1. Your Mind Does Reflect Your Environment

You’ve probably heard the saying that a clean desk reflects a clean mind. And you’ve probably heard most people say that’s ridiculous. They claim it doesn’t matter how cluttered their desk or their home is – they can still function just fine. What most people don’t realize is just how much better they would function if they didn’t have all the clutter!

So the first tip for getting organized is really just how much smoothly life will run once you are organized. Organizing your home, your desk, and your work will spill over into all facets of your life.

2. Learn to say NO

You can’t do everything. Don’t even try. You can’t be everything to everybody all the time. You will never get control of your home or your life if you’re trying to balance everything.

One of my biggest problems is trying to be there for my children 24/7. I feel like being a work-at-home mom obligates me to being “right there” for everything they need. The reality is, I do my kids no favors by letting them interrupt me constantly. My projects pile up, started but never finished. My temper gets shorter, and shorter, and shorter. My kids get more and more selfish. It doesn’t work.

Learn to say “no” to things you really don’t have time for – and then you’ll have time for what matters. Learn to reserve blocks of time when they’re really needed. Teach your kids that you’re going to take 20 minutes of uninterrupted time to sort files. Or you’re going to take 60 minutes to write. Set a kitchen timer so they can see the minutes counting down.

Take time to be with your family, too – just for them. Don’t think about work. Just enjoy those hours that belong to the family.

3. Work in Bite-Sized Chunks

I am a huge fan of bite-sized organizing because it really works. Are you overwhelmed with your file cabinet? I know that I was overwhelmed with mine. How about that room that’s just been collecting junk for a few years?

Set a timer – 15 minutes is a good start. 15 minutes, 20 minutes, 45 minutes. Set it for whatever you think you can stand. Then do the work. Get in an work until the timer goes off. If you keep this up for a week or so you’ll be amazed at just how much you’re able to get done. It’s like magic!

4. Stop Assigning Emotional Value to Things

OK – I’ll admit that I have a few stuffed animals sitting beside my bed that I assign emotional value to. And yes, I still have my baby blanket tucked among my things. But assigning emotional value to everything just gets you in trouble.

If you have things around the house that you just don’t need just get rid of them! You can take pictures of some things (those hideous dishes Aunt Hilda gave you – you’d never use them but she was such a dear, sweet woman!) – take a picture, put it in an album, and let go of the clutter.

5. Be Ruthless

My husband and I differ on clutter control policies. He would rather keep things around “just in case” they’re needed one day. I would rather make room in my home to, well, walk…

I’ve had a policy of being pretty ruthless with clutter for the past several years. So far I can think of one thing I gave away that I later wished I hadn’t. ONE thing (a pan for my kitchen – which I replaced with a much nicer model :p)

If you’re not using it, don’t keep it. If you think you may use it in the next six months, store it away in a labeled box. If it hasn’t been retrieved by the date on the box, give it away.

6. Have a Collections Department

If you’re organizing your entire house (or even just one room) you should have place that can serve as “collections.” Take everything that does not belong in the room you’re cleaning and put it in the collections location.

After you finish every other room in your house, go back and start processing the collections room – move things to where they belong, trash them, or finally have the courage to give them away.

7. An Ounce of Prevention

An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Go through your mail when you get it. Immediately throw away junk mail. Have a time set aside every day or every week when you go through the rest of your paperwork. An “in basket” somewhere in your house is great for this. Just grab the basket and go through it – file things that need to be filed, or take action on those things that require you something from you.

I used to be able to go through my in basket once a week. Now, however, my business is really taking off and a lot more paperwork is coming in. So I’m making time to quickly go through things in the evening – before they get overwhelming.

If you have other items (hobby equipment, winter gear, etc.) that tends to pile up make it a policy to “do it now” – in other words, put it away. Right away!

8. How Long?

Look up the regulations and recommendations given by your government, accounting, legal, and tax professionals to determine how long you should keep certain documents. If you need to keep documents long term, but don’t use them regularly, package them neatly in “banker’s boxes” and store then in the attic or the basement.

