Organisation

When I first quit my last job (end of June 2012) - the one I had for  few months - after closing my business in February 2012, I spent many an hour reading from Down To Earth blog.  A great site on living frugally and simply, saving money and enjoying the simple things in life.  I originally started reading this site as I found myself with a lot more time on my hands from when I was self-employed and also I was learning to live on income at least a third or half of my previous income.  Of course a lot of those expenses actually came from having my own business -subscriptions to industry organisations, Professional Indemnity insurance, seminars to keep up to date with industry changes and so on.  By cancelling all these expenses I was able to reduce my bills quite substantially - saving about $250 a week. The job I had (learning to make picture frames and such) and earning $500 a week, just covered my mortgage payments and and bills, after I canclled all my industry related expenses.  Any extra I made on the side by working for a couple of old clients I used for entertainment or extras I wanted.

It was while reading the afore-mentioned blog that I was first switched onto the idea of setting up a household folder and I had also read about this in a great book on being organised (the name of which has eluded me at the moment) but the author was one of the founding members of Messies Anonymous.  As per the book, I listed Daily tasks to do, Tasks by the day and seasonal checklists.  So even I missed one days checklist, it would be done the following week as per the schedule.  This system worked for probably a couple of weeks or so and then it lapsed as I became distracted / absorbed by other things.  So the last few days I have been working on a bigger and better version of the folder after reading some more tips on the website Organized Home.  They have printable forms online but as I don't have a printer right now I am just using handwritten notes for now and probably that is the way to go until the folder is set up properly and I tweak my checklists and schedules.  And I am using a bigger folder!!  So it is not as easy for me to ignore. 

And I have been working off my Dailies checklist and my Monday checklist this morning in between coffees and blogging.  This way it is not so daunting for me either -looking at a whole house to be cleaned and tidied can seem quite overwhelming, so by breaking it down room by room, or chore by chore it doesn't seem so impossible.  And technically each week will get easier as the standard of tidyness increases day by day according to my weekly checklist.

These following tips are helpful

Finish The Job!!  My biggest problem.  Half finished projects laying around when I get distracted by something new or even tidying up after I make coffee (I'm a messy blighter).  My brother is a nightmare when it comes to this.  He seriously cannot/does not even put lids back on jars or milk back in the fridge after making a coffee!!  Dude...

If a chore will take less time than 30 seconds do it straight away - I am perfectly capable of walking over and around, say a piece of thread or similar on a floor.  Instead I should just pick the sucker up!!  For me one of my main 'problems' is the bedroom - if I get changed a few times a day - each old set of clothes ends up flung on the bed or on the floor and every few days I have to sort the piles into dirty laundry, clothes that have another wear in them and so on.  If I could just deal with it straight away it will save a bigger job later down the track.

Speaking of which - I had better finish off my 'Dailies Checklist' and Monday chores - I have almost finished so I can start the day feeling virtuous and under whelmed - is that a word?

 

Great Ocean Road - Jan 2012 - "Stowaway"

Have a great day!!