To ask if you weren't organised before but are now, what happened?

[sadkoala]

Posting for traffic.

I hate being disorganised and rushing everywhere but it seems to be my life most of the time.
I seem incapable of maintaining a clean home and unless a room is a pigsty I don't take active steps to keep it clean.
Tried meal planning but for some reason I come up with a blank as soon as I attempt it.
My hair/makeup/clothes are rarely put together and neat and my hair scraped back in a bun.
Getting DCs out of the door in the morning is a nightmare and we always JUST make it rushing rather than being able to be on time and not have to drag them along.

I'd love to not be run ragged, look put together and relaxed and have a tidy home and mind.

So can I ask some organised vipers out there how do you do it?

How do you keep on top of the housework?
How do you get your DCs to eat/get dressed/put the shoes on in the morning without it taking 3 hours?
How do you make sure your groceries are always stocked up and you know what to cook?
How do you fit it all in alongside time with DCs and looking after yourself?
And how do you not have washed but not out away mountains of laundry littering the bedrooms?!

I also bought a heated clothes horse from Aldi (£29) and it was brilliant last winter to dry clothes within a day

Washing on every evening to hang out in the morning is key for me.

Shieldmaiden, thank you so much 😊

I don't have children at home anymore but this is what we do.

Everything has a place.

We both worked full time and used to live in a rented house, we always tried to be ready for a house inspection.

Use dead time, like waiting for the kettle to boil to give the kitchen a quick wipe round.

A bullet journal. At the start of the year I write in everything for the year in monthly blocks, then as the month approaches I write it out in calender form and fill it in, along with all the tasks I want to do that month. Everything goes in the journal so I haven't random bits of paper or lists on my tablet. As an example mine has: recipes, a cleaning list split into daily, weekly, monthly, six monthly and annual, places we've been and enjoyed and a list of all the work done on the house.

We batch cook and freeze.

Those of you who write a bullet journal or similar, do you use paper journal or something on the computer/ mobile phone?

The organised mum method really helped me. Little and often really works. Also internet shopping where you just reorder what you had three weeks ago.

Brilliant tips here.

The amount of admin with 3 kids is a lot especially as they get older. So I use Evernote- it’s amazing! I have an app on my phone and every form or email I get that I need to keep gets uploaded to that child’s specific file on Evernote. I keep a hard copy too but this way I know that I can access s digital copy whenever I need to. I also put all holiday planning stuff on there, tips I’ve read about what to do etc....

Just keep everything simple and leave lots of time if possible - so get up early...different coloured bags for clothes for clubs- e.g. games- black, PE- blue, cadets- green- named if more than one DC. Bags packed the night before. Having meals at school is helpful if they will as less prep like packed lunches. Simple stuff I guess helps.

Sorry it’s taken me to so long to respond, mumsnet wouldn’t load

www.additudemag.com/

LOTS of resources on there. I have 1DC who’s Inattentive dominant like me and 1DC whos Hyperactive dominant so we have a mix of issues that need different strategies and that website has been a LIFESAVER. Also have a 3 year old.

For me I have -

• a rucksack that’s got lots of pockets in. I’m a full time STEM student so carry a lot of stuff. All my cards so Uni pass, bus pass, day care card, bank card etc are all on lanyards that then go in the card slots. There’s cable charger pockets too in the back.

www.johnlewis.com/wenger-reload-16-inch-laptop-backpack/p2667806

• Keep It Simple - I bought a Kallax Unit as a “launch pad” for mornings. So one box has shoes, the other hats/scarves/gloves/caps/sunglasses, the other has the DC book bags and PE kit bags, and one for coats.

• big fuck off colour coded wall planner and diary from

boxcleverpress.com/diaries-p-1-c-1.html?gclid=CjwKCAjw6vvoBRBtEiwAZq-T1Zgu07uVe-6uEvSiNlDPXkk9QM-z2BKb82UG0RRN06HAqKNd3oHU4BoCbFgQAvD_BwE

Declutter, ruthlessly. Then make sure everything has a home that is easy to get to and just chuck it in. Work with yourself, not against yourself.

Don’t iron.

Get a cordless vacuum. Do it in little 10 min bursts while waiting for things to cook.

Wipe down one part of the bathroom before you get in the shower/bath.

If you walk past things on the stairs/ side waiting to go away, stop yourself and ask yourself how many seconds will it take you to pick up and put in the right room. Then do it.

When you achieve some tidying or task that you’d normally avoid say out loud to yourself Well Done You Did It. Feel good about yourself, and hang on to what that felt like for motivation.

Mine are still primary aged but - Kids clothes, bags etc out the night before, I put clean clothes away in their room while they’re getting r day for bed. Get dressed yourself before getting them up. Stand up to eat your breakfast and make lunches etc at the same time. Set them a task to do like put on shoes before you go upstairs to brush your teeth. It takes a while but fall into a clear set routine you have each morning. If they take to long to eat cereal they don’t get an apple or get to watch tv as there is no more time, if they haven’t got their shoes on after constantly being told then they put them on outside on the doorstep while I lock up. It only took one or two times of following through on consequences and it stuck. They know we work as a team to get out the house.