Making a date to purge your files regularly will keep things manageable. It will also keep you from putting off filing papers because you can’t fit anything else in

9. Think “Where Will I Use This?”

You can’t always do this – but it’s ideal to store something where you use it. If you use your scrapbooking supplies on the kitchen table try to find a cabinet or closet near the table to store your supplies. This makes it easier to get to them, and it makes it a lot easier to put away.

10. Just Do It!

It takes some time to get organized. You need to weed out things you don’t actually use – ruthlessly! It takes work to develop the habit of keeping your workplace and home neat. But once you do these things, life will go much more smoothly. You’ll find what you need, when you need it. You won’t face piles of “stuff” everywhere. And you’ll be able to truly enjoy your space.

The organization you do at your desk, in your office, and at home spills over into the rest of your life, making you feel more efficient, productive, and at peace.

One of my biggest goals has been to get the house organized before the baby comes. I used it as an example in an article on how to set goals because it was something I’ve been working with actively. I’m really pleased to say that most of my organizing is done and I have worked steadily on my goal! Breaking it into small, bite-sized chunks really helped – I was able to stay motivated and it fit into my busy schedule.

I found that most of my rooms were pretty straightforward when I actually started to work on them. Even my upstairs landing – where I kept tossing everything that didn’t go in rooms I organized before it – went pretty quickly under a few days of intense work.

Then I got to our office. And I realized what a tough room really is. We have so much “stuff” that goes in the office. And I do so much work in here. Not only work on my website, but I also keep track of all of our family paperwork, our accounting, and many, many books in different categories.

There’s a lot of computer equipment in the office that either needs to be kept or won’t be parted with. Computer CDs, music CDs, and did I mention books? Office supplies were everywhere and never where I needed them.

I was overwhelmed.

Finding a Starting Point

The first thing I did was figure out what worked in the office and what didn’t work. The places our computers are at work well. I get a very good view of both the front and side yards from my desk, and I’m next to Scott’s desk. I like that in the evenings. I had an inbox system started next to my desk that works well for me.

But other than that pretty much everything was a mess! The files were horrible and they were far away from me. That was not convinient at all because I use the files frequently while I take care of our family’s paperworks and business. There was computer paraphernalia *everywhere*, huge totes in the closet which were mostly empty, and our audio CDs were in the closet which annoyed Scott.

After I figured out just what worked and what didn’t, I was able to pick out a starting point – try and get the files closer to me.

Working out Solutions

Our office space is not terribly big and my desk is really quite small. We’re planning to get me a slightly larger one when our budget allows, but for now it’s not the highest priority. Since I have a small working space I’d been using the closet as part of my work area. Those huge totes that were half-empty served as a surface for me to keep my inbox system on.

Upon looking at our filing cabinet – which is two drawers high with each drawer holding two rows of files – I realized it could fit neatly into the small closet space. We went ahead and moved that. I took the few things out of the big totes and took them outside. Later Scott put them into the shed so we can take them to his mom, who can use them.

Getting this first step done helped me feel a lot better. The next obvious thing was figuring out what to do with all the computer equipment I’d just put on the floor. We already had a drawer unit with some things it. I went through that, cleaning it out, and was able to get most of the computer equipment neatly inside. I liked that because it was all together and all out of sight! Some of the bigger cables and old floppy disk cases (which Scott needs to keep) went to the top of the closet.

Realizing we Needed More

This was the first room I encountered where I realized we would have to make some bigger purchases. I’d purchased a couple of small containers for the kitchen and one for the bathroom after getting done with those – but they were small and a few dollars each (a few dollars made a big difference!)

But the office needed bigger solutions. One will be a slightly larger desk for me (one that actually has a keyboard shelf!!!). But that one can wait. We did need something to go where we’d moved the file cabinet from – because the printer now had no place to go! We decided upon a heavy-duty utility shelf. It’s not the prettiest thing in the world, but it’s very functional and sturdy.

Scott set that up and fit it between the wall and the kids’ “office desk” where they can “work” while I do my work. We were able to fit the printer and scanner onto a shelf with enough room to open the scanner fully. The next shelf comfortably holds all those CDs Scott wanted out of the closet. The top shelf has some tapes and assorted things that just needed storage room.

