Collette recently invited the book club girls to join her for an 8 week (though we'd already missed the first week) organizing class being taught in her Stake by a professional organizer. It didn't take any convincing for me to say, "I'm in!", especially after Collette (who is already an organizing queen herself) said she was so excited after the first class that she couldn't fall asleep until 1:00am that night!
Jenn, Michelle and I joined Collette last week for a rather inspiring 2 hour class all about kitchen organizing (apparently I've been looking at my kitchen all wrong), and then last night Jenn, Michelle, Amy M. and I joined Collette for a great class all about time management.
This is a pleasing shot of some of Amy's notes.
This is the kind of class everyone who runs a house could benefit from taking. I love hearing other people's questions and solutions, and really love that the teacher has an answer for everything.
It is really making me see how limited my thinking has been regarding the way I have organized things in my house. There are so many better ways to really utilize the amount of space I have to work with.
{click to enlarge}
The teacher (you can check out her website
here) gave us all a copy of her daily planning sheet, and I think this is going to revolutionize my productivity levels and time usage. I tend to go in spurts of extreme productivity-to-very little to show for myself so I think this sheet will help. My normal process is to write obligations on the calendar and then do whatever I feel like with the rest of the time, all the while reminding myself about people I need to call, appointments I need to set and thinking about how I need to get around to cleaning out a closet and so on. I also have major issues with meal planning (or lack thereof) and the teacher says dinner should be planned before lunch time (amen!) so that is going to be my new goal as well.
I'm hoping that having a sheet like this will get me to write down all the miscellaneous things I need and want to do so that I can make them happen.
Afterward (both weeks so far) we went over to Collette's house for Klondike bars and conversation. She caught us up on the information from the class we missed and answered all our questions. Going to a class like this is a fun thing to do with friends, especially when you're familiar with their houses.
Here are some tidbits from my notes:
Kitchen--Clear off kitchen counters, it should be work space not decor.
--Is what I have on my kitchen counters a friend or a free loader (i.e., useful or just taking up space).
--Get rid of tools and pans that don't work or aren't being used.
--If the tools you need are always in the dishwasher then it's time to get another one. (I realized I need more short, fat wooden spoons, a skinny spatula and another cheese grater.)
--Don't start moving anything around until you've got a plan of what you're going to do.
--Not all mixing bowls need to be in the same place, put them closest to where you use them.
--Get stackable storage containers in just a few sizes so you don't have to constantly search for the right sized lid. (I definitely have this problem!)
--Check out
industrialcontainer.com--Re-evaluate how you use your shelves.
--Put like things behind like things so you can always find what you're looking for.
--Try to turn shelves into drawers by having trays and bins that slide out.
Time Management--Take up the pattern of the Law of Firsts (i.e., Do the most important things first and you'll always find time to do the rest)
--Put date night, temple visits, home and visiting teaching on the calendar at the beginning of the month.
--Prepare lessons ahead of time.
--Pay tithing as soon as you get paid.
--Read the scriptures first thing in the morning.
--Make sure to have family prayer, scripture study and Family Home Evening regularly.
--Find jobs you've been avoiding and do them.
--Act on promptings immediately.
--Take care of yourself first, then your spouse, then the kids and then you can work on saving the world...not the other way around!
--Find your prime time (most productive hours) in each day and do your most important things during that time.
--"A child who is loved well becomes a mighty force for good."
--Give up what doesn't matter to do what does matter well.
--No matter what season of life you're in, savor it.
--Don't answer the phone 20 minutes before leaving to go somewhere or you'll be late.
--The time to talk about change is NOT right in the middle of a fight.
--Heavenly Father doesn't care how much we get done in a day, He cares how we do it.
--When I have to wait somewhere, what is the best use of my time?
--Have a list of things you can do if you have 20 minutes (i.e., mini projects).
--While standing in line at a store with your kids teach them something they don't know.
--Don't ever be waiting uselessly.
--Every time we say "yes" to something, we are also saying "no" to something else (and vice versa).
--Make every decision with wisdom.
--Turn activities into accomplishments (i.e., make a roast for dinner that can also be used for lunch the next day and in a dinner recipe later in the week).
--Do things less often better.
--Give yourself permission to have fun.
--The woman who does not play is no fun to be around.
--Alternate what you're doing so you have energy to go back to it. (Mix up standing activities with sitting activities so you don't burn out).
--True alone time is when no one is asking you a question and there is no media to see or hear.
--Eliminate the interruptions to your spirit, we all need time to figure things out.
--Each day has solidified obligations, write those down and then plan what you're going to do with the rest of the time.
--Don't let inspiration go unwritten down!
--May this week be different!
--Take control and live the Law of Firsts.
--There is no woman who doesn't need YOU to come visit her. (This was in the context of visiting teaching.)
**Did you make it through this post?
What ideas stood out to you?
Do you need to re-evaluate the way you use your kitchen?
Do you manage your time well?
Do you play?**
Comment Window Tidbit: I called Dyson and they said the hose isn't covered under the warranty anyway because it's normal wear and tear, so I'll probably just end up buying a replacement hose online. I even found a video tutorial about how to change it, it's easy.
