinks and loos every morning & husband is doing the bath & shower (have always hated this job but turns out he doesn't mind as he can listen to podcasts whilst he doesn't hear the children works

Thank you to everyone for their contributions. I finally feel in control of my life for the first time in years

Sorry cant remember who mentioned as been reading this thread bit by bit when up feeding DC4 in the night (some great ideas) but remembering other peoples children's name - I have an iPhone and put the children's name in the company line on their contact. So far has worked well as I seem to know people who work for a company or people with children.

i love this idea of colourcoding the dc! What sort of things get colourcoded? Do you get different coloured baskets, towels etc.

My 3 girls would love this I think

I think the original poster re the colour coding mentioned towels, hangars. Anything and everything really. Sports bags etc... Mine have flexi tubs for their shoes and DD puts in book bag, scarf and hat too at the mo. Maybe water bottle too soon as we keep forgetting it!

Props to the recommender of the Home Routines app. Highly recommend. I'm pretty much allergic to housework and it took me 5 minutes to customize the prefilled list and away I went! It's a great feeling checking those little gold stars!

Mxx

Plus, I think this little beauty is going to revolutionize my life...

www.tidy-books.com/categories/forgetmenot

Doh! Hangers. Stupid tiny phone screen

I need to read this thread. I have a 6yo ds, a 2wk old dd, a DH who is heading off with work on sunday and won't be home for weeks and weeks (and will do this throughout 2012 ) and I am rather worried [understatement emoticon] that everything will crumble into chaos and anarchy very, very quickly...particularly given that we tend to teeter on the brink at the best of times.

Hi Sheep, I posted about colour coding the DC but I think I might have namechanged since then!

My boys have the following things in their colours:-

• Coat hooks
• Towels and face clothes
• Toothbrushes
• Flexi tubs for clean washing to be put away
• Clothes hangers
• DS consoles/wii remotes
• Their name is embroidered on book bags in their colour
• Name tags for clothes/name stickers on water bottles
• I have even bought them coats in their colours but this goes out of synch when you pass them down
• Plates and cups (Just cheap plastic ikea) but really handy when dishing out lunch/tea when each DC has different likes/dislikes

I'm sure there are more but i'll have a think

tigana, first thing to do if you don't already is set up a weekly grocery delivery, work out a day and time that will nearly always suit and book a slot well ahead each week. Lots of snacks and ready meals/quick cook options like stir fry mix etc. DH was away for a month when DD was 3 wks and this made a huge difference for me.

Everyone who has sent me an email address has an updated master list.

Groupon have an Ocado deal at the moment - £40 groceries for £39 plus an annual weekly delivery pass worth £69.99. You have to pay for your first delivery (they don't put that in the small print) but it's a good deal

Wow! Thank you! That really is a master list. I am tempted to print all 27 pages off and highlight all that applies to me!

Melted, that's clutter-thinking! Delete the parts that don't apply and save as a new document.

Timewasting - yes, I was planning on doing online grocery shops, I often do when DH is away, he is the chief cook when at home and likes to mooch round shops picking out tasty and interesting foodstuffs. When he is away I just need quick, easy and reasonably nutritious ready to go! The problem is remembering to do it before the cupboard is bare!

Given that it is already wednesday...thanks for the nudge, I will book delivery slot asap!!

Just found this thread, it's brilliant. Haven't managed to read all of it yet but picked up some useful ideas just got to put them into practice now

Have caved and bought Collins diary. Anybody else already using it??

OhDearNigel many thanks !

Just finished reading this thread and have come away with a few ideas to try.

Would it be possible for someone to send me the master list please ?

I don't know how people with families and jobs do this. The HoneRoutines app is really good but I am just knackered all the time...

Just having a moan..,

Could I have the masterlist as well please?
Will PM you my email now- thanks!!