I was able to get all the computer software CDs gathered up and put into an empty file folder box, which fit well on the bottom shelf along with some paper products. The shelf directly under the printer holds another file box which contains extra, empty files, and has room for some of the children’s supplies as well.

This shelf was a big purchase for us but helped a lot.

All of my cleaning inspired Scott to somewhat clean his desk (I’m not touching it!) He had a wire “in-basket” that I put on top of the file cabinet next to my desk. Then we purchased a small metal shelf (meant to go on an existing shelf or surface). I put that on the file cabinet too.

I found a small, pretty wicker basket at Goodwill to hold cables and small electronic things I use frequently (digital camera and cables, a calculator, webcam, my iPod, etc.) I put that on the little shelf along with a medium sized container to hold my office supplies – tape, stapler, scissors, super glue, etc. I also had a little room on there to put a container for holding pencils and pens.

I put magazines and products I’m currently reviewing in the space under the shelf.

After these few purchases (and finds) I suddenly had an office that was working much better!

The last thing I did was organize our files and books. The files took a long time and a lot of work – I may make another post about working on files! Books I moved and shifted around some and ended up with more room for books than I’d started with.

End Result

The office was the absolute toughest room I encountered. The only room that has come close is the laundry room because it holds such an assortment of stuff (and Scott has things in there that I have no clue what they are and don’t want to mess with them without his help :p).

It was a room where I realized we truly did need to make some purchases, and I had to go to absolute “square 1″ and figure out where to start. Hopefully sharing just how I did that will help you figure out that even if a room looks really tough, it can probably be organized to work effectively.

When I sit down to take care of business or family matters all that I need is within arms reach of me (unless for some reason I actually need all the computer paraphernalia we have in those drawers across the room). I’m able to get my work done much more quickly and efficiently, even with a small space for my office.

This entire experience of organizing the house has been very nice for me because I’ve been able to figure out how make our relatively small home work well for us. There are some things I still can’t figure out (where are we going to put that china cabinet……) but for the most part I’ve been really pleased with how I’ve been able to make space – and make space that works for our family

I talked before about how important it is to outline your goals completely and concretely so they’re actually achievable – review how to set goals. I also gave an example of organizing my house.

Small Steps Go Quickly

I went through and elaborated on that goal in my own personal notes. I took each room in the house and broke down each area of the room to clean out. I did this in a way that is logical to me. For example, in the kitchen I broke my list down by cabinet and drawer.

I have again found that by breaking my organizing down into small steps that I’m able to quickly work through tasks that otherwise seem insurmountable. I was literally dreading cleaning my kitchen, and now I’m just about done. The only things left on my list are to re-stock with eco-friendly (and kid-friendly) cleaners and to buy a couple of organizing caddies I found would be helpful. I’ve been rewarded by finding a lot of space I didn’t realize I had, and a kitchen that works more efficiently for me. That’s a lot to get out of my rather tiny kitchen

Working in Pictures

Another thing that has helped me is picturing what I need to work on next. I’m an extremely visual thinker and this trick will help you if you’re also visual. I found that by picturing the cabinet or area I needed to work on next (or had just worked on and wasn’t happy with) I could mentally do work to it. I could try out different things in my “mind’s eye.” Then when I walked into the kitchen it was just a matter of quickly moving things around to where I’d already pictured them.

This mental imagery also helped me get rid of some things – I pictured how much they had actually been used and then pictured the clear space from letting them go. This helped me feel confident in placing them in the “giveaway” pile.

Small tasks – Fit where You can get them

Organizing in “bite sizes” like this has worked really well for me. I’ve been working so hard on the site redesign that I haven’t had any time to dedicate solely to organizing the house. Since I’ve been working in these bite-sized chunks I’ve been able to fit the organizing in here and there – just as I finished getting a meal cooking, just after Scott leaves for work in the morning, while the kids are cleaning their toys up, etc.

It’s a great technique for actually getting one of your goals accomplished – especially ones that you can break down into very small chunks of time.

Basic organization skills move you closer to your goals in all areas of your life. Once you have the mundane “every day” chaos under control you can focus on what you really want in life!

