to ask how you organize your daily life?

[IfyouseeRitaMoreno]

Every month or so I sit down, devise an elaborate system of to do lists, bullet journals, whiteboards, apps and charts in order to organize my lazy arse and have a streamlined and efficient lifestyle a la Pinterest.

Then I get so exhausted with the planning and the planning gets so complicated that it shortly goes all awry and I'm left a disorganized mess with an untidy house, a pile of washing and unfinished paperwork lying on my desk silently mocking me..

Please tell me how you successfully organize your day-to-day and save me from my self!!

If it takes 5 mins or less - just do it!
If I don't need to do anything until next month - I file in the plastic folder for that month.
I use Remember the Milk app on my phone and use tags to sort tasks, eg emails, town, internet, bills. But I only put dates if truly critical as I was constantly showing 35 tasks overdue when 33 of those were 'buy next size of wellies' .

It sounds like planning is a way To avoid doing.

I personally don’t feel on top of stuff eg birthdays, MOT and diy but I think that is more due to my ridiculous working situation. For general day to day things I do things on set days eg order food on Saturday to be delivered Sunday, meal planning Friday, wash towels on Saturday, putting washing away on Tuesdays ect. Plus DH and I share our the tasks so they are things that I never have to think about.

I downloaded the FlyLady App, without sounding cheesy it is very helpful to get into a routine. Its worth a shot. Plus I love the daily tasks now

Ive recently started a bullet journal and dh and i have a calendar app on our phones. I think maybe you could simplify your system. It sounds quite elaborate.

All the people so many people

I followed Marie Kondo so now everything has its place, meaning less clutter as I put stuff away as soon as it's done. Cleaning is a little every day then blitz when I have time. The rest is on a big to do list.
One thing I don't do is have time to jog. Those joggers go round and round and round....

Big calendar in the kitchen with dates, clubs etc on it - DD has lessons that change in time every week and they are on there - was hospitalised unexpectedly and DD told her Dad to 'look on the calendar'

If it won't take long do it straight away, DD came home with a form requesting payment & consent online tonight so did it straight away.

Tickets and future stuff is in an expanding file by month, when ticket/flyer/letter arrives file it in the month it is needed then pull it out when the event/whatever arrives.

Write everything on the calendar as soon as you get it (eg date for the event paid for online was put on the calendar straight away). Don't have too many diaries and different systems as it takes too long to update more than one system - a notebook is fine for a to-do list.

Feel free to join us on the Flylady threads, I am on a constant declutter! I did need to refine my paperwork system due to the sheer amount that floods in from school (goes off to complete Christmas card form ...)

iPhone calendar for important dates , schools trips , anything that needs paying but isn’t on a direct debit , appointments , with a reminder

Morning routine for cleaning ; quick wipe of toilet , change mats if needed , beds done , breaks fast dishes washed and put away . I’m a sahm so always get the cooking done out of the way first thing or it won’t happen

Evening routine - set washing machine on timer, everything in dishwasher and switch it on , mop the floor , tidy up toys

Get the kids involved with set tasks like hanging laundry , setting the table

Shopping list and meal plan - stick to it with flexibility on weekends

Check my online banking every single morning to check outgoings against income

Storage - hooks on backs of doors , specific baskets for things , but be minimalistic

Declutter regularly and be brutal about it

Only buy what you need - there’s less to sort out that way

Thanks Dorris, I'd forgotten that it's bin night!

I've been out for my jog today though

Yeah, I think you're right, OP. All that Pinteresting and planning is an avoidance tactic.

I put on a podcast or the radio or great music when I'm doing as job I don't want to.

Also I think about how to make a job as easy as possible. I'm a morning person, so I empty the dishwasher then not in the evening. I put wash loads on when I've worked out there will be time to hang them up, but it's taken a while to work this all out.

I lurch from one urgent task to another until my LO's are in bed when I sit down and crochet for an hour hoping I've written any important appointments in the calendar I never look at. Text reminders are a godsend!

Communication is important to us.
We keep in touch with who is doing what.
I tend to keep a close eye on the money and make sure that virtually every bill is either on standing order or direct debit,
, any other bills get paid as soon as they come in.

DP sorts the shopping list and it gets done whenever.
I tend to organise our social life and just send reminders over to Calendar.
We both do housework when we are in the house, no set pattern or routine, it gets done.

One word. iPhone.
Calendar, Mail, shopping list in Notes. To do list in reminders or calendar.

And they all go round and round.

I used to be like this too

But now I take a herbal bath in the country.

I use Cozi Family Calendar - you can access it via the app or through a browser.

DH puts all his travel in Kayak, and I have access to his account.

