How Can I Get Organized with a Busy Schedule and Family Life?

[apriljc]

Hope everyone is having a good memorial weekend. I live in Nebraska and the wind has blown everyday but today it is really bad. If I go outside I might blow away. Anyway I have a question for all or you who are arganized, how did you get that way? I work 4 days a week outside of the home and I also have two boys ages 5 & 3. I also am married to a guy who is gone a lot with work and other projects. It seems like the only time I have to myself is after the boys go to bed which is about 9:00 or so and than I am tired and I feel like I should do laundry and clean up the kitchen and after that is all done it is time for me to go to bed so I can get up and go to work the next day. I do try to do my PC things when the boys have some quite time but it never seems long enough.
Please tell me what you all do and some of your techniques. I am not trying to complain about how busy I am because I know everybody is I just need some advice on what you all have done.

April

 

[maryhenderlite]

Not sure if anyone is interested, but I belong to a website (it is free) and it is Flylady.net .. it is for those of us who are dealing with clutter and trying to have a organized life (and home).. Once you get started it is very addicting. It is amazing what you can accomplish with just a little incentive. My house has never been as organized, granted, I am no where near being "done" but it is a work in progress, and with "baby steps" I know that it will be done eventually. I recommend her to everyone.. She has helped me out alot. Oh btw, her feather dusters are amazing.. I bought the set of 2, one for me and one for my daughter, she loves to help.

 

[whiteyteresa]

Take time for yourself with PC.

Find a time 30 or 45 minutes and say to your family 'on Tuesday at 2 o'clock
I don't want to be disturbed’ then you start to organize your stuff.
Don’t make customer care calsl, answer the phone, your door, pager, etc. Take the time to just focus on a small area at a time. Little by little things will fall into place.

Now remember, you can choose anytime or any day, even two days a week and even more then 45 minutes, just whatever you decide on stick to it. And you will see that you will accomplish so much. You need to tell your family that since you are so busy, you need this time. You are not abandoning them, you are just trying to focus on this for that time frame and then you are not thinking about it when you are with them

I hope you understand this.

 

[pamperedbecky]

Not sure if anyone is interested, but I belong to a website (it is free) and it is Flylady.net .. it is for those of us who are dealing with clutter and trying to have a organized life (and home).. Once you get started it is very addicting. It is amazing what you can accomplish with just a little incentive. My house has never been as organized, granted, I am no where near being "done" but it is a work in progress, and with "baby steps" I know that it will be done eventually. I recommend her to everyone.. She has helped me out alot. Oh btw, her feather dusters are amazing.. I bought the set of 2, one for me and one for my daughter, she loves to help.

I used to belong to that, but it was too overwhelming!! I got emails everyday and it overwhelmed me. I only got as far as making sure the kitchen sink was spotless every night before I went to bed. I admit, it was a great feeling to go into the kitchen in the morning and to have that spotless, but getting started on any of her other suggestions just never happened. I suppose if I got organized enough to put other things into practice, it would have worked better for me.

I just didn't have the time to get off to a good start with that, so I unsubscribed. It's good to check out to see if it works for you!

Another suggestion I have as to how to work your business in the middle of everything else is to devote SOME time everyday to it. Do a POWER HOUR. JUST do business stuff for that hour, whether it's making calls, entering shows, submitting shows, etc. Maybe if all you have to devote is 30 minutes, make it a power 1/2 hour. Even at night when you're exhausted after getting kids in bed, give it a try. You'll feel like you've accomplished a lot! Maybe once or twice a week, try to get the kids in bed earlier and devote a little more time. If you're consistent with this, you'll see it start to help your business! But remember the 90 day rule-what you do for your business NOW will really start to show 90 days from now.

Good luck!

 

[AlowayFamily]

As for organizing, use Jan - Dec tabs to keep your OOFs in order. Use Jan-Dec tabs to keep your monthly shows in order. Keep a file folder by your work area for all your tax receipts. File your tax receipts by month for easy tax fiing at the end of the year. Create 5 - 10 host packets with the current month info to have ready for shows. Keep a "To Do List" going for all the things you need to do. I actually carry my list with me everywhere I go and when I think of something, I take it out and jot it down. Carry your catalogs in a folder with your current month specials tucked in the front cover. I carry my catalogs in a folder in my PC tote from Merrill. I also carry my black notebook with all the host and guest specials and my calendar. I have my to do list in another folder (all different colors so I can find them easily in my tote) and I put notes from potential guets, hosts and other information in the "To Do" folder.

Wow, this is a bit long, sorry about that. If you want more tips, email me and we can talk offline about organizing.

 

[apriljc]

ThanksThanks for you for all of the good advice. I am going to try some of the tips. I am going to have to devote some time for just myself and my work. I think my biggest problem is I worry about everyone else first and think I have to take care of them and not myself. I think a lot of women have that problem. This is really a great group of people who I can ask questions to and I know all of you will understand.