Start with family organization. This goes along with time management – as you get your home and family under control, you’ll have the time you need to grow your business and to build relationships with the people who matter most. This involves getting your schedule (and your kids’ schedules) under control – and maybe taking the time to declutter your life a little.

Wondering how to get organized and stay on top of managing your home? It’s not hard. I recommend you use systems to take care of basic household managment. Develop a system for taking care of meals and for keeping up your home. Your systems should involve your children (even your toddlers) so they begin to learn good household management, too.

Organizing your home is a logical next step. You should wait until after you’ve gotten your time somewhat scheduled and your family organized. Otherwise you just wonn’t have time to declutter your home!

Once you have a good routine for your family, systems to keep up with routine housework, and an organized home, you’re ready to move on to more inspiring – and important – moments in your life.

Organization is an ongoing task – you’ll find that you need to organize your life periodically. It’s OK. Sometimes you’ll have a system set up that will work for months or even years – but eventually you and your family need something different. Our homes are in a constant state of change. Things come into the home, and things go out.

It’s never really “done.” Don’t let that frustrate you. Once you’ve gone through and organized once, you’re in a much better position to maintain things. You’ll have the experience to understand how to become organized. You can change things that are not working – and you can schedule periodic times to go through all the “stuff” that accumulates in life. Check out my Top 10 Organizing Tips for advice on how to stay on top of things.

In the end, staying organized just becomes another part of your schedule. Sometimes it will be a bigger project (such as when you need to completely adjust your schedule). But most of the time you can just fit in the tasks needed to stay organized with the rest of your regular tasks. You’ll feel relaxed and on top of everything you need to do – and your family will be relaxed and happier, too.

A lot.

This law says that heat doesn’t go from a colder body to a warmer body – it can only flow in one direction, and that natural process is irreversible. The rest of the law states that all natural things move toward increasing entropy. What does that mean? It means that according to the law all ordered things move towards disorder and dispersement naturally.

What does this have to do with you? A lot. Because it’s true. You go and clean the house every day. And every day it naturally gets messy again. You clean the kitchen and 8 hours later it’s in chaos. You scrub the kid and 20 minutes later you’d mistake him for mud puddle. Everything in our lives as mothers moves from order to disorder.

The only thing that changes the natural law is for you to step in and intervene. And oh the interventions you must make. In fact, there are many days when I want to look at my kitchen, or our hectic schedule, and give up. Let chaos reign while I put my feet up! Those are the days I’m particularly glad I have a dishwasher to help at least somewhat.

But the real way to deal with the irreversible nature of your household is to implement and oversee a plan. Humans are intelligent and many, many great women before me have realized this. Go to your library and you’ll find any number of books on organizing, ordering, and tackling your life (there are some books by men that will help you a lot too, they just tend to write on personal and professional effectiveness, not household management). Check out the rest of this site for other ideas.

But a big thing is to realize that things can and will get overwhelming at times. And those are times that you need to find and implement a plan. Intelligently tackle the problem.

I think (as you’re well aware ) that organizing your home is a great first step (setting up a schedule is another good place to start). But as I’ve moved through organizing rooms in the house I’ve realized it’s just that – a first step. I need a plan or it’s going to go back to the same disorganized state really, really quickly.

So you identify the issue – for me it’s that everyone (including myself) is going to leave “stuff” lying all around everywhere until it all builds back up again. So what’s my solution? First I’m training myself to put things away when I’m done with them. My mother really should have taken more time to hammer this into me as a kiddo because it’s a harder habit to develop now :p But I’ve been working with the kids on it. I’ve at least gotten more regular about having them straighten up.

Another strategy is to have an “inbox area” where paperwork and the like goes until I can go through it. This is done regularly (every Friday for me, when I update our family’s ledger and track bill paying and such). I’ll write more about managing this area in another post.

And yet another aspect has been identifying a place for things that makes sense as I organize. I.E. I need to store things near where they’re used – so I can get to them and put them away easily.

Diligence is of course an important component too. I have to keep at it. It’s a continual thing. My house is always going to move towards chaos and if I don’t keep on top of it relatively well it’s going to overrun me again.

