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What's your favorite organizational trick?

post #1 of 36
12/7/07 at 2:20pm
Thread Starter 
There may have been threads like this before.............

We all have limited time and energy so what is your best trick for saving time and staying somewhat organized on the nessesary daily tasks so you don't lose your mind?

Here's mine: I don't remember where I got this from but I can't take credit for the idea. When I put sheets away I fold the top sheet around the bottom sheet and pillowcase. That way when I go to make the bed I pull out one bundle with everything I need in it! Based on this idea I started putting my and my kids clothes away in "outfits". Shirt, pants, undies, socks stacked on top of each other. I reach in the drawer bleary-eyed in the morning from being up with the baby in the night and pull out a complete outfit ready to go.

What tricks do you have up your sleeve?

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post #2 of 36
12/7/07 at 6:02pm
It is unrealistic to expect to put/file away everything immediately like we should. So, I make "buffers." So, there is a box we toss papers into and file them when I can. There is a set of hooks to hang clothes that have been worn some, but aren't really in need of a wash, so that if I have space in a load I will wash them but if not they are there to be worn again.

Intermediary or buffer zones. Saves me a huge amount of time.
post #3 of 36
12/7/07 at 7:46pm
We layer sheets with waterproof pads (usually big chux pads) so should the need to change sheets in the middle of the night arise, we just pull of a layer and go back to sleep.

I stuff all pocket diapers right out of the dryer so it's ready when I need it.
post #4 of 36
12/7/07 at 9:28pm
My problem with "buffer" zones is that I never actually get to cleaning them out... we have several buffers in our house lol...

I have two organization tricks that are helping our sanity right now. The first is a laundry schedule. One day is my stuff, next day is DS's, next day is towels, next day is DH's, you get the drift. One day is a "catch-up" day.

Everyone has their own laundry hamper and there's one in the hall for towels. It makes sorting faster and easier, the laundry already IS sorted, it just has to be returned to the room from whence it came.

The other is meal planning, which I'm just starting to really get into. With our crazy schedule it was really necessary to plan out when I could do up a larger meal for leftovers, and what days we needed quick leftovers ready, etc.
post #5 of 36
12/7/07 at 10:56pm
It's not really a trick but.... BABYWEARING! I can't rave enough about it. I don't know what parents who don't wear their babies DO to get stuff done. When DD was a little babe I would but her in the hotsling and she would sleep or watch what I was doing and my house was SUPER CLEAN (it was also on the market so that was some good motivation!). Now she's a lot more mobile so I don't wear her quite as much, but we definitely but her in the mei tei if I want to get things done and she is being clingy or just wanting some mama time.

We do meal planning also like mentioned above. I plan my meals for the week and go grocery shopping once a week for the ingredients. So much easier than scrounging for food every night and the dreaded "what are we going to have for dinner?"
post #6 of 36
12/8/07 at 2:01am
i love love love my crockpot (:no flames, please) for easy dinners. I also have 1 1" notebook with dividers and lots of pockets, that holds all my "stacks" of papers. i only keep what can go in it, nothing else. it really keeps all horizontal surfaces from breeding papers of all kinds. my fav tip/trick is the unfinished basement. i keep all the extra stuff down there. i love clean, clear spaces and clutter drives me nuts.
post #7 of 36
12/8/07 at 4:19am
Quote:
Originally Posted by abharrington View Post
i love love love my crockpot (:no flames, please) for easy dinners.
Oh, no.....are crockpots bad, too??
post #8 of 36
12/8/07 at 12:58pm
True, when using a crock pot there are no flames involved.

:nana:
post #9 of 36
12/8/07 at 9:43pm
Moving to the organization forum
post #10 of 36
12/8/07 at 10:22pm
I do a version of your sheet trick. When I fold mine, I actually fold them and place them into one of the pillowcases.

I have a little motto: "Erase the Evidence" that I try to keep in mind as I am working. I learned that on another mb.
post #11 of 36
12/9/07 at 12:14pm
Less stuff. Have less stuff. Get rid of stuff. Have only one of everything, or whatever minimal appropriate number you need.

