A Few Organizing Ideas

Reigning in My Thoughts!

So many things have gone through my mind this week.  I've tried to write most of them down, but when I want to look them over later, I can't seem to find the myriad of pieces of scrap paper strewn around the house.  So, I started something new.  I put little legal pads all over.  I have 4 telephone bases around my house.  So I put one by each of them.  I also have one on my night stand, in the console of my car, and in my purse.  So, pretty much wherever I am, I have some paper available.  I started that at the end of last week, but that posed a brand new problem. WHERE IS A PEN?!?!  I have millions around my house, I know I do.  So where do they all go?? 

I've solved that problem thanks to a woman named Carol Barnier.  She is the author of If I'm diapering a Watermelon, Then Where'd I Leave the Baby?.  It's a book geared toward the "Highly Distractible Mom".  While I'm not a mom, I would definitely say I'm highly distractible, and I've found a few really helpful things in her book.  One thing she mentions is her 'tethering' method.  She loses things like scissors, staplers, calculators, tweezers, and hairbrushes.  So, she ties them to whatever surface she uses them at.  The tweezers are tied to her bathroom mirror, the calculator is tied to the surface she uses to work on bills, etc, etc. 

So, I've taken her idea and tied pens to my legal pads using a little piece of string.  This has been a miracle so far!  Then, when I'm ready to look over my ideas of the week, I go around and rip off the first page of notes, and staple them all together.  I'm putting these stacks of paper in a pile on my dresser.  Actually, I'm putting the stacks on top of clothes, on top of dishes on top of jewelry on top of my dresser.  But that's a project for another week.

A Packed Schedule

This week I've added another big thing to my schedule.  I've joined a drama group called Stage Right Players.  We're doing a play called Flowers for Algernon.  This is going to take up at least 7 more hours per week, including drive time.  My mother and I have also started working out 5 days a week.  AND I've agreed to make dinner for the family every Wednesday.  I thought I must be completely off my rocker to start 3 new projects when I can hardly keep up with what I'm doing already, but then this little voice told me that maybe it's a good thing.  Maybe it can force me to get my act together.  Kind of like, when you can't seem to get your house clean, you invite company over, and make yourself get it done.

Major Time Management

Whether that is true or not, I'm definitely gonna have to crack down on my time management.  So, I've adopted a calendar.  I keep it with me and write down every appointment, obligation, and thing that I have to remember.  Every night before bed, I check it and see what I have to do in the morning.  That way I don't wake up at 7:30 and realize my chiropractor appointment was at 7:15.  That happens to me a lot.

Now, I'm just working on being consistent with the things I've started.  And I'm still trying to get all the junk out of my car. Some days, it only comes down to Laziness Vs. Diligence. 

It's a lot of work, but this little blog-friend of mine is holding me accountable.  

Alright, I'm off to workout...twice.  I didn't do it yesterday.  Go figure.