Organizing My Life…One Hour at a Time…

I don’t know why it is, but I feel like I am in a constant state of trying to organize something.

I’m the type of person who can’t seem to get anything accomplished unless everything in my home is put away and the floors and counters are scoured to a shine. I can’t bring myself to sit down to write a blog post unless my desk area is completely organized, until I’ve cleaned not just my workspace for my crafts, but the ENTIRE house. I should probably also add that I’m a list-maker. I make lists for everything–before I start cleaning, I make a list of exactly what I need to clean; before I start working, I have to make a list of exactly everything I need to do in order to complete the task. Some people might look at this and thing, well, at least you’re organized. The problem is I spend so much time writing and revising my lists, that by the time I’m ready to actually carry out the tasks that are listed on those lists, I’ve burnt out. Or it’s time to play with Kate or give her a bath. Or I need to cook dinner.

I am a stay at home mom. The main reason I quit my job was so that I could spend as much quality time as possible with Katy. This, however, does not mean I have the luxury of spending every moment of every day in an eternal state of playtime. I have what seems like a never ending list of housework to do every day, plus I am trying to flex my “entrepreneurial muscles” and run a home-based business. During the last year that I’ve been home, I’ve accepted the fact that I have to plan my schedule according to Kate’s schedule. Luckily she’s a good sleeper, so nap time is when I am able to complete the majority of the day’s tasks. One problem I regularly face is deciding which tasks to tackle: do I shower, or do I clean the shower? Do I fold clothes or work? I could (and sometimes do) work on things while Kate is awake, but she’s an active 4 years old toddler who can’t exactly be left to entertain herself while I work on chores.

One of the things I’m going to try to accomplish with my blog is to set (and reach) a goal to finally get myself organized in a way in which I can be productive in all of my responsibilities–this includes running my household and running my work. I’m going to try to make it a priority to take one area of my life at a time and give myself little “mini-makeovers” in order to slowly eliminate the chaos that I seem to create for myself by trying to do everything at once.

The first step I’ve taken in this attempt is to make a (you guessed it) list of everything I’d like to accomplish on a daily basis. These tasks include:

List of things I’d like to be able to accomplish on a daily basis:

• Household chores
• Preventing laundry from becoming unmanageable
• Exercise
• Write blog posts
• Play with Kate (take her to the park, story time, etc.)
• Shower (You would be surprised how easily this can get put on the back burner.)
• Eat (See previous item.)

I know that it’s going to take some time and practice to find my stride and become acclimated to my new schedule, but I definitely need to get started sooner than later. As I’m a visual person, I printed out a blank weekly calendar and penciled in a rough schedule of tasks that I’m going to try to follow.

Clearly I won’t be able to stick to this stringent of a schedule, but at least I now have something to shoot for.

Hopefully within a few weeks my new schedule will become second nature, and I’ll begin to see increased productivity while being able to truly enjoy every minute of the time I spend with Kate, because no matter what, being a mommy is the most important job I have.