Monday......hmmmm.....poor Monday takes on alot of pressure from me...Not to mention that it is the first Monday of the month. My life has been a whirlwind for months now and I feel like everything is all over the place and I am constantly grabbing at things trying to get some kind of control. I have this image of being one of those people in a clear booth with hundred dollar bills all around my feet and a huge fan is turned on. Their job is to catch and hold on to as many as they can....Their adrenaline is pumping and they are reaching and grabbing and coming up with new ways to get everything they can in a short amount of time...In the meantime anyone watching from the outside sees how utterly absurd they look but it does provide some comic relief....
My latest form of organization is my Sidetracked Home Executive (SHE) card system. I have spent Days redoing them in hopes that I can finally stick to it. I think I have been attempting this for about 22 years now with my sister Debbie and is actually my favorite organizational tool. The SHE system requires me to put EVERY job in my home on a 3x5 index card....loading the DW, cleaning my toilet, making my bed, cleaning my garage....Then I put on each card the approximate time it should take to complete it...Mini Jobs are 5 min or less...All jobs are color coded from Daily, Every other Day, Weekly, Every other Week, Monthly, Every other Month, Seasonally and Yearly. Then I have dividers for each month and days 1-31. I spread out all days of the month and begin to sort of the jobs that I plan to do on those days....I have also planned my weeks according to the time I have available....small cleaning days, large cleaning days, no cleaning days, town days, bookwork days.....So as I am filling up the days with jobs I know which ones I can put more and which I should put less.
What I love about the system is that it gives me closure. Anyone knows that taking care of your home is endless. There is Always something to do. But with SHE there are endings. When I have all my cards done for the day I am DONE. I am free to do other things without guilt. I may know that the coat closet needs cleaned but I know that I will get to it next week sometime and it causes me less stress.
I also am adding other things to my file. I have a card at the beginning of each month with a list of birthdays and so I have a day where I make out cards all at once for the month. Each morning as I lay out all my cards on the counter I also have another ongoing list. Things that don't need to be on cards but need to get done...calls I need to make or appts not to forget....
Another area that I am adding this time is a health section...I am making 3x5 cards for each meal I make and putting the nutritional info on the back so that when I go to journal my food everything is already there. While I increase my number of cards it will also help with meal planning. In the morning I can just grab the cards I want for the day and know how many calories I will have. I also have always made sure that I have cards for Exercise, Bible Study, Vitamins.....anything that I struggle with getting time to fit in or just not making a priority....when I see them there day after day I finally get into the habit of Just getting them done so they aren't staring at me all day...
It takes awhile to fully get into the swing of things and work out the kinks. Everyones lives are different so you have to make it work for you and your family. I am really going to work on making this a real part of my life and staying with it. My life is so much less chaotic when I follow this system....If you have any questions about any of this just let me know. I am also thinking about teaching a class on how to set this system up. I would like to know if anyone would be interested in learning more about it....
Well my friends today I dream for you a day of getting things accomplished in a non chaotic manner. I dream that your evening would be spent sitting at the dinner table with your family in surrounded by a clean home and no guilt......sigh.........sounds like Heaven doesn't it......Okay - well, I have to get off of my computer and finish making my cards so I can sort them and finally get something accomplished....because that life sounds Wonderful to me....Have a wonderful day friends....
7 comments:
This system sounds great! I struggle so much with housework. I think its probably been the hardest part of marriage for me - just that I have this space that I'm responsible for!
So today I am going to clean my son's closet out. Pack up all the clothes that don't fit him anymore and are out of season. I hate hate hate doing this as it makes me a little sad knowing my baby is a season older, but alas it must be done. So I will be thinking of you when I am neck deep in 3T shorts and shirts! I hope you have a very blessed day. And PS this is ALL YOUR FAULT!!!!!!!! Tessa
LOL!!!!!!!! You always make me smile Tessa!! I understand the sentimental part of packing up your kid's clothes....it's crazy how a tshirt can take us back to a specific moment and bring us to tears....I will be thinking of you as well....:-)
I understand your struggle Meghan - as a wife there is the pressure to have your home be your sanctuary...lol.. but there is always something that needs to be done. I highly suggest this book...it truly has helped me over the years....love you!
For 6 months now, I've wallowed in being a new stay at home mommy. I say wallowed because while I've thrown myself completely into motherhood, my house is another matter entirely. My hubby has time and again asked that I do SOMETHING, ANYTHING. I know he is right and I say ok - I'll do it but it never happens. I'm hoping that with your introduction to SHE, I can get on track. I absolutely loathe housekeeping so maybe with this method, it will become more manageable with less guilt? Thanks for inspiring me once again Linda! Will keep you posted on my progress! Nichole
Nichole, I really think this will help. It is so crazy how things can be so big in our head. When we can figure out a way to manage it there is so much freedom. So many times I don't do the things that make me happy because I feel like there is so much other "stuff" that I need to do and I end up doing nothing...I really hope that this helps you start Enjoying your other hobbies again...and get to mother Ms. A without feeling guilt about all the other stuff...Linda
Hey sister, you inspire me!!! Great BOX, Carla
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