It seems like everyone is in the mood to purge in January. After all, the holidays are often full of extremes. More travel. Not enough sleep. Too much food. Not enough exercise. Too many new things around the house. Not enough places to put them. While I dream of having a week completely alone at home to organize, that is probably not going to happen right now (and if you figure out a way to do it, let me know!) However, there are four things you can do right now to make life easier and stay organized in 2018.
Take Time Each Sunday to Plan Your Week
Sit down with your family on Sunday afternoon or evening and discuss each day of the week. What activities do your kids have each day? What’s going on after school? Do they need to take any specific clothes or uniforms with them? Who needs to study for an exam this week? What nights will you cook and when do you need to eat out?
I try to do this over dinner on Sunday nights with my family. We talk about the week and what each person’s schedule looks like and review the lunch menu to determine which days my children want to buy their lunch at school. I also look at the weather forecast so we can pick out their clothes for each day, including extra items they need for after-school activities. Taking the time to meet as a family at the beginning of each week is a huge help. Additionally, each person has a general idea of the week’s events, minimizing last-minute surprises and, therefore, decreasing stress throughout the week.
Touch It Once
As busy moms, we all wish there was more time in the day. What if I told you could have more time every day by committing to touching items only one time? Are you willing to try? We waste a lot of time rethinking tasks. Instead of taking care of something right away, we often put it in an “I’ll handle that later” pile. Later, we have to re-evaulate the task, which wastes time and energy. If you have to do this multiple times for each task, the time wasted adds up over weeks and months.
The “Touch It Once” rule means that you should handle something right away rather than saving it and going back to it again and again. Think about this in terms of your mail delivered to your home each day. Sort it over your trash can and recycling bin. Anything you don’t need should be disposed of immediately. Anything else can be divided into a category and handled right away. Catalogs from companies that have a web site? Recycle. Magazines? To your nightstand or coffee table where you read them. Bills? File.
You will be amazed how much time you will save over a week if you commit to touching items only once. And you can apply this rule to anything — whether it’s picking up the house, e-mails, or laundry!
Use Apps to Save Time
There are so many apps that help you accomplish your household needs and save time. If you struggle to find time to meal plan and grocery shop, try signing up for a meal delivery service. If you know what you need and love to cook, use Shipt to have your groceries delivered to your home or order online and select free pickup. Between Amazon Prime and Google Express, you can have just about anything delivered to your home. Try it out and see how much time you save!
Create a Donations Box
Find an empty box or bin to use for donations, and find it a spot in your home — whether it’s the basement, hall closet, or laundry room. As you come across items that you no longer need, want, or use, throw them in the donations box. When it is full, it’s time to make a donations run! Or, even better, call and have the donations picked up from your home.
What are some of your favorite things to do to keep your home organized or save time?
