One of the statements that I hear directed toward me a lot is, “I don’t know how you do what you do.” Well, first of all, that tag line “it takes a village” is the closest thing to the truth I’ve ever heard, but it also comes with a lot of checklists and to do lists. If you don’t know me, the back story is that I am a wife with 4 kids - Yes… 4! My kids are currently 6 months, 4, 10, and 12 and 3 out of the 4 of them are involved in at least one extracurricular sport. On top of this, I am a nurse by day, but a small business owner by every other waking (and sleeping) moment in my life. Oh, and to beat it all, I have pretty extreme case of a.d.d. so keeping myself on task and focusing is a challenge.
I have been a tad (this is an understatement) off my game since going back to work after having the baby simply because I have let my structure get away from me. So, while I am getting my crap together, I thought I’d share with you all how I usually function in all the chaos. So, before I tell you about the method behind my madness, I want to first say that I would literally be lost without our team at the store (Leah, Bailey, Destiny, & Kerri), my mom, & husband. The village I mentioned earlier, that’s them and they are a fierce one. They also deserve major props for deciphering and understanding my incomplete sentences, constant change of plans (or mind), and the demand my schedule adds to everyone. So now onto the other must haves….
Planners - the obvious get it together tool. There is literally no way I could manage life without mine. This is my big overview for the month/week. I am a pencil and paper girl, too, so although I wish I could just plug things into my phone and go, I’m not. If you know me, you’ve seen me with my encyclopedia size planner. I will literally write down EVERYTHING. If I ever say, “I will remember that”, I won’t. I even write down the things that repeat weekly and monthly because if it isn’t written down, it doesn’t happen.
Chore Charts - Mine, not theirs. You read that right. Instead of chore charts for everyone else (they ignore them after a day or 2 anyway), I have one for me. Then, I delegate stuff to everyone else in the house while I mark the chores off my list. Oh, yeah. Pretty good idea, huh? So, what is on my chart? My chart has a typical Monday through Sunday set up with regular things that repeat each day along with deep clean items that change daily so that everything gets a good cleaning weekly. This ensures that it’s not just the quick pick ups that are getting done, but even the baseboards get some attention.
To do list - I also carry this list around with me. When I remember something or hear of something new that I need to do, I add it to my list so it won’t be forgotten (because, again, I will forget). Then I just cross off and add to as needed. Clearly I am a list person, but it works for me.
A couple other tools I use are apps to organize my grocery lists and meal plans. I currently use eMeals (I am not a paid user, by the way) and love it for the ideas and that I can literally create my shopping list straight from the app and send to either my Walmart or Kroger app to check out and choose a pick up time. Easy Peasy. From this I can take a day to prep my meals and we are set. Plus, if I am not meal prepping, I choose the under 30 minute meals and know exactly what I am making for the week. Nothing goes bad and I don’t over buy so I’m saving money.
Oh - one other thing I love is my Bissell Crosswave so I can mop and vacuum at the same time. My personal review of this fancy thing is that I love it! Do I think it does as good as I do mopping and vacuuming? No, but do I actually sweep/vacuum and mop separately if I am not using it? No. haha! It does take some time to clean it and wash the accessories, but, like I said, if I didn’t do them both at once with this, I wouldn’t mop often at all.
I tend to get out of whack when I try to do all my cleaning or cooking or check listing in a day. This way of structuring things helps me stay on task and focused without forgetting something or getting too overwhelmed. I don’t mind emailing a copy of my weekly chore list to anyone who wants an easy way to get all the things done. It’s on a spreadsheet (nerd alert) and you can alter it to make it your own. Just shoot us an email at info@shopTDR.com and I will send you my copy. Even the small simple things are on my chart! Ha! So, that’s it. My entire “Get It Together” way of life that I am going to get back into so I can have some sanity back. A new baby & going back to work wreaked havoc on my schedule so it’s time to Get It Together, Girl.
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