Organizing and Cleaning

There are areas in my life that I NEED to have organized and clean.
This is not to say they are always that way, but when they are wow is my life simpler.
When I let these areas slide I am more stressed, sleep is disturbed, and I am more grumpy with my family.

These areas include:

1. Having dishes done daily, washed, and put away and then counters and sink cleaned and tidied up.

This makes such a big difference for me. I LOVE waking up, brewing my coffee in a nice tidy kitchen. So relaxing to start my day this way.

2. Making sure my coffee is ready for me to brew in the morning. 

Hubby has a tassimo and I have a keurig. I know, I know we are spoiled. Yes we are. *grin*
I make sure every night before I go to bed that these are both set up with our favorite coffee cups underneath, the right amount of sugar in each cup and our favorite brand of coffee waiting to be perked. I also make sure they are full of water.
This little bit every night helps so much when I stumble out bleary eyed in the morning. It then takes no thought process to quickly brew a cup of coffee.

3. My bed made everyday when I get up.

Alright I will admit it, this might not get made as soon as I get up, but when I get dressed I make it. There is nothing like climbing into a well made bed every night. This is also great as our bedroom is connected to our living room so I can have our bedroom door open without worrying about people wondering why I didn't make my bed that day.

4. Have a menu plan.

For me this is wonderful. I write down meals we enjoy, meals that I want to try and meals that are easy, comfort foods. Then I set them on the calendar depending what is happening that day. Now not every day do I make the meal on the specific day, but because I have the ingredients handy for the meals on the plan I know I can switch it up if need be. It helps by remembering to take the stuff out the night before if frozen and takes all the guess work out of what I am going to have for supper that night.

5. Keep my laundry caught up.

I am one of those weird ones that actually enjoy doing laundry. I love pretty much everything about it from washing it, hanging it out in the summer to dry and even folding it. I love knowing that I am making sure that our clothes are clean. I also love the smells from it, the feels from clean fabric. I often do laundry several times a week even if it is only one load.


I also have tricks that I use to help us keep on track.

1.  I make a weekly plan on things that I would optimally like to get down that week. 

Then as I do them I cross them off. I look at it every so often throughout the day to see what is on there. It really helps motivate me. I also look at it most every night to see if there is something else I want to add to the list.

2.  Then I make a daily list.

This is stuff that I need to get done that particular day. Such as mopping floors or calling about an appointment. By breaking the weeks list down this way it helps by not seeming such a large task.

3. My calendar.

This is often my best friend. I have two that I refer to regularly. I have the one in my phone which helps me keep track of appointments when I am out and about making them. I also have a large family one that I keep on the fridge. This is really great especially during the school months when our lives get really hectic. I make sure that I write down as soon as something comes up or guaranteed I will forget.

4. Write a grocery list in my phone.

When I buy my big grocery shop I make sure I always have a list made out of what items we need/want. However often throughout the weeks there is always something we either run out of or need for something or other so I have a grocery list in my phone. If I write it down then I usually remember to grab it. Then I will check after my day of running around to see if I managed to grab what I need and clear it off of the page.

5. Planners

OK I am obviously I list person. I like to have a planner made up for Sarah's schooling. I am usually really good about following it and adjusting it as needed but I have yet to find one that works for my daily like. I am a paper person so have just been using a pad of paper on a clipboard but I would really like to get a good one for my phone which would also work on my iPad.
I just downloaded one called Planner Plus. Unfortunately I can only get this on my iPad and not on my phone. So far I don't mind it, but I am curious if it is really going to work for me.

What about you? Do you have a planner that you can recommend?

Also what tricks do you use to help keep your life running as smooth as possible?

Is there some things that you have to do to help with your stress??

I am linking up today with Many Little Blessings.