Meal planning wise -

• 6 month delivery pass

• Can easily add what I need from previous orders

• 1 massive shop a month where I get toilet roll, kitchen roll, fill the freezer, fill the cupboards with tins, pasta, snacks etc

• 1 small £40 a shop a week for fruit, bread, milk etc

• I use a lot of frozen jacket potatoes, microwave rice packets, I slow cook pasta sauces and freeze once a month

• takeaway once a week because frankly I need the break from all the thinking

• I’ve spent a while decluttering. I do one area per week cos that’s all I can be arsed to do and it’s all I have the mental energy for, but I am almost done now. 3 more weeks and the entire house will be organised to within an inch of its life.

• I’ve swapped from wardrobes to Kallax units - fit a lot more in clothes wise, can use the tops of them for more storage (mostly books in my house!), toys fit nicely too.

In my bedroom there’s 1 4x4 and 1 2x2 and I’ve got all my clothes, Uni stuff, my geek stuff on display, TV on top of one with ALL the charges for EVERY device underneath

Box bedroom for eldest DC has 1 2x4 on its side. Toys, clothes, books and TV all fit nicely.

Attic bedroom is massive and oddly shaped but it works as there’s 1 4x4 and 1 3x4 up there. The big ones have both younger DCs clothes and toys in, the big one contains bedding, Christmas decs, boxes from iPads etc, and some baby toys etc I’ve kept as have friends with young ones and I get them out when they come over

• A 2x2 in the small bathroom

Also, I have Bluetooth trackers on my keys, DC1s keys, and I’m often ringing my iPhone from my Apple Watch

I do everything via shared notes on my phone. I write a monthly do list and assign jobs to me or DH.

I also have a month by month calendar on my phone which I check at the start of each month when DH and I have a family meeting to make sure dairy and calendars are up to date and we both know what needs doing. It’s contains everything from a reminder to repaint the garden fence and no litres of paint, anniversary’s of friend’s parents death, world book day costume or the normal MOT, birthday and dentist appointment need.

Kids, setting the clock 10 minutes early, I get everything ready the night before, even shoes and socks, bags, if I leave shoes you can guarantee there'll be a hunt for them.
My DD has ADD, my DM has ADD, I have ADD, sometimes I feel like my head will fly off.
I think of 3 big things I need to get done at the start of the week, mind you the list I made 3 weeks ago, to wash internal doors etc is still not done.
It is all about preparation.
DP is very good at doing house holds chores, I love a clean house but it'll never be perfect, he is great at clearing, I do the bits he wouldn't notice, he'll clear the bathroom put away everything but not wash toilet hand basin or shower.
I usually do it 5 at a time, lift 5 things put them away, then the next 5, I get distracted by the phone so I play songs on it so I don't go back on Mumsnet, it is not easy.
So far I've had 2 hours to start sorting and have done very little so far.
Right I am getting off my butt to start again.

So can I ask some organised vipers out there how do you do it?

I’m not super-organised, but I’m a lot better than I used to be.

For me, the biggest change came from tackling my thought processes/mindset.

My former thinking around this (on a fairly deep level) was that being organised and tidy was boring, I was too free-spirited and relaxed to sort stuff out in advance, keep on top of housework & general life admin, etc.

However, I also frequently suffered the lurch in my stomach of realising I hadn’t done something important, the panic of running out of money mid-month because I hadn’t budgeted properly, the frustration of losing something important and spending 3 hours searching for it.

It took an embarrassingly long time for me to realise that I was making my life much much harder than it needed to be because I was stuck in a false belief about the kind of person an organised person is, and the stress just wasn’t worth it.

I tackled it with most of the techniques already mentioned (decluttering, lists, etc), but changing my mindset/motivation was the biggest factor, otherwise I’d have kept slipping back into the same rut.

So, work out what you ‘believe’ (falsely or otherwise) about the benefits of being disorganised (I’m too busy, too ‘bohemian’, etc), then work out what the pay-offs of getting stuff under control would be. Then weigh up which will be better for you, your family, and your mental health in the long run.

As with weight loss there are no short cuts. You put the work in and you get results.

No secret, no magic pill.

One of the best things I did to be more organised was to cut my wardrobe down to a capsule. Less laundry, less ironing, less decisions.
It is just me and DD in the week as partner works away, if I didn't organise myself we would fail terribly.

As for being put together, simple is key. I always wash my hair in the evenings to give more time in the morning. I have a 'uniform' for work. a couple of skirts, trousers and 4-5 tops/blouses. 1 pair of heels, 1 pair of boots, 1 pair of flats. less decisions to make = more time. I keep make up v. simple, moisturiser with SPF, a quick dust of bronzer, a tinted lipbalm, liquid liner and mascara. it takes less than 5 minutes.