After awhile plans like these can get turned into habits – as you train yourself (and also teach your children so they don’t have to battle to create the habit in their adult life).

Of course some things, like those muddy kids, are going to go to chaos before you get a chance to blink, regardless of your well-laid plans. In that case just plop them in the tub and rest assured that the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics is alive and well in your world today :p

Well, to an extent I think they can. I also think they can be pointless.

They’re pointless when they’re not focused on your goals. And they’re pointless when they’re not helping you achieve your goals and manage your household.

When you need a to-do list

There are times when lists are going to help you. You probably need a daily to-do list for household management. I don’t mean things like “cook breakfast” – these things should be on your schedule so you get used to them. Form “habits” so to speak. But sometimes something like this may need to be on your to-do list for a few days. I need to put “drink my pregnancy tea” on my list because it hasn’t become a habit yet. By next week I probably won’t need the reminder. Another thing is the supper dishes. My hubby was in charge of those and I am taking over for him. But it’s not habit so I need it on my list right now.

However routine tasks should become just that – part of your routine. Follow the schedule that you’ve developed and “tweaked” for your family to take care of those things.

You daily to-do list is a place for things like “get the oil changed in the van” “call for insurance quotes” “go buy eggs on sale at YumYum Grocery” – tasks that you need to accomplish to manage your household, but don’t occur every day.

Planning and following through

I’ve found it helpful to take one evening on the weekend and think of the things I’ll need to do in the coming week. Then I plan out when during the week is the best time for them. I have a time each day I handle phone calls and things and that’s when I’ll insert “call plumber to schedule work on bathtub” into my schedule. Of course some things are urgent and you need to put them in right away. But do try and consider how “urgent” something actually is.

My preferred night to do this is Saturday. I run errands on Saturday and we generally do our family running around on Saturday. So I like to use Saturday night and then devote Sunday to resting, relaxing, enjoying the family, and telling stories to the kiddos. You may find Sunday night works better for you to focus you for the coming week. I just like having at least one day somewhat “off the job”

I also have a daily to-do list for my website related tasks. I have some things that are routine, like weekly site information checks. But other things I need to put on the list. If you work from home an organized to-do list will help you.

Try to actually *do* what is on your list. If you consistently find there are things not done you either A. Need to plan less on a given day. Or B. figure out why you’re not following through. For me the things I haven’t done almost always involve phone calls because I don’t like making them. It’s something to work on. If you notice similar weaknesses you can start creating targeted goals to help you remove those weaknesses. (note to self: set some goals about confidence in making phone calls :p)

Other helpful lists

Now for other lists. These are actually my favorite kind of lists. They really help me. I have “big” to-do lists which often get translated into goals. These are things like my appropriately named “Baby List.” This list is full of things I want to get done/get made/get purchased before our new baby is born (I know, you figured that out already :p)

It’s helpful for me to have this list because I can put something on the list and get it out of my head. I don’t keep thinking “I need to read this book before the baby comes” randomly throughout the day. Have you noticed that continuing to think about needing to do something but not being able to take action on it will drive you crazy? Getting it onto a list can free you to let go of the thought – and to constructively plan when you’ll be able to act on it. You can look over these lists on a weekly basis when you do the rest of your planning.

I like to take lists of these kinds and either form concrete goals out of them or translate items onto my to-do lists. One of my “baby list” items is, of course, having the house organized. I formed a concrete goal out of this list item. Another of my goals to read a certain book to help myself prepare for labor. I’ve put this on my “to-do list” for next week (in general I list the 1-2 books I’d like to get through that week on my to-do list).

Lists for supply gathering/action planning

There are other times lists are helpful. If you are taking a trip or moving you need to make lists. List out everything you’ll need for your trip. If you’re moving go check a book out from the library – they’re full of lists you’ll need for moving and they’ll really help. Start all these types of lists well in advance.

Then as the “listed event” gets closer, start to gather your supplies and things. Strategically plan how to attack some things on the list (like if you’re going to cook travel food for your trip. You need to plan a day to do this!).

