To think that I will never be the sort of woman who buys tampons at the end of my period?

[acebaby]

I spend my life in a total panic over everything (expired passports, expired photo driving license when I need to hire a car, forgotten MOT etc etc). I have a fairly responsible job as a university lecturer, and I lead a research group. And yet I don't have a diary. Instead, I scan e-mails to see whether I have a meeting. If it's really important, I write a reminder on my hand (which means - obviously - I have to go into important meetings with writing on my hand). As always, this term, I lost the school calendar within about one day, so have been guessing about school trips etc for months. Naturally, I have one from about 3 years ago stuck on the notice board at home, next to my 2008 calendar.

Is there any hope for me? Will I ever buy tampons at the END of my period, rather than at the 24 hour sainsbury's late at night (when my regular cycle again takes me by surprise)? Has anyone got inspiring stories of how they turned themselves around organizationally in middle age (I am 38)? Where do I start?

[theodorakisses]

trixy don't worry, we have hoses here, paper only for drying and goes in the bin. All good unless someone leaves the door open and the bloody dogs get into the bin.

[valiumredhead]

I like the idea of photographing my reg plate,I couldn't remember it if my life depended on it !

[valiumredhead]

Cats-I think I'm like that too.

[CatsAndTheirPizza]

Well done OP .

I think I'm naturally very disorganised, which has caused me to become over-organised to counter that. I'm not as bad as I was, but I got too organised, to the extent I'd organise things so far in advance that something would change and all my work would be undone. I think I've recently found the middle ground - lists/diaries/phone/tablet reminders are the way to go.

[BeCool]

Use your camera phone along with your diary/reminders too.

I photograph everything. It's how I know what we have run out of stuff, what I need to buy next time I go to IKEA, what my car reg is etc etc etc.

[trixymalixy]

Oh Theodora, don't put kitchen roll down the toilet. It's as bad as baby wipes for blocking pipes

[acebaby]

Oh - forgot to say. I have bought new chargers for my phone, so I have one upstairs, one downstairs and one at work. Now that it is not always dead, it is more useful for reminders!

[acebaby]

Wow! Just came back to the thread after a couple of days away. Thanks for all the tips and encouragement. You are dead right that my disorganization is expensive, time consuming, and annoying for everyone around me. So far, I have

1. Ordered 20 boxes of tampons and stored them in the garage. I got those nice natural ones that you can only get online! I will also start a separate thread on non-mooncup alternatives
   

1. Ordered a new diary, and started putting reminders in my phone and iPad (next stage - get them working together...)
   

1. Started using a notebook for to dos and lists
   

And today, as a result of this, I have actually got everything in for the dc's birthday party this afternoon, and have printed out a list of all the children coming (added to my notebook to do list late Thursday night and done yesterday). Amazingly, the party isn't until 2pm. Last week, it wouldn't even have been on my radar until lunchtime. Small steps, but I feel better already. it must be better for my blood pressure, not having to sort out a party for 30 children in half an hour.

Thank you mners for the encouragement, help and kicks up the arse!

[Pantone363]

I think it's good you've recognised something you want to improve!

My MIL is airy fairy bohemian (in her head). To everyone else she is consistently late, unorganised and quite frankly a pain the arse to rely on.

[ExcuseTypos]

Agree get an iPad and iPhone.

They've changed my life!

[theodorakisses]

We have 6 people living in our house and 3 bathrooms and yet we seem to spend our lives using ripped up bits of kitchen roll because nobody ever remembers to buy toilet rolls.

[StealthPolarBear]

Oh and (another big one for me) - stop procrastinating!
Just seen someone else mention hair dressers and eyebrow wax and realised I need this doing too. If I could I'd call them right now. as it's too early the compromise is to google the no I need and leave it up on the screen, with a plan to do it for 9. So when you're mentally filing stuff in your head to "do later", seriously consider whether it could actually be done right now, then it's one less thing to think about

[StealthPolarBear]

I am naturally very disorganised. What has helped has becoming obsessed with lists - writing them and crossing stuff off. I have work list, home list and shopping list. Work one has general task then a minor update, so I can see at a glance that I emailed person X about a project 3 weeks ago and I need to chase them up about now. I also put stars against urgent things, and three stars against the super urgent things. If I have a specific deadline (which can be as minor as "you promised X you'd reply to them by Friday" or "not heard back from X, chase mid July" - I tend to remember the bigger deadlines of actual deliverables) I put the date in against it and highlight it.


I rewrite the work list when it gets messy and I prioritise that - I know people laugh at me but I don't care.

