Monday, February 20, 2012

Help!! Domestic failure!!

I've always wanted to be organised ... to be one of those women who arrive everywhere on time looking well put together with washed, tamed hair and wrinkle free clothing. But, alas, that has never been me. I'm always the one running up with hair like a wild woman and wonky make up because I remembered to put some on in the car and the stupid rear view mirror is not the best!

What does this have to do with writing? Absolutely everything. Because if I could be a more organised housekeeper I would have more writing time :-) Yes I have 6 kids but I am a big believer that if a person is organised and has their life in order then everyone can squeeze extra hours out of the day to write in. So that is where you, lovely and wonderful (and hopefully well organised!!) blog readers come in. I want to know your time saving devices, the tools you use regularly to organise your household. Recipes welcome!!

And yes, for those who wondered, I am so badly horribly organised that I forgot it was my turn to blog today. So please take pity on a domestic failure and leave me lots of wonderful tips :-)

11 comments:

Romy Sommer said...

Aaargh - I typed a whole long message and when I hit 'publish' my internet connection died!

So, starting again ...

You're not as disorganised as you think you are. After all, you posted your blog post on the day it was scheduled!

My only tip isn't writing related. I've started using a Family Planner courtesy of Amazon. Every family member has a column and all our activities get listed there. It's still not fool proof but I'm forgetting less these days than i used to!

And yes, I completely over-compensate for being a ditsy blonde with spreadsheets, lists, calendars and mobile phone reminders).

Finally, you already know how awesome we Minxes think you are for managing so much!

Sutton Fox said...

With six kids, it's a miracle you manage to show up anywhere at all! You must be organised to keep everything going! Maybe it just doesn't feel like it.

The only real tip I have is not to let procrastinating become habit. I find I feel better, and I'm more productive if I can work just a little bit every day on things. I've started using a timer for things like email, web research, etc., that way I don't waste hours. Only minutes. LOL!

Kat said...

I think you rock anyway, so I can't offer advice. :O)
You already produce a great word count considering how full your plate is, I think you should start by giving yourself credit for how much you already do.
xx

Patsy said...

They key is to write first and then do the housework in whatever time you have left.

Aimee Duffy said...

Six kids! I barely have enough time in a day to organise myself and I have zero kids. The fact you still manage to write and blog is a miracle. I think you are doing pretty spectacular as it is :o)

Lacey Devlin said...

I love Patsy's philosophy :) and I think you're pretty spectacular too.

Sally Clements said...

Yup, I think you're secretly pretty organised, and I got myself one of those calendar's that Romy got, but remembering to fill it out is a bit of a problem...

RLA said...

Being organised isn't all it's cracked up to be! I used to be one of those horribly organised people (when I still worked) and let me tell you, it's dull!

My best advice for a couple of quick fix organisation techniques are;

Write a list every morning and include everything (even things like wash hair lol!)

Never underestimate the importance of a calendar/year planner - and put it up somewhere in your house that's frequented often and fill it with everything.

Don't forget to plan in breaks! 5 minutes planned time to do what you want with, even if it is just daydreaming about [insert hunky man's name], won't make you feel as guilty!!

And like many people here have said, with six kids I think you're underestimating just how organised you actually are!

Xx

Jennifer Probst said...

You are doing too good with all those children so you must give yourself a break! I have only 2 - 2 and I sometimes hit my limit. And I am a bit of a domestic mess myself. Great post!

Kathy Bosman said...

Wow! Strength to you and take time to write (even if it's one paragraph a day) - it keeps you sane! I'm struggling to keep my word count going and I only have 3 kids so my few tips are: Have a box in the living room so you can dump all their messes in the box and then once a week, they clean out the box. Do