You’ve heard it before. Be more organized and you’ll save money, time, stress.
Sounds great.
Where to start and how to keep at it, though?
Why get organized? You tell me!
You want your household to be more organized so that … what? Fill in the blanks.
What’s important to you?Why are you thinking about simplifying or reorganizing or decluttering ? Why now?
Find things more easily. Save money. I know that – but really, why is that important to you?
Figure that out and you’re far more likely to stick to the organizing routines you work out.
Figure that out and you’ll let go of things which have outstayed their welcome.
Examples – all true statements from clients.
“To be a better role model for my teenagers.”
“To create more time for my hobbies/spirituality/creativity/writing.”
“To simplify. We are empty nesters and want more time for us now.”
“To save money. I know we waste money but I don’t know where the issues are. We are saving for … ”
Where to Start
Please think of yourself as the household CEO. Shifting your mindset to thinking this way is key.
You manage the activities of your household.
You manage all the people & the schedules.
You keep track of a lot of stuff going on, and a lot stuff inside the house.
You run it. All. And maybe you work outside the home, too.
This job of household CEO, according to several surveys, is valued at $100k annually.
Systems/routines can help make this household easier to run, creating more time for what’s important to you. The “why” question again.
There are 5 groups of systems or routines to support you in running the household.
They don’t need to be fancy, complex, perfect or pretty. Do what’s right for you, for your life, your priorities and develop your own standards, (i.e., don’t listen to anyone else.)
If it works for you, then it’s “organized enough.”
SYSTEMS GROUP ONE: Put Time on Your Side
Family calendar/activities management
Work/family bo
undaries (especially if you work out
of the house)
Morning routines to get out the door on time
And evening routines: homework, preparation for the next day
Managing your time and your ‘to do’ list
SYSTEMS GROUP TWO: Money is Not the Root of All Evil
Paying bills on time
Tracking for taxes
Papers management
Expenses: awareness, tracking – where does it go?
Savings: how much and for what purposes?
Futures: college, starting a business, “retirement,” including wills/bequests
SYSTEMS GROUP THREE: Make Meals Easy and Fresh
Weekly meals planning
Grocery lists/easy list making
Frequency of trips, to which stores
Making meals/clean up
SYSTEMS GROUP FOUR: Household Maintenance “On-the-Go”
Decluttering “as you go”
Cleaning
Laundry
Chores
Toys
Clothing
Outdoors/house maintenance
SYSTEMS GROUP FIVE: Stop Papers from Taking Over
Mail handling
Schoolwork/homework papers
Artwork
Home office papers: keep/toss decisions
It’s a Lot
It IS a lot. And we often don’t realize it. We don’t see what it takes all in one list. So then we don’t give it the time, or don’t set up systems to easily handle the tasks.
This is the basic stuff of running our lives but it need not take UP all of our time, right?
That’s why you’ll want to do a check or an assessment of your household systems. Use this list.
First: Which areas are working well?
You must have a system that works. Think about why it works for you. That can be helpful to apply to other systems in your household.
Second: Which areas have a system, but it’s not quite working, or not all the time?
Third: What feels out of control, i.e., no system in place?
Choose one area that creates the most frustration or pain or continually saps your energy.
Keep it a small, manageable project; this may mean divide up your original idea into smaller steps.
A quick win is motivating and will keep you going. Good luck, CEO.