Slightly less obsessive about he home list, but I am about to write one which says eg "work out what is needed for weekend away". I know I have nagging in the back of my mind that we may need to take DS out of school for a day (not happy :(), we'll need to pack, p[rint off maps etc but I haven't actually thought it all through in an organised way. That, in itself is a task to be done.

The lists haunt me - they stay somewhere prominent until everything is crossed off. Normally in the kitchen where I mumsnet

But ultimately other people can only give suggestions. You need to work out what works for you.

[StrawberryMonkey]

Oh, and yes, get a moon cup! (And washable pads)!

[StrawberryMonkey]

Get an iPhone and iPad.

Use the calendars (they sync)
Use the "notes" section too.

Get apps for shopping/todo lists.

Get womanlog app to chart your cycle

Sign up for emails and texts at kids schools to be kept up to date electronically about all your school appointments / events

Sync your email accounts to the iPhone iPad so you can easily read them as they arrive (no more waiting for computer to start).

Honestly it's revolutionised my life!!!

I now pretend to be one of the "normal" organised parents (naturally I'm an untidy disorganised mess)!

I even got a motivational app "unstuck" which is like CBT in app form and am now sorting out learning to drive and going back to work etc!

It may seem expensive to buy these tools but the payback is worth it.

I even get my hair cut and eyebrows waxed regularly now, and see a dentist. (Prior to the iPhone / iPad) I used to forget appointments or give up and not make them)!

(I am 42 btw)

[OhMerGerd]

Disorganisation is costly. In time, money and relationships. I'm saying this from experience but doesn't mean I've cracked it myself... Though I am trying.

We have ended up driving to a major family function which we'd forgotten until the morning, having to stop at an out of town shopping complex to find outfits for all 4 of us as we'd nothing clean or suitable and less than 2 hours including travel to be suited booted and sitting in our places. You'd think the stress, the massive expense, feeling embarrassed as big family had us dressed in some slightly mismatched garb and looking shellshocked and dishevelled would have us organised in future. . Well fast forward to the real gut wrenching panic when DD1 needed to be on the school bus for French trip at 0545 and we seriously had to console weeping child that if needs be mummy and daddy would drive down the motorway to follow bus hooting and tooting till it stopped at some services to pick her up. That one actually makes me cry remembering it .

Only thing that has improved it is the smart phone calendar - thouroughly recommend it. That calendar beeping and buzzing your 1 day, 4 hour, 15 minutes, NOW ...reminders is invaluable.
Though if you have this disorgsnised trait beware... Somehow I still self sabotage ...and about 15% of the time I fail at actually making an entry that makes sense, I have several in mine at the mo that say ... London or Dinner or just 3pm ... But no details!!!! Arggggh.

[CreatureRetorts]

I have tampons everywhere. Every handbag, the bathroom, utility room and my locker at work.

As for being organised - I use my work calendar, iPhone and we have a family calendar at home.

My mum forgot my first day at school. I was late. I don't like the idea of doing that sort of thing to my children so keep several notes of things. I do have a good memory too. I'm not über organised but try.

[SHarri13]

Buy a sickeningly expensive diary (roterfaden) so that the price guilts you into using it. Works quite well from personal experience.

[trixymalixy]

You need a smartphone. When I get the calendar letter etc home from school I put everything into my iPhone.

I use the notes in my phone to write down things that occur to me, e.g. Birthday ideas for kids, packing lists for holiday etc.

[valiumredhead]

I have a plastic basket that I keep all post in. stays on the kitchen counter until I've time to deal with it.

[MohammedLover]

My tips would be to have specific places in the house for certain things. So if we get theatre tickets or a map for a wedding reception or the like they will all be in the same pile.

If I have something to give to someone it will always be in one area of one room.

I'm never quite sure where to put post that needs dealing with but is personal enough to be put out of sight when we have visitors. I often find stuff days later in random hidden places if I'm lucky. How do folk get round this sort of thing???

[CatsAndTheirPizza]

socool thanks - I will look into it. It probably says in the gmail 'help' function somewhere

[BeCool]

I used to use notebooks - it's the family way :)
But I always lost them, left them behind etc.

[BeCool]

Yes cats - I have 3 different Gmail calenders amalgamated (one personal & 2 business) and have the option of viewing anyone of of them or all of them together. But I don't know/can't remember how you actually do this. maybe the techy people her can help?

I think its quite simple - your DH needs to invite you to share, you accept & it's done.

[CatsAndTheirPizza]

Although the rest of my life is very PC/tablet/phone based, I do find some kind of weird comfort in having a paper diary.

BeCool - With the g-mail calendars, is there a way of amalgamating my gmail calendar/my work gmail calendar/DH's work gmail calendar? I don't want them to show all at the same time all of the time, but it would be good to try and bring them together when I need to.