Have a good clear out. Be ruthless. If you have to clean around stuff, cleaning takes forever. I roughly follow the "TOMM" method. I set my alarm at 6am, spend 20 minutes having a cup of tea and catching up on the news, do a quick 20 minute tidy of one room, get in the shower. put a wash load on once out of the shower if needed. At 7am I wake DD. I get dressed when she does, then I make breakfasts and packed lunches, we eat, I hang laundry out while DD puts her schoolbag together and leave at about 7.45. walk to school, walk to work.
speaking of bags I have a work backpack, it's easy to carry and I don't have to swap stuff out to use my handbag at weekends. I only use a small cross body handbag at weekends. the more stuff you have the more there is to tidy/organise. just keys, purse, phone and lipbalm.

To fit in exercise I run home from work 2 days a week (it's nice leaving my work laptop at work to be honest) and I swim when DD has her swimming lessons.

I try to do all house work in the week, tidy as I go. That way weekends are for fun times.

Ban your phone before you leave the house in the mornings, you can waste hours on social media.

I work right next to a supermarket so do the food shop one evening a week after work. Strict list on my phone, in and out in 20-30 mins max.

I hated cleaning and tidying and physically organising 'stuff' because I found it boring as hell and would much rather be doing something fun. I discovered audiobooks then, and now I enjoy nothing more than firing up audible, putting in my headphones and attacking the laundry. It makes something mundane valuable alone time now I have a baby.

Also, reading Marie Kondos 'life changing magic of tidying up' and having a place for everything - down to scissors. Where are the scissors?!? ...in the drawer with the spatulas and big spoons of course! And if they're not, once they've turned up back there they go.

Such a useful thread :)

It's a mental thing. Something has to click in your brain. Maybe that hasn't quite happened for you, it hasn't quite fully registered? It's the realisation that life is easier, less stressful if you are organised.

If we all did the points above, more, more often, we'd be more organised: you wouldn't be ......Rushing around at the last minute trying to find a mufti day outfit.....

But. We can all try. At least a bit. Because it helps. Even if we are never quite 'there'!!

We put our house on the market....we had to have a massive clear out for photos, and then remain tidy for viewings (which could happen with almost zero notice). The sale took 10 months, and by the end of that it has become a habit to be 'viewing ready'. I like the change!

Structure and routine are key to weekdays/ weekends.

Prepping and packing as much as possible the night before also saves so much time in the morning. DH or I make packed lunches each night. Uniform, work clothes and shoes are put out for next morning, meal prep done and bags packed.

Laundry wise we do two to three loads a day. I never let it build up, so a load is put on first thing and hung on line or airer before leaving for work. Another load is put in on a timer to wash during the day. Dry clothes is folded and packed away each night during the children's bed time.

I have a four weekly meal plan menu according to likes/ dislikes and seasons. What we each day corresponds with what everyone is doing on a particular day.

Saturdays we eat out or have a take away. Monday nights are cook ready meal nights

On first Saturday of month DH and I do a huge shop. I buy all of the basics, mega box of washing powder, softener, toilet roll, tea bags etc...

Milk and top up shop of bread, eggs,, fruit etc are delivered in the week from milkman. This has saved me both time and money.

Once a month I order all of the toiletries, my skin care stuff from boots and collect from the store near station on my way home from work.

Cleaning. I tidy as I go and have a cleaner twice a week. DH and I each have daily, weekly, monthly and yearly jobs, which is on rota.

The children are expected to tidy their toys, make their own beds and fold any clothes away that do not need hanging up. Teen is, also responsible for bringing own dirty laundry down to be washed.

I hate ironing, but I iron 6 work tops (one spare), work trousers if needed and DH does work shirts each Sunday night.

The children have 5 sets of each item of their uniform. This means I do not have to stress in the mornings and wash it all once a, week, unless exceptionally dirty. Everyone has at least 20 pairs of knickers/ boxers, vests, socks and we all have 7 pairs of pj's. This also helps.

Towels and flannels. Everyone has 7 of each in their own colour. Again saves time because although changed daily similar colours are washed together on a hot wash once a week.

I have a car box that stays in the car and is stocked with water, healthy snacks, baby wipes, meds, plasters, £20 in £1 coins, suncream, wet bags, nappy sacks and a complete change of clothes inc underwear and, socks for all of us.

I have a work bag and purse with work essentials in and a weekend bag. Both are stocked ready to go by door. I check and tidy out both bags

I have a birthday present box. In here I keep general birthday cards and inexpensive presents that I wrap as I buy for birthday parties. It used to stress me out so much having to run around and buy presents at short notice. This has saved time and stress.

I wash my hair in the evenings. Once a month I go to the salon to have hair cut, coloured, eyebrows threaded, pedicure and manicure. And a keratin treatment once a month. Again getting all done in one go saves time and hair wise is, easier to manage and maintain getting it sorted monthly.

Where have my paragraphs gone?

Wow @bugaboo218 the car box and weekend bag at the ready are taking it a level up !

@bugaboo218
Monthly keratin ?
I thought it lasted about 10 weeks.