I made a pretty flawless 2000 mile round-trip last summer alone with three children. And it went incredibly well. I think the biggest thing helping me was my getting-ready list and how I translated that into practical goals and concrete steps to get ready.

Cooking can fall into this type of list too, especially if you’re planning a holiday spread or cooking for a birthday party or your freezer. Plan out your recipes and your ingredients. Then use your lists to make a plan of action for working through your big cooking project.

Organizing your lists

Right now I really strongly favor a paper planner for managing my daily to-do lists for the household and for this website. I like being able to write out my goals for the week on the page ahead of the week, and then being able to chart out my tasks in the week pages. I use a weekly format that has a block for each day of the week, but no times listed. I like it a little more open like that since I already have my day scheduled out.

You may find a digital solution works better for you but I’ve really found paper is great. I can jot down phone numbers, confirmation numbers, etc, when I’m talking to service people. I often list each day’s lunch and dinner recipe above the daily block so I can see right away what I’ll be cooking. I have menu planning sheets in my planner and I like those too. So for me paper helps manage the “to-do” lists.

Now for the other lists like my “Baby List” I seem to find myself on the computer. Right now they’re mostly in my little “virtual sticky note” program, which I love and has tons of uses. But I’m still looking for a slightly more organized solution. I have a software in mind but I want to review it fully.

Ok, that’s a lot about lists! Like I said, my paper planner is my #1 to-do list helper. I’m still exploring other software and options to help on the computer. I’ll update more in a couple of weeks when I’ve had time to try some applications for “mom friendliness” and for their ability to actually help you get things done!

I’m going to talk about really writing down you goals and considering how to accomplish them. Often our goals need to be examined and perhaps broken down. Sometimes they need to be set aside for when the kids are older, but sometimes they can be accomplished, it just takes more effort. Always they need to be weighed with your needs and the family needs.

But before you can get down into the goal-setting trenches you need to have time to think. You need time to work on your goals and to start accomplishing them. For that you really need a managed household.

I firmly believe that all mothers need a household that runs smoothly most of the time. There are going to be days when you are sick. When the kids are sick. When you forget to thaw supper. When there are repairmen all over the house and your baby has been screaming for the past 12 hours. And on these days, it might just be good to call it quits, order a pizza and a cheesy chick-flick so you can sit and cry at the movie while your baby bawls in your arms. These days are inevitable.

But most days you want your household to run smoothly. You want order and peace. For that you need a routine.

Like I mentioned above, this may be harder for you if you are pregnant with your first baby or you only have your baby. This is simply because the need doesn’t seem so pressing. If it’s pregnant you your day may be defined by work, or you may be happy at home reading and getting meals ready. If you have your first baby with you you may find days go by in a blur, but it’s ok because it’s just you and baby.

When you have more than one child the benefit of a scheduled day is more apparent – your older child needs attention and probably wants to have regular meals! You can immediately see why a scheduled day is beneficial.

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An brief aside before I move on in this article – I’m going to talk about setting up a routine that includes your baby. But I want to make it clear that I personally have never scheduled nursings for a baby. I have found that my babies grow best and my milk supply is at its best when my babies nurse on demand. However I have found that after the first few months of rapid growth my babies often naturally begin to nurse at times that work with the schedule – such as just before or after breakfast, while I’m having storytime with the children, during snacktimes, etc. But if you’re going to nurse on demand remember that sometimes nursing will interrupt your schedule.

I suggest if you have a young baby who nurses very frequently that you try most of all to A . stick with regular mealtimes for yourself (yes! you need regular meals!) and family, B. be very regular about when you lie down with/rock/nurse your baby for the naptimes you’d like he/she to have, and C. honor the bedtimes of older children and yourself – if baby is wakeful and fussy in the night for a period keep the lights off and comfort baby in the dark (or with a low nightlight if you need it for safety.)

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Ok. And having a scheduled day is going to allow you time to work on your goals, no matter what they are.

So where do you start? Thankfully, this is really, really easy

Start with wake up times, meal times, and bedtimes. If you don’t have a regular bedtime now is a great time to form the habit.

