What a fun meeting today! Thanks for coming! Brenda will email me the pictures later to post, but I wanted to get on here and see if everyone might post a comment with your favorite organizing tip.
Here's mine. I love this calendar so much I blogged about it! It's just enough organization to keep me functional, but not so much that I can't keep up.
Here's a more detailed explanation of the Office in a Bag. Also wanted to list some of the books we mentioned today.
-The House That Cleans Itself
-Organizing from the Inside Out
-SideTracked Home Executives
-ADD-Friendly Ways to Organize Your Life
5 comments:
My favorite organizing tip is the concept that you should first have things organized to your habits and personality. They talk a lot about this in "The House That Cleans Itself." The first thing I've implemented with this in mind has been some sorting drawers, a trash can and a box for stuff to be shredded in my entryway to sort the mail as I walk in the door. This has cut down on my paper clutter considerably.
I was super-inspired by the "organizing" lesson today! A few of my favorite tips include: go through your mail everyday and sort/trash it right away, AND get your husband and kids into a CLEAN routine! We have also started recycling at our house and have made it easy by having some bins in the kitchen and garage. The recycling center in Temple is great!
Brenda Smith said...I am amazed at how active and organized all of you are with young children! Did Betsie really blog at 5:57 AM???OH MY!
...just a couple of things that helped when I was at that stage raising 2 boys...Each boy had their own color...Nathan was green and Ryan was blue...Their towel, storage bins, kitchen dishes (plastic ware cups, plates, etc.) This way re-using towels, water cups, etc. was no problem.
The book I liked (with 1988 copyright so don't know if it is still out there) was The Creative Home Organizer by Emilie Barnes the author of Survival Guide for Busy Women. The scripture she chooses for each chapter is inspirational. "In everything you do, put God first, and he will direct you and crown your efforts with success." Proverbs 3:6
I enjoy getting to know all of you so much and admire you greatly!!! You are in my prayers as you go about the greatest job on earth...raising children!
Something that Danabeth said that really stuck with me was to do your homework before you start organizing, or you'll just wind up with more stuff. I often get in the mood to organize things when I see all of the cool containers at Target or IKEA. I buy them, not thinking that they may not fit in my space. Now, I have several empty containers, shelves and little baskets that just take up more space. I realize that my thought processes are what need to be organized before my house can be organized. :)
I think it's crucial to organize in a way that fits your (and your families) needs. Even if something looks better a certain way...if it won't "stand the test of time" and stay that way, don't bother cleaning it in the first place. Really examine what your needs are and think through solutions that everyone can/will be able to follow through on. Then set a reasonable goal to follow through with your plan, and get the whole family involved!
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