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Organizational Tips for the Working Woman
Organize: put in order; systematize; sort out; arrange; classify.
De-clutter:
Get rid of clutter. If you haven’t used something in six months, give or throw it away. Are you keeping your seed? Don't forget: "If it doesn’t meet your need, it must be your seed." See this not as “stuff” but as your future. Don’t give away junk; is it something you would like to receive? After sorting through the items, make sure you GET RID OF THEM!!! Don’t put them back in your closet or pile them in your garage. Put them in your car to give to someone or donate them to a library or Good Will. Or throw them away!!!!!!!!!!!
Cleaning Tips:
Straighten your home the day before you are going to clean. Clean all of one room. Don’t wander from room to room doing one thing. If you have articles that belong in another room or area of the house, set them outside the room and put away everything at once. This helps you avoid seeing something in another room that needs your attention. Give yourself deadlines to complete one room or one floor ("I'll be finished with this room by the time the clothes in the washer are ready to be thrown in the dryer"). FOCUS on the task at hand. Be a FINISHER!
Laundry Helpers:
Do all your laundry at one time; otherwise this is a task that is NEVER finished. Schedule specific evenings or days to do this. Sort the night before and put in a load that takes a long time to dry (i.e., towels) when you go to bed. Take advantage of the time you are asleep at night and the time you are at work or running errands. Take your sheets off the bed in the morning and throw them in the washer while you are showering and getting ready for work. Throw them in the dryer as you leave. Make this the first load you wash since it doesn’t have to be sorted and doesn’t take long to dry. Go home on your lunch hour and throw in another load. Iron as clothing comes out of the dryer (you can even leave them a little damp to make it easier to iron). Don’t wait to the end…fold each load as it comes out. Organize your hangers to make it easier to find the kind you need. Assign a different color for each child to make it easier for them (and you) to know which clothes belong to them. Have them help you.
Grocery Guidelines:
Keep notepad on refrigerator for items that need to be purchased at the store. Have family members add items they use up or are running low on. Run all errands in one day. Utilize your lunch time to run errands or even a short grocery run.
Simplified Meals:
Cook meals one night a week (example: hamburger or chicken; chopping all vegetables). Clean up as you cook so you can relax and enjoy the meal, too.
Paperwork Overload:
Go through the mail and throw out clutter immediately. Staple the envelope to the bill; log into your budget; keep all together until you are ready to pay the bills. After payment, file them immediately. Don’t procrastinate, as paper tends to “multiply.” This is one of the worst creators of clutter. Take advantage of your lunch hour to balance your checkbook or write out bills. Pull out articles/ideas and put in organized folder to incorporate or read later. Give or throw away what you don’t want. Set aside “me” time to read these articles.
What about the Kids?
When your children are small, bathe them during the evening before bedtime. This gives them time to play and wind down before going to bed and saves time for you in the morning. Lay out clothing the night before including hair bows, socks, shoes, etc. Prepare lunches or have lunch money prepared the night before. Make sure their school items are in their backpacks the night before.
Create an Environment:
Don’t go to bed until everything is straight. Don’t start this five minutes before your husband is ready to go to bed! What you leave undone is what you see the next morning. How do you want to start your day? What environment will you create for you and your family to remember all day?
Remember…you are responsible to train the next generation and those that follow after. Your actions teach your children how to react to life. They will do what you do, not what you say.
Be consistent.
Start small but don’t let yourself off the hook. Start NOW!
Submitted by Donna Friend. Donna is the wife of Pastor Mark Friend, District Pastor in Tinley Park, Illinois. Mark and Donna have three grown children. Donna has worked their entire married life.
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