Daily Planner

When I first got my daily planner, I thought I had to keep it faithfully. If I wrote it down it had to be done on the day it was written. I also overdid ever list I wrote so that it made me not want to even try! Now, however, it's become my lifesaver, my brain outside my body. Like transferring computer files to a disk, it frees up memory and creates more order and less stress in my life which is good! Let's discuss the different parts.

It has a pink cover. This is nice because it makes it "mine." Even though I keep tabs on my family, having some ownership over it allows me to let go of my thoughts and trust it to this keeper. I will keep personal notes, letters, thoughts, ideas on the pages and in the slots. It is a piece of me.

The inside is a two pages a day format. I like it because it gives me enough space to write. I use the "to do" list for daily stuff, the appointment calender, on occasions that I have a scheduled time, and the free page for thoughts, dreams, goals, ideas, or tentative plans. This way I am allowed to pour out my heart and empty my head.

For the "To Do" list, I have it in three parts.

Reoccurring Schedule:

Make Bed

Dishes

Laundry

Sweep/Tidy

Odd Stuff:

Sometimes Personal Such as Blogging, Reading, Uploading Pictures

Sometimes Husband Stuff Such as Finding Papers, Running Errands

Sometimes Kids Related Such as Schoolwork, Going to Park, Library, etc.

Calls to Make/Things to Mail:

Appointments

Bills

Catch Up with Friends

I find if I keep up with the reoccurring stuff, the other stuff is easier. Just making the bed makes my room look that much neater. A load a day of laundry and keeping up with the dishes keeps them from piling up. And I can work on the clutter if the floor is clean. I don't always accomplish everything, but my planner also came with handy little symbols to use other than a check mark such as an arrow for things forwarded to the next day and a dot for things in progress. It keeps me from getting overwhelmed and helps me jump in the next day right where I left off. I also feel good at being able to get something marked every day and am encouraged every time I do.

I've come to realize some of the other stuff is necessary and some of it is more wishful thinking. I try not to forward things more than a day or I lose motivation to get to them, but sometimes I'll put more on my Monday list than I know I can finish with the idea that I will be able to get it done that week. It allows me to see some of my goals for the week and get to them in a timely manner (not just whenever I remember them). I still don't always accomplish everything, but allows me to get more done than if I had to remember from scratch.

I group making calls and mailing letters together because they are both tasks that require some focused attention, but not too much. I try to get the mail ready before the kids get up and calls made during naptime. Giving myself a time frame within which to accomplish these tasks keeps me from "panic mode" where the kids are screaming for my attention and I'm under pressure to get something done. It also keeps me from worrying about it because it's already been worked into my day.

The biggest thing is not taking myself too seriously. Enough that I can work with it, but not so much that I am a slave to it. The biggest thing is working it into how I accomplish things and being realistic into what my time is truly going to allow. But on the overall, it's been a very amazing and helpful thing!

Living Room/School Cabinet

"Nothing's better than cleaning to me, Mommy!" he says as he moves out the school cabinet to sweep behind it. Honestly, I could get used to this! He already pulled out my chair, swept under my couch and moved the mat (which he proclaimed to be "pretty dirty"). My son claims nothing's better than "making the floor pretty" and says he won't stop until "he makes the whole floor clean." He even offered to do my room! Which brings me to my latest accomplishment...the living room and school cabinet. I still need to finish cleaning off the top of the school cabinet so I can move the games up there, but I reclaimed two shelves that were nothing but a paper mess and prettied them up. I also gathered the books and put them back on the shelf. After the sweeping it looks a lot better!

Dining Room/Kitchen

Took it upon myself to tackle the dining room today. Scrubbed down each of the chairs until they had blue on them again. Then took to the table. I wiped down everything, including the sides of the table and the legs. How gunk gets on the legs is beyond me (although with four little ones, I suppose I shouldn't be surprised!). I then took it upon myself to move everything and mop the floor. Now it looks a lot nicer!

I didn't do much in the kitchen except catch up on the rest of the dishes that have been slowly stacking and declutter the counters. Hubby had already scrubbed them the other day so all I had to do was wipe gently after moving the clutter and dishes. Mopped in that room too.

Must say I feel more human. I even wiped down the kid's bathroom sink to give it an extra sparkle. I've also been doing a load a day as the laundry builds up and folding it after it comes out. This has made the laundry pile less and the clean clothes stack manageable. Note, I hate folding laundry so this is an accomplishment for me!

Feeling invigorated. What to next? Not quite sure, but there's something!

*Addendum*

When I say "I" this should be clarified to acknowledge the fact I did have a little help. The picture says the rest.

Kid's Bathroom/Laundry Room

First thing I did was to reorganize the linen closet in this room. I combined all the blankets and separated them into blankets, baby blankets, sheets and table cloths. Then I moved one box of extra storage to a lower shelf thus freeing two more shelves for use. All the laundry on the floor was piled in front of the washer where a load was begun. I then picked up all the garbage, swept the floor and scrubbed the toilet. I did all of the laundry, folded it, and put it away, even getting to the sleeping bags and placing them on one of the free shelves in the closet.

Left to do:

1. Scrub bathtub.

2. Wash mirrors.

To Maintain:

1. Wipe counters, pick up floor daily.

2. Do laundry a load a day.

Renewed Vision

Uncluttering is one thing, but sometimes maintaining is even more difficult! I am trying to envision what a beautiful house looks like and keep that in mind as I work toward that goal. Otherwise I might lose the vision completely...And this is the goal. To have a beautiful home that supports my family and our lifestyle. One that reflects who we are and what we enjoy. I refuse to be mastered by clutter and mess, but instead long to free my time and energy for doing the things that I love. If I can get the house in a workable order, I have a much better chance of maintaining it. So I am recommitting to myself to this end. Perhaps the month of March can be my spring cleaning so that by the end of it we are working in beauty. Now for the first step.