Tips For A Disorganized Mom
You see some moms on the soccer fields, at PTA meetings, and at playgroups who seem to always have it all pulled together. They are always on time, have all their gear and supplies with them, and they and their children seem relaxed and easy-going. You, on the other hand, are known for arriving far later than “fashionably late.” When you finally do arrive, you are inevitably missing something important that you need for the event. There’s a fairly decent chance your kids’ socks don’t match, and your little one may still have breakfast crumbs on his face. How is it that some moms make it look so easy to accomplish everything imaginable while you struggle to find time to blow dry your hair each morning. That is, if you have time to take a shower in the first place!
The simple answer is organization! What other moms manage to achieve with apparent ease actually requires a great deal of behind-the-scenes planning and organization. The good news is that by making a few easy changes to your daily routine, you can achieve that pulled-together look, too – no matter how hectic your life gets!
Keep A Schedule. You have your schedule all planned out neatly in your head, so why should you waste paper and write it down? First, when you write down your daily and weekly schedule, you can clearly see what time blocks during the day and week are busy for you. Don’t schedule any other activities during these times, and try to avoid running errands or planning to do chores then also. When your schedule is written out, your windows of availability will be more apparent. These open windows are the times when you want to schedule play dates, get chores done, schedule doctor appointments, and complete errands. With a written schedule, you will avoid the possibility of overbooking and creating headaches and chaos unnecessarily.
Make A List. For now, start making a list of everything that you need for every outing. Brainstorm everything from snacks to wipes, and soccer balls to sunblock. Think of everything you truly need, as well as those things that would be nice to have on your outing. Then about fifteen minutes or so before you have to leave, go down the list and get everything packed that you need and want. After you’ve made a handwritten list for a few outings, you will be in the routine of packing up all of the items for each outing and won’t need to use an actual written list anymore.
Get Ready For The Next Day. Often, mornings are a time of great stress for families. As you are trying to get the kids up and dressed for school, you inevitably need to also pack lunches, make sure the kids’ outfits match, and ensure homework from last night got packed away in backpacks, all the while watching the clock to make sure the kids aren’t late for school.
A large portion of this chaos can be completely removed from your life by spending about fifteen or twenty minutes each evening getting ready for the next day. Have the kids set out their clothes (and shoes!) for school before they go to bed at night. You will have plenty of time at night to approve of the outfits and make sure they are weather-appropriate. You can also pack lunches and get the backpacks ready to go the night before. Then, when you wake the kids up in the morning, they simply need to put on the clothes that are sitting out, eat their breakfast, brush their teeth and hair, and head out the door!
Leave Early. The only magical and mysterious trick to arriving at a scheduled event on time is to leave well before the event actually starts. Many parents have the tendency to fail to factor in travel time as well as time to get the kids herded into and out of the car. Also, think about any stops that you need to make on your way, such as filling up the gas tank or stopping at the store for a last minute item. It may be ingrained in your head that these little stops don’t really matter, but stopping for ten or fifteen minutes at the grocery on your way to soccer practice may be the reason why you are arriving ten or fifteen minutes late to soccer practice.
For each outing, think about how long it will take you to drive to the location. Then factor in another five or ten minutes to get the kids in and out of the car, as well as time for any stops you need to make. Then, for your next few outings, try to leave about five or ten minutes earlier than you really need to leave. This will get you in the groove for arriving on time to events instead of being perpetually late.
Make An Emergency Kit. Your emergency kit should include the essential emergency items, such as band-aids and anti-itch cream. Also think about things like sunblock, hand sanitizer, and bug spray. In your kit, include things for a different kind of emergency, such as extra diapers, wipes, a roll of paper towels, and maybe a couple of packs of fruit snacks. Last but not least, include some sanity items to keep the kids busy when mom needs a break. These may include books, coloring books, music and headphones, and even portable games. Then, the next time one of your kids is complaining about being stuck in the car or waiting for his sister’s dance lesson to end, get out your kit to retain your sanity!
Keep your emergency kit stored neatly in a small storage bin in your car. Now, you no longer will be the mom who is asking if anyone has an extra diaper or sunblock. Your kit will help to make you the prepared mom other moms will envy!
Spring Cleaning. You can train yourself to be incredibly organized and punctual. Yet if your house is cluttered, you are likely to waste a lot of unnecessary time searching for a matching sock, hockey uniform, or even a missing library book. Your house may be spotless in terms of dust and dirt, but if your closets are brimming with junk or your child’s homework is getting lost in your pile of months’ old magazine and mail-order catalogs, your clutter is likely costing your busy family valuable time. Houses that are particularly cluttered may seem overwhelming to clean. Or perhaps you are just too busy to organize the house all at once. Take one room at a time and thoroughly organize it. If you haven’t touched something in months, or if you didn’t know you were even missing it, chances are it’s probably OK to throw it out or donate it to charity. Pack rat tendencies translate into unnecessary clutter, so remove anything that you can from the house entirely. For those things that you do plan on keeping, organize them into groups (such as books, toys, toiletries, and so on.) Make a place in your house for each item, so every item has a spot where it belongs.
Then, after you’ve spent some time organizing your house, make sure your house stays organized by spending ten or twenty minutes each evening putting things back where they belong. If your kids are old enough, they can help clean up the clutter before they go to bed at night. Or if the kids are younger, you can start teaching them that everything has a place and to only take out one toy at a time. If you have been living in an constantly cluttered state, it may take awhile for the family to get used to cleaning up after themselves. Put hang in there and be persistent. Soon enough, you will be saving time and energy with your organized house!
Every mom has what it takes to pull off that look that says “I’ve got everything under control.” All it takes is a little bit of discipline with your organizational skills, and you’ll soon be the mom other moms envy!
