With the start of 2012 many of us are creating new to-do lists along with new goals and resolutions to make our lives more enjoyable, stress-free and organized.
Are you good at staying organized?
Is your home orderly, bed made, bathrooms clean?
I find that I'm much more organized when my spouse is deployed. The routines of the house run much smoother, the dishwasher always seems to be empty, beds made, bathrooms clean and company ready. When he is home, that is a completely different story. I seem to be herding chickens when it comes to keeping the house clean and organized. I don't know if it is because my free time is spent "hanging out" with him, or actually doing things outside our home. I suppose it is a combination of both.
In any case, as I ring in 2012 I'm kick starting my home organization routines and thought I'd offer some of my favorites that I've used in the past and some new ones I recently found online.
Perhaps together we can tackle clutter, cobwebs and holiday glitter to get our homes back in shape.
Simple organizing tips to have more time with family:
- Create a morning and evening routine - My new favorite website Pinterest has some great pins on this topic. Your routine can include: spending 15 min de-cluttering, making lunches, laying out clothes for the next day, exercising, etc.
- Do 1-2 loads of laundry per day - Start one load in the morning and when you get home from work or have a break in your day place the load in the dryer. Do one more load before and after dinner prep, folding while you watch a favorite TV program.
- Create a weekly meal plan - Cooking seven nights a week might not be realistic, so pick three to five nights where you will cook, leaving the other two for leftovers and a pizza/take-out night.
- Tackle one room in your home per day - Create a chores list organized by day.
- When you think of something you need to do, write it down - This saves so much time!! When you write down all your errands you can better plan your outings. Instead of three trips on base, you can quickly narrow down the process. Example: Post office (to mail care package), gas, NEX, Commissary, bank.
These five steps are a good jump-start into organizing our homes, creating daily routines to save time.
This Saturday I hope to have more time with my family and spend less time cleaning!
What are your tips to creating and keeping an organized home?
Additional resources:
Winter Organizing Tips - via MarthaStewart.com