Okay, it's not organizational, but it helps me SO much. We each only need one pair of rain boots. We have eight plates - one for each person and two for serving or guests. Two sets of sheets per bed, period. One broom, not two. Etc. It probably sounds silly, but going through our stuff and banning the duplicates and triplicates has helped me stay more organized.

Along with the obvious - everything must have a place, or it cannot help being Clutter. If it doesn't have a place, it needs one, or it needs to go. If it isn't in its place, it needs to be put in its place, or it needs to GET a place, or it needs to go. Etc.
post #12 of 36
12/9/07 at 4:45pm
Making lists... the night before, or in the morning, I write down all the stuff I have to do that day. Then I go through and tick it off--not rocket science, but it helps me not to forget stuff. Depending on how 'with it' I'm feeling, I sometimes write down the bleeding obvious--'take vitamins', 'feed chickens', 'brush hair'--also embarrassingly helpful!

And what's the goss with crockpots? If loving mine is wrong, I don't wanna be right...
post #13 of 36
12/9/07 at 4:48pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vanessa View Post
I have a little motto: "Erase the Evidence" that I try to keep in mind as I am working. I learned that on another mb.
This could be a whole life motto!
post #14 of 36
12/9/07 at 6:57pm
I never leave a room without leaving it neater than it was... I look around and take something with me that belongs in whatever room I'm going to (or if it's along the way). I set stuff that belongs upstairs on the stairs and then take it all with me when I go up.
post #15 of 36
12/9/07 at 7:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Penelope View Post
This could be a whole life motto!
Because I'm not sure what your emoticon meant, I just want to clarify that I mean evidence of things like the fact that a PB sandwich was made or diaper changed or groceries brought in, not something bad.
post #16 of 36
12/9/07 at 9:42pm
That is how I took it.
post #17 of 36
12/9/07 at 10:08pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by purplemamaaz View Post
There may have been threads like this before.............

We all have limited time and energy so what is your best trick for saving time and staying somewhat organized on the nessesary daily tasks so you don't lose your mind?

Here's mine: I don't remember where I got this from but I can't take credit for the idea. When I put sheets away I fold the top sheet around the bottom sheet and pillowcase. That way when I go to make the bed I pull out one bundle with everything I need in it! Based on this idea I started putting my and my kids clothes away in "outfits". Shirt, pants, undies, socks stacked on top of each other. I reach in the drawer bleary-eyed in the morning from being up with the baby in the night and pull out a complete outfit ready to go.

What tricks do you have up your sleeve?
What a great idea! Thanks!
I dont have too many tips, I do plan to do all errands I need to do when I go out, so I dont have to make multiple trips and I can save gas and time.
Like I will take the recyclables in, the library books, the videos, go to the P.O. etc. all in one day, if they are near each other. If I know I'm going on a further trip to another town, I always plan something to do there with the kids along with the errand so I dont waste my gas or my trip there.
post #18 of 36
12/9/07 at 11:30pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Vanessa View Post
Because I'm not sure what your emoticon meant, I just want to clarify that I mean evidence of things like the fact that a PB sandwich was made or diaper changed or groceries brought in, not something bad.
Um, I was kidding. My bad. :

It's just a funny way to phrase a cleaning tip, yk?

Nothing to see here... carry on.
post #19 of 36
12/10/07 at 2:18am
ok... so this maybe something that everyone does... but I felt really smart for figuring it out.

I 'dry pail' my kitchen/cleaning rags. I have a bunch of them, upstairs and downstairs. I use them through out the week, and stick them in a bucket by the washer when Im done. After super-cleaning saturday I just throw them all into the wash!
post #20 of 36
12/10/07 at 11:23am
It seems inefficient to me to get out the step ladder and climb up to reach the top shelf of closets to take down new sheets/towels only to do it again when the used sheets/towels are cleaned and ready to be put away. So, instead of doing that, I tend to take the sheets off, wash and dry, and then put the same ones back on. Same with towels. All but one hand towel go into the first load. When I put them back up, that hand towel goes into a later load.

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There Is Not Always a "Fix" For the Difficult Child
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Mothering › Mothering Discussion Forums › Natural Family Living › The Mindful Home › Decluttering, Organizing, & Simplifying › What's your favorite organizational trick?