Tips for getting organised

[Bucketsofdinosaurs]

Thought we must all have one tip that we cling to, no matter how disorganised we are about other things and with some of us starting schoolruns (or playschoolruns) in a few weeks now is a good time to pool our collective wisdom. My motivation is the more organised we are, the more time we have to take it easy. Hate being rushed!

Mine is to get/make a family organiser calendar with a column for each member of the family. VERY handy if you use childcare and forces partners to become a bit more aware of the rest of the family. "If it aint on the calendar, it aint happening."

sorkycake - when you say you make fresh beds every day do you mean sheets and everything?!

cat64 - sewing pile!!! What sewing pile...!

sorkycake - i am in awe of you

I'm really impressed people are emptying their dishwashers at night! I only remember to finish loading and set it going before I go to bed.

Good God no!
I just mean to air the beds, to freshen them before making.
My grandma used to do it, she would always remove the pillows and fling back the duvets and flat sheets (blankets in her day) throw open the windows and air the room for at least an hour before returning to 'make the bed'.
The 'being organised' is an obsession of mine, as is storage .

I too have a sewing pile Cat64, otherwise buttons don't get seen to and then lost. I do it probably once a fortnight unless the item is needed promptly.
The dishwasher loading in our house is the same as yours, after cooking, pans get a quick rinse and straight into the dishwasher. I find if we don't then the surfaces look untidy, kitchen starts to smell, and the clean up job afterwards looks more daunting.
I unload it as soon as it's finished because Dh kept going to the dishwasher and using it as a cupboard. If it hadn't been set away he would've been using dirty items. Men take a lot more training than kids imo.

Re the "sewing pile" I used to have one of these but oldest DD had left Brownies for 2 years and I still had unsewn badges! I got a small box into which I put scissors, needles, pins & cotton (black/white/navy/cream) & I have it tucked behind the sofa so whenever I am ironing, if I spot a loose button/hem etc I tackle it there and then. (I typical;y would notice a few loose stitches, think I'll do it next time,. then end up having to do a whole hem!!) Likewise, swimming & scout badges are now sewn on during Coronation St on the day they're brought home as the sewing stuff is to hand.

hi skerriesmum, what are the "sale circulas" how do I get hold of these?

Hi TW, by circulars I mean the "papers" with information like meat specials or BOGOF etc. We used to get them with our post in Ireland, even more so now in Canada... if I know for example that pork is on sale, I'll look up a recipe to make something with it that week. Also, when you base your list on different things each week, and what's in season, you're not eating the same old meals all the time. I quite like organizing food and cooking, much more than other stuff around the house!

love this discussion - am also sitting with intent face and pursed lips nodding sagely at each piece of adivice...
My tip, sort of borrowed from flylady is to have a folder with chequebook, pens envelope and stamps in the car so at times when you are sitting waiting for the kids at swimming/outside school etc you can pay bills do the school payments etc. I just bring my To Do pile with me when I open letters etc

Store nappy sacks in Huggies travel wipe container, bags come out 1 at a time & toddlers can't play with them!!

I only do laundry twice a week. When clothes are dry, I iron and put away asap.

I prepare DTS clothes and bag for nursery the night before plus my clothes and bag.

I cook and freeze meals which are used on the days I that I work.

DH prepares my salad and his sandwiches in the evening for the following day.

DH cleans bathroom and cloakroom every Sunday and I wipe down kitchen every evening.

We tidy kitchen and living room before we go to bed.

However, the most important tip is......

Start training DC in the ways of tidying up asap. My 2yo DTS now pack away their toys when ordered.

I work full time and Dh is SAHD and works in the evenings. My top tips are:

1. Blitz the housework together for one hour on Friday evening. Takes some effort to gather the energy but house is much nicer for the whole weekend when we do this and if we have spare time on Sat/sun we can get on with DIY/jobs that need doing.

2. I use to spend hours looking through recipe books to get weekly menus together. Have now written recipes we like on index cards with ingredients lists on the back. DH compiles shopping list and cooks from these. Was a big effort initially but now much easier, cheaper and healthier (as we have only written out healthy recipes and not getting take aways so often).

CGMum

try flylady she's cooooool

I bought a personal organiser last year and wouldn't be without it. It fits in my bag and holds every bit of information I could need.
When Dd brings something home from nursery, shortly to be school, I note what the thing is on the relevant day and add it to my to do list in the back, that way I can recycle the paper and don't have it stuck to my fridge where all crap used to accumulate.
I have a section where I write down recipes if I'm reading a magazine waiting, rather than tearing the page out. I have all the battery sizes for appliances and loved toys written down. Birthdays, phone numbers etc. A section where if I see a toy that could be viable for Xmas I note that down as well. I haven't looked back!

these tips are good keep them coming! Ive really slacked lately, but thanks for the organiser tip Sorkycake, gonna need one now with ds starting school and me having lots of appts!

I only have one ritual so to speak and thats every morning i bleach the toilet and collect the dirty washing! Mayeb i should teach dp and ds where it goes!

Sallystrawberry - ditto for handcream, and basic make up, inhalers, etc. I've a whole 'set' of stuff in car, in my handbag and in the house.

Sorkycake- go to the top of the class! I like your order!

I write a to do list every evening and try to get through it the next day - no longer than 10 points though or it can get frustrating when you can't happily strike them all off.

Once a week I do a big cook for the freezer - a curry, a lasagne, scones, fruit purees, macaroni cheese, (4 hours of kitchen work max) and put into small freezer bags. I find this helps a lot.

Everyday I do 2 loads of washing.

Every 3 days I have to put clothes away.

I have recently started a 15 minutes in each room routine and this is great as you fly around trying to get as much as you can possible. I do need to do this everyday though

I prepare dc clothes night before - socks are a particular problem to find sometimes but in morning I get kids bathed and dressed while dh irons clothes.

I do like this thread but I def need more routine....and less of "Have you seen....?"

When we're back on the school run, i make sure all book bags, PE kits, school shoes and coats are all ready by the back door, EVERY evening.

Lunch boxes will be on the kitchen side (almost ready, all i have to do is put in a cold drink and frozen sandwiches (i make all sandwiches for a week at a time and freeze them, sandwiches will have defrosted by lunchtime.

All school uniforms are ready and hanging on bedroom door handles the night before.

I do all this for my 3 children every evening while my partner sits on his backside saying, why don't you sit and have a rest, i can't see what you find to do!!!!!!!

I also have to get uniforms ready for the various after school clubs that they chose to do.

Forgot to say, i also wtite a jobs to do list for every day.

If i don't do all these things i begin to feel out of control.

A weekly menu!!
I do the menu for the week and order what I need over the internet.
That way I don't have to think 'What on earth are we going to eat tonight' and I always have all the ingredients at hand.

Ooh yes I forgot to add the weekly menu planning. That is essential, thanks for the reminder SIS.
It's hard to remember much of what you do to be organised because it's second nature after a few weeks.
I've never been top of the class IIRC so thank you for the thread!
I'll have another think later.

Another tip is to delegate. I'm always reading mums who moan about having to do everything (esp with newborn babies) but when you quiz them it turns out they won't actually let their partners do things 'because they'd just do it wrong' or 'they'd take too long.' IMO these women have no right to moan, nobody is forcing them to do everything and any man will assume you are happy if you don't ask for help.