I Really Did Organize My Life: Step #1

It has been 2 weeks since I started putting together my schedule. And there have definitely been some adjustments made and still some that need to be made. But I LOVE it! With a schedule, my life is less stressful. I don't have to find a way to squeeze something in, it already has it's place and time. Again, I LOVE IT!

I wanted to tell you how I went about getting it all together. Well, let me first give you "the checklist." This is the list that got me started.

• get together a 90 day menu plan with grocery lists to go with each week
• Weed out the clutter! Garage Sale, D.I., Savers
• Everything kept is neatly organized and can be found quickly
• Get together a weekly schedule with time carved out for blogging, housework, play dates, park time, library time, and other activities we've been wanting to try but never got around to.
• For Stay at Home Days, we've got a routine that the kids can rely on. It includes stuff like art time, outside time, story time and bath time.
• Put together all activities, quiet books, busy bags. Things that can be done while I am getting dinner ready or need a few minutes of kid-free time.
• get our budget down to a science.
• Update our wills, life insurance, and retirement planning.
• never again miss an appointment or birthday.
• If something does somehow sneak by, have a birthday closet with pre-bought gifts and cards - thanks to the new budget and organization I now have the space and money for it.
• Start exercising regularly (part of the new weekly schedule).
• go through all of my digital photos, edited them, imported them to yearly photobooks and backed them all up online.
• catch up on my personal blog and regularly contribute to it.
• have a set-in-stone date night that we never miss.
• have family night

Now this list looks so long and unattainable. However, we need to do as Bob would do. Baby Steps. Baby steps. So, after getting this list all together, I started with figuring out what I need and what the kiddos need.

Which brings me to:

STEP #1:  Prioritizing Our Needs

I sat down next to my toddler, took a scrap piece of paper and crayon from her and wrote down these things:

KIDS NEEDS:

• Library Day
• Swim Day
• Park
• Craft Day
• Music Day
• Field Trip Day
• Bathtime
• Calendar Time
• Snack Time
• Nap Time
• Reading Time

MOMS NEEDS: (this is more like a to-do list)

• Cleaning
• Grocery Shopping
• Exercise
• Email/Blog/Pinterest
• Pay Bills
• Laundry

This was a relatively easy list to compile because I had been thinking about it for months and months. Before going any further in planning your day, week, or month; you HAVE to know what you have/want going on in your life. Prioritize. It helped me.  Sit down and make this list.  It is a requirement to use Crayons though.  Don't forget.