Some of this may already be determined. You may be getting up for work or to see your husband off to work, or to get older children off to school or to start a homeschool day. You may get supper ready as soon as you get home or soon after your husband arrives home. If it’s already determined that’s good, write it down.

If you’re rolling out of the bed a few hours after your man leaves for work and stumbling around in your jammies for a bit now is the time to change that habit! Pick a time to wake up in the mornings. Don’t make it too early. If you’re used to getting up at 10am and you pick 6am that may not work – especially not if you’re pregnant! But you can work towards it

Pick regular mealtimes. If you’re pregnant or have young children you need regular snack times too. These are the cornerstones of your schedule. If you have a nursing baby you may want to observe your baby’s nursing pattern for a couple of days to see if it’s at all regular. If it is you can possibly figure out times your baby will need you to be nursing.

Ok, you have your wake-up time, your meal and snack times, and your bed time in there (and also children’s bedtimes). Next think of the things you’d like to accomplish in a day. Think of the things you’d like your children to accomplish.

Your baby will probably be happy to spend most of the day riding in a baby carrier as you do your work, or playing nearby you. Some “baby activities” you may want to work on, though, are helping baby nap at regular times and as you move out of the newborn stage encouraging baby to be ok playing/being alone for a 10 minute or so span of time (so you can shower, make a phone call, etc)

If you have older children you may want to teach them to play alone for 30 minutes daily (I have found having special toys for these times to work well), teach them to play for 30 minutes with a sibling, teach them to do an age-appropriate chore, etc.

My children’s days are filled with playtime with each other, their age-appropriate chores, helping me around the house, reading stories, doing some songs and fingerplays, and some days we have arts and crafts. They also have free play time and each has a daily half hour of time to play alone.

This is just to give you an idea. Your day will probably have meal preparation and housework in it. Again I encourage you to “share the load” with your children in age-appropriate ways. And let them help you, even if it takes you a little longer. This will ease your mother’s “burden” greatly as they get older and become more and more capable of helping.

If you desire time to read, sew, work on the computer, make calls, etc. go ahead and write all that down.

Whew. That’s a lot. It’s a lot to figure out. Now what do you do with this list? Look it over and decide what you’re going to do in the first 2-3 hours of your day. Make breakfast, take a walk, read to the little ones, clean the kitchen, etc. Now take a week or so and just work on that and your meals and bedtimes. That’s right – follow your schedule for the first 2-3 hours in the morning and get your meals and bedtime on time (naptimes would be good as well).

You may need to discipline yourself to follow a routine. Your children may need encouragement. If this is the case I greatly encourage you to take the confident stance of “this is the way things are now.” You are the mama, and what you say goes. In the end this is going to give the children a more calm, centered, and attentive mama – and they will be happier and more secure. But if they’re not used to any schedule at all it may be tough at first. Just tell them this is the way it is. Singing often helps encourage children, and most will come running when you sit down to read or tell a story. So storytime is probably a good thing to have at the beginning of your day.

As you start to gain self discipline and work with your children you can add to the schedule. Work up to lunchtime and then add the afternoon in. You will have to work at it some. You may realize that your expectations were unrealistic or don’t work for some reason. If that’s the case, adjust your schedule.

If you have blocks of time in your schedule when you’re not sure what to do with yourself – don’t worry – I’m going to talk about goal-setting more and you’re going to fit some of those goals in!

If you’re not sure what to do with your children besides read books and plop them in front of movies I recommend you go to the library tonight and check out books on children activities! You do not need to be “artsy crafty” – just check out a book on simple children’s crafts. Check out one on finger games (like “The Eentsy Weentsy Spider”). And check out one of classic children’s songs and get some good children’s stories. You can plan a craft or two a week. Then sing with them, play finger games (“fingerplays”), and read to them every day. Take walks with them and let them help you cook and clean. Allow them free play time. This is a nourishing day for a young child!

Ok. That’s a lot to consider. It’s overwhelming at first. Take a week or two to think over and develop a schedule and then work slowly over a few weeks to implement it and tweak it so it works for you. You’ll notice a difference in your home. Now that you have time to think, meals are getting cooked, and chores are getting done you can sit down and look at your goals and find time to get them accomplished.