There are a few answers to this. First, God wired me this way. Second, He called me to this life. Third, I have an amazingly supportive husband. Fourth, I'm constantly revising my priorities. And finally, I've developed some systems that save me when life gets crazy. And believe me, with five kids at home, my life can go from calm to crazy in minutes.
One of my favorite stress-busting tools is a weekly menu. Almost every week, you'll find a piece of note-paper on my refrigerator door with the week's menu. This menu has been crafted based on sale items at the grocery store and activities during the week.
A few weeks ago, I started posting my Monday Menu on my other site: http://www.herorganizedlife.com/.
I thought it was time I let you know about it, and hopefully increase some traffic to my organizing blog.
On that topic, I've just signed a contract for my next book to be released in summer or fall 2011 called, "I Used to Be So Organized!" Between now and then I'll be working on developing a blog filled with helpful ideas on balancing priorities and increasing productivity. It's truly my passion to be an effective steward of everything God has given me: my time and resources.
If you enjoy practical tips, I invite you to join me at HerOrganizedLife.
What is your greatest organizing need?
Post your organizing challenge and on Wednesday, I'll pick a winner to receive the book Practicing Hospitality by my friend Pat Ennis and Lisa Tatlock.
This book is filled with biblical wisdom and practical ways to get organized so that you can reach out to others.
In His Love,
Glynnis
***********************************************************************
I'm happy to announce that "SueBe" won this book. Thank you for your comments, and I hope to address each of them on my blog www.HerOrganizedLife.com.
In His Love,
Glynnis
***********************************************************************
I'm happy to announce that "SueBe" won this book. Thank you for your comments, and I hope to address each of them on my blog www.HerOrganizedLife.com.
Visit my other blog
21 comments:
Trying to keep our gifts away is hard. I shop ahead when i find things on sale but have trouble getting them put away in their designated 'holding tanks' until it's time to gift them.
My greatest challenge is keeping my kitchen counters clear. I know the advice of "Everything in its place" but my family often drops stuff on my counters "just for now" and never remember to put things away.
Sherry
I have two organization nightmares:
-- my kitchen counter. It's the dumping ground for every piece of paper that comes into our house. No matter how hard I try, or what systems I try to initiate, I just can't keep it organized.
-- my laundry room. It's a small (very small) room between the garage and the house and it's the where shoes, misc. sports equipment, laundry, cleaning supplies and just about every other homeless item resides.
Basically I've given up on these two areas because I feel like I'm fighting an un-winnable battle.
Happy Monday, Glynnis!
For me it would be paper (i.e. mail, kids' schoolwork, etc.), photos (I have YEARS worth of them in bags and boxes)), and mementos (i.e. keepsakes from childhood, events, vacations, etc.) These three areas are in dire need of organizing, and I need help figuring out how best to do so!
Natalie :o)
Toys! I have a plan, but my three year old and one year just can't quite get it... My husband even has a hard time following it to a "T." There are just so many toys - good toys, not broken ones - and not enough space to keep them. I've all but given up on re-organizing them every single day.
My most immediate organizing challenge would be how to keep paperwork from taking over the household and overwhelming me! I end up with stacks of papers usually in my bedroom drawers (My kitchen believe it or not is organized!) along with books, CDs, DVDs and feel so very disorganized. Oh, and there are clothes in there, too! My second challenge would be years of photos that I have in boxes rather than nice photo albums. Every time I walk into my bedroom and closet, I want to walk out. Yikes, help.
Donna
It's having enough space for the stuff I have.
Closets are not big enough and yes....I've gotten rid of so much.
I'm scared of Clean Sweep showing up at my house (which cracks my family us).
We're not that bad! It just feels like it somedays!
Meal planning is my biggest struggle. Also want to work up a cleaning schedule for each family member so that the house stays clean and I don't feel like I'm trying to get it all done in one day
I have trouble with paper and horizontal surfaces. If there's a table-top, my family will cover it. With piles. Yuck.
Organizing the desk in our office is always a challenge. It's usually covered in mail, magazines, newspapers, my husband's electronics and my piles of things that require action (filing, coupons to be clipped, a phone call, etc.) It seems that whenever I clean the desk, it quickly gets cluttered again!
My nightmare is toys. With two little ones, I just can't keep up!
Staying on top of laundry -- start to finish. It's a task I care for the least and one I feel least able to delegate to my kids. I need a plan and then to be able to stick with it. ... aside from the "wash it, dry it, put it in the basket, sit in the basket for 1-6 days before folding and putting away." Ugh!
Meals! I work full time outside of the home. I make breakfast and lunches for all of us (we are three). After work, I have no energy to cook. I know that I need to. I don't like getting fast food. But, our tastes are so different. I will eat just about anything, my husband is picky and my daughter is VERY picky. I envy those who make a menu and stick to it. I think I pick meals with too much work, so by Wednesday I am like, oh, nevermind, get a pizza!
My desk - I have paperwork piled everywhere. And my meals - I know we'd eat better if I palnned and stuck with the plan.
Kid's toys and clothes they've grown out of. I'm trying to hold onto a girl and boy set of clothes because we'd like to have another child. In the meantime, my kids closets are busting at the seams...I have a hard time deciding how many blankets to save and how many to get rid of/donate. I've been trying to rotate toys--this seems to help with their waning interest (when all toys are out at once) but haven't quite found a good rhythm...and it's still hard to do when there's no storage in our townhome to put the currently not used toys. Ug.
Well, I'm kind of messy anyway but right now I fight with the kids' closets. Our house came with shelving units so we don't have dressers and the clothes are constantly on the floor. I do make a menu each week and it absolutely saves so much headache and money at the grocery store!
Papers...on the counter, on the laundry shelf, in piles, on top of the fridge. I can't get a system to work.
Also, meal planning is a weakness. We have been using a crock pot to help us out when we come home tired. It's making something at night or planning that's hard.
Teresa C.
I loved your email message today about "good as new" and it really spoke to me. Thank you.
My greatest organizing challenge has to be the ratio of clothes to the two foot of closet rod I have. I am NOT a fashionista, but I have more clothes than that! Thanks.
My struggle is with keeping the toys out of sight in the main living area. No matter how many baskets I still have toys every where. The boys and their friends are not great with clean up no matter how much I ask and threaten no more play dates.
Any flat spot in the kitchen. I clean them off and then someone else passes through the room and things mysteriously appear on the counters and table. No one knows how they get there, but there they are.
--SueBE
My greatest challenges are house cleaning in general and bookwork. I tend to put things off until the task becomes overwhelming.
Post a Comment