We have a shopping list and a 'to do' list. Paperwork goes in folders.

Um... that's about it?

OP, what is on your list?

There are recurring items and there are extraordinary items. You should be totally on top of your recurring items (food, laundry, cleaning, grocery shopping, bills) as it is easy to put them into a weekly routine.

If you are constantly doing recurring items ad hoc, that is why you are stressed. You should put all those into a routine and use your planning time to only deal with extraordinary items.

Blur!

Clothes wash on every morning

Everything has a place

Never leave a room empty handed

Only touch things once (i.e. Put away don't put down)

Wash up straight after dinner before the post dinner slump

Organised mum family diary. A column for each person plus a to do list. I assign tasks for a week rather than keeping a running to do list. So buying Wellies was written in the diary to do bit in advance

Everything goes in my outlook calendar
That's it

If cleaning motivation is needed I find speed cleaning videos on YouTube really helpful- I stick one on and clean while I watch!

I make a list of what I want to do in a say, two hour gap. Nothing fancy just on my phone. So it might say
Do beds
Hang washing out
Car tax online
Dishwasher
Kitchen sides and floors
Empty gym bag and put away
Hoover downstairs
Toilets

Then I just put music on and blast it. I find the list helps focus my mind but it takes a minute to compile and not longer than the actual task at hand!!

How many are in your family? How old are they? How many lives are you trying to organise alone?

I'm trying to get better too.

For me like many others on here it is all about routine. So dishwasher on every night emptied first thing. I'm trying to do the washing machine on overnight on timer to be ready in morning for hanging out too. But not doing that properly yet. As big a drum as possible so time not wasted doing multiple white loads etc. I might be better setting that for when I come home now I'm drying indoors anyway.

Reduce the decisions you make. So i have a simple uniform for my work days it is certain trousers and top. For my off days it is jeans and a top. Boring maybe. And as/ when I get brain space I mix it up. But day by day I have clothes I look ok in. And I'm ok with ok.

I phone diarise the very occasional jobs each year on a Samsung calendar app that I share with dp. So car mot I book this year's and put a reminder to do the same in 12 months time on my day off.

Dinner I keep simple. With no pressure to cook from scratch. I try to keep it healthy but I will use cheats. And try to plan in advance, so again fewer decisions made on a daily basis. I'm thinking of doing a rolling 2 week meal plan. But not got round to that yet.

I think less stuff is very sensible. Less to sort then. But I'm an inveterate consumer. I do need to be better here. I put all my music into electronic storage. Ie got rid of cds a couple of years ago and bought network storage. Which has eliminated shelves of cds. Which is less to tidy (and less to sort when other people put the wrong cds in the boxes)

It is still silly things that get me. Like weeding the garden. It is November and I've not planted spring bulbs yet. I need to before it gets too cold. But I faff in an evening - instead of doing something nice but productive i mumsnet or watch tv or waste time in other ways.

OP, what is on your list?

There are recurring items and there are extraordinary items.

Yes, it’s the daily tasks that get me. I suppose because I hate housework and as soon as it’s done it seems to get dirty again.

I also get anxious about checking things at night and will check a plug or a door about 3 times.

Then there’s clothes. I never seem to know what to wear and washing takes a long while because I don’t have much space to dry clothes.

And I’m always 5 minutes late. I have lots of good intentions but so many unfinished projects.

My friend says I’m dyslexic which I now know affects organisation as my son has it too. It’s like the blind leading the blind sometimes!

I will definitely try the fly lady, thanks to those who’ve suggested it.

Right, SO: unfortunately, I am obsessing over being organised so over time I got some fab skills I am not sure I want to share with you as I wouldn’t want anyone else being such a control freak.

Anyhow:

• cleaning once a week, always during the week as anyway we don’t have much free time and we want our weekends as relaxed as possible
• cleaning as I go. Will (almost) never leave a mess, wash dishes straight after, vacuum when necessary, making beds etc
• big shop once a week and pretty much deciding what we will eat (lately screwed that, ate tons of ordered cheap crap)
• I keep a personal planner
• If it takes less than 2 mins to do it, I do it
• Make appointments early and write them down. If possible make several appointments in a day so you get rid of more stuff
• bills out by dd & as long as pay comes in x amount goes straightaway in savings (amount varies)
• being as organised as possible with meetings, gym (if you attend one)

-I decide what to wear in the evening for the following day

That’s pretty much what comes into my mind just now but I’m sure I’m obsessing over many other things. Control freak.

thanks MSCheery! I mean I think it's ok to be a control freak if it keeps you organised and on top of things! There's nothing worse than having a tip of a house and not knowing where to start..