10 Jul Decently in Order(ish)

Anyone else have memories of walking into an office at 7:00 a.m. and opening Outlook, complete with color-coded flags, alerts, reminders, and perfectly prioritized task lists? Organization with a side of coffee and an hour of quiet before the rat race reruns begin. So structured, so black and white, so orderly. 

Of all the things I expected motherhood to affect, my organizational prowess wasn’t one. That’s my wheelhouse, yo. Sure, I knew I would have less time, more tiredness, feedings, naps, and “all that” to work around, but my life-framework was already in place — I’d just need an extra dose of flexibility and grace in setting and reaching my priorities. Right?

The heavens bellowed with laughter.

Those first weeks turned into months, turned into years, and baby turned into babies, and somewhere along the way my perfect processes were no longer compatible with my role as full-time caregiver (i.e., zombie mom) of two boys, age two and under.

Over time, in the wake of lost post it notes and a few missed appointments, I began to piece together what wasn’t working and why. Here’s some of the intel I collected about “mom” me: 

• If I can’t see it, it doesn’t exist. Action items cannot be in a pile or a file cabinet.
• Rigid structure doesn’t work for me now. This life has too many variables. I need systems that provide rhythm but give me space to drop and pick up where I left off.
• I need electronic and hard copy family organizational tools that harmonize together.

Interested in corralling your chaos as well? Here are some tools I found and still find really helpful:

We live and die by Cozi. I wish I had found it sooner! I am not a paid spokesperson, just a satisfied client. 🙂

• Use online or from any mobile device.
• Printer friendly format.
• Share and update unlimited to do lists, shopping lists, and family calendars in real time. Never re-write a grocery list or vacation packing list!
• Send automated daily or weekly agenda emails to any family member.
• Track birthdays and anniversaries.
• Store recipes, plan meals, and shop for ingredients.
• Shop or cook from your phone with helpful features like the no-dim button that keeps your screen on until you’re finished.
• Use the family journal to jot down special moments and those cute things the kids say.
• Send an optional monthly newsletter with designated journal updates to family and friends.
• Use the contacts feature for only the most important family contacts everyone needs to access, or as a way to manage your holiday card list. Export the entire list at once, and Cozi will even send you a label-ready file to print!

A friend told me about Pepperplate before I discovered Cozi, and I decided to stick with Pepperplate for meal planning, because it offers these more sophisticated features:

• Import recipes from dozens of popular sites by pasting a URL.
• Share your favorite recipes with friends and family via Email, Facebook and Twitter.
• Scale recipes to make the right amount. Cut in half, or quadruple, as you wish!

Enough said. You need this password manager pronto, Tonto.

Paper Action Items

I am continually amazed by the amount of paper that comes in our door. The folders below allow me to drop items as they come in, without having to deal with it that second, and without forming a pile of papers. It’s a little old school, but apparently so is my mom-brain. Not everything falls into these categories, but it takes care of a surprising amount of actionable paperwork that cycles through regularly. And the less we play the “Honey, have you seen that…” the happier we all are. I have an Ikea Kvissle wall rack hanging next to my desk, and items stay neatly filed there until resolved. THEN they rest in peace in the file cabinet or head to the recycle bin.

• Bills to Pay (this is for one-off bills, since we have most set to Autopay.)
• Income to Deposit (checks we receive for freelance work, etc.)
• Business Costs (receipts that factor into tax filing)
• Taxes
• Forms to Complete
• Health & Insurance
• Vehicles
• Cards to Send
• Coupons
• Receipts – Reconcile
• Receipts – File
• Contacts to Digitize
• Recipes to Digitize
• Schedules to Digitize

Front and Center

It turns out, I hate having to look at my phone for everything. So once a week (on the good weeks), I do a little double-duty: I write out our weekly schedule and dinner menu on our family command center. (Click here for inspiring ideas!) It takes only a few minutes to jot it down, and even though it’s duplicate effort, I love having it at a glance and I don’t have to double check my phone every time my brain spaces on what’s coming next.

• Weekly Schedule Board (with space to log drop offs and pick ups)
• Menu Board

Memory Memorabilia

Confession: I will never be a minimalist. The trick is keeping the sentimental accessible and organized. (Are the heavens laughing again?) Each person in our household has the following four boxes. We have the same set for our family as a unit. I have a big “drop” basket where these things go, then when it gets full I make a trip to the attic and file everything away into the individual boxes. It seems to be working!

• Greeting Cards/Letters
• Photos
• Memorabilia (Paper)
• Memorabilia (Objects)

Cleaning

Do I have a cleaning calendar? Yes. Do I use it? No. Not even going to pretend. Maybe someday. 🙂