how to be more organised with less overwhelm

Life just seems to have been really busy the last few weeks. Have you noticed that?
 
What with J starting big school, a tummy bug that knocked our family out, sorting out extra mural programs for J & M,
PTA and Mothers Committee meetings, my Mom arriving for M’s 2nd birthday,
I feel like I’m that hamster on the wheel.
Do you think the hamster ever feels that he’s not getting anywhere?!
 
So we're already into February, the first week is DONE.
How fast did January go for you? 
How about New Year’s Resolutions?
Are they done and dusted? Back to the same old same old, ruts and routines?

C’mon, let’s do something different…
 
I have! If you’re following my Facebook page then you will have seen that I have new branding.
Ta-dah…
 
What d’you think?!
 
I love it.  I love the daisy flower, it’s fresh and simple. The writing is curvy.
So if we’re going to think about this philosophically then fresh and simple is how we would like our lives to be.

And curvy is how our bodies are and how our lives tend to be.
No straight from A – Bs for us!
 
Getting back to the hamster on the wheel scenario…
What can we do to make our lives run a little simpler?   
A little less frantic?
 
If you have ideas please share them on the Facebook page here –
 
Here are my thoughts –

I think it all comes down to planning and making time to get the small things in place.

Like making lunch for the next day. 
My husband does this most nights for himself. I watch and think, yup, I should do that but I don’t!

Making a list of what needs to be done the next day. 
I have a little A6 book and I write down everything that pops into my head.
Then I prioritise it or put the items in groups so that everything that needs to be done in one area e.g. the shopping centre gets a (1) next to it, activities that need to be done around a certain suburb gets a (2) etc.

Once it’s all down and grouped then the mission of doing everything seems more manageable.
Whatever doesn’t get done gets carried over to the next day.

Getting clothes ready for the next day – what a great idea!

Do you have days where you sit on your bed staring at your cupboards, doors wide open? Me too!

What I have done in years gone by and don’t ask why not now – but I took all my current season’s clothes out.
I grouped tops and bottoms together.
Took photos of the combinations and stuck them up on the inside of my cupboard door.

What a difference that made to deciding what to wear!
Let me know if you do that – I’m going to do it again and I’ll post pics on my website and Facebook page.
 
This is something new that my husband & I have started.

It’s meal planning for the week ahead.
Picture it... Sunday afternoon with a glass of wine helps the process along.
Write down the meals, check to see if any ingredients are needed for any of the meals, and shop for those and hey ho!
It should make the evening time a little less madhouse like because you know what you’re going to eat. Simple dishes are best, naturally.
Let me know if you’d like a sample menu – click here.
 
Teach your children that everything has a place.
Toys live in specific boxes, if you have house-help teach them too.
There’s’ no point in sorting all the toys out into specific boxes and no one is aware of the process!!! Ask me.

Teach your kids to put their dirty clothes in wash baskets, shoes in the bottom of cupboards. Plastic plates in the plastic cupboard.

We know all this but it’s teaching others this, THAT is WHAT will make our lives less frantic.
 
What else can you do to make the mornings and days less frantic? I'd love to hear from you.

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