Organizing Your Life One List At A Time

It seems like many are on an organizing kick and I'm right there with you.  In my previous life, I was an executive assistant and event planner.  I had to be on top of my game at all times and to do that I was HIGHLY organized, which means I kept lists.  Lists upon lists upon lists.  But, as a stay at home mom, I find that my daily planning and organization has pretty much fallen to the wayside.  I still tend to make general lists (like groceries), but they are few and far between and at some point during the day that list gets stolen by Mr. Grabby-hands and ripped to shreds.  I've been feeling like I'm always one step behind and that is a feeling I just don't enjoy.

I NEED to be more organized.  So, I set out to be one step closer to sane by setting up a weekly to-do list and one list turned into four.

The first came way as a FREE PRINTABLE! thanks to A Pair of Pears.  This list allows me to write down appointments, activities and things that need to get done.  I print off a few at a time, so that I know what's coming in the weeks ahead.

 

And for you fellow DIYers, crafters or general creators, this FREE PRINTABLE! from Perideau

Designs is the perfect organizational tool to keep your next project on track.  It includes a list for items needed and a priority timeline.  I have found this "My Next Project" list to be very helpful in keeping our kitchen remodel running smoothly.

Source: perideaudesigns.com via Catherine on Pinterest

Ever since our move back in December, my homemaking skills have left much to be desired - PILES of laundry and a sinkful of dishes.  There's just so many other things that I could be working on that the housework just falls to the wayside and  Josh and I are both going a little nuts because of it.  So I also needed a weekly cleaning schedule to keep me on track.  I found the perfect list on Pinterest.  Oh how I love Pinterest! This really is a great list and covers all of those deep-cleaning tasks, but focuses on cleaning at night so you start fresh the next day.  This simple way of doing things has kept our house much more clean and it sure is nice waking up and not having a bunch of chores hanging over our heads.

Source: littlegreennotebook.blogspot.com via Meagan Padgett on Pinterest

The final list that I needed was a weekly/daily schedule for Luke.  I don't know about you, but I struggle with getting sucked into a project or this blasted internet, which keeps me from having an active role in his learning.  As a stay at home mom, I really want to offer the best at-home educational experience possible.  I searched and searched for a daily activity calendar, I even looked on a few daycare sites but didn't find anything that really worked for us.  So, I made my own and focused on a general theme for each weekday which corresponds to the educational/art activity and then covered the basic things like naps, mealtimes, etc.  Having a list like this around is helpful for any parent and especially helpful for babysitters who may not be familiar with your child's schedule.

These lists really have been the key to getting our house, projects and lives more organized.  Since the first two lists change rather frequently I print off copies of those on regular copy paper and for the last two, which don't change, I used some great printable Avery Magnetic Sheets and keep them on the fridge for easy reference.

So, what about you guys?  Are you list makers like me?  What other tools do you use to keep your life organized and running down the track?