Getting Organized

One of the biggest questions that I get is "how do you manage to get everything done in a day?!" My response... 

I don't. 

There is a lot that I don't get to that I really wish I had, and I'm still balancing my day to day, trying to push my limits where I can, see what I can and cannot accomplish. For what I do get done though, I owe to planning! I love organizing, in fact, I'd marry it if I could... although that would put me in a pretty odd situation since I'm already married... awkward pause... 

Back on subject! There is this great book that I've had for years. The bindings worn, there's pink highlighter on most pages and any onlooker would probably wonder why I occasionally drag it around since it's not super small, but it's my standby when it comes to all things organized! 

I bought mine straight off Amazon for pennies on the dollar (gotta love a good used buy) and am still finding new tips and tricks inside. 

One of the great tips that I got from this book was to organize your week vertically and horizontally. This tip came especially handy for me years ago when I was suffering burnout because I was 'never getting anything done,' or so it seemed. My problem was that I would organize my day in a list form, but wouldn't organize my week in the same manner. What this meant was that I would put a bunch of big projects in one day's work, and then be super disappointed and confused when I couldn't accomplish everything in my day. Looking back I would love to just smack myself upside the head and say "duh silly, of course you're overwhelmed!" Truth be told though, we all want to be superwomen, and at first, at least for me, that felt like getting everything done in a days time. 

The real trick here though is to list out all of the big items that you need to get done, and spread them throughout your week (or month, depending on what you're planning) so that you're not overwhelming yourself on one specific day. Also, get rid of anything that is not important or conducive to what is really important to you. This means figuring out your priorities and getting rid of any 'fillers' in your day that don't contribute to those. This may mean saying no occasionally, and that's okay! Here's an example: For me, which would be more important: A. making 2 dozen homemade cinnamon rolls for my co-workers or B. taking a quick trip to the store to pick up a treat for work and taking that extra time spending a date night out with my husband? 

Drum roll please... B of course! Although I love to bake (just as much as I love organizing!), I love my husband more and enjoy spending time with him. Easy answer, right?

I would definitely look into buying this book, or checking it out at your local library. There are so many topics like organizing your time, household chores and simplifying your holidays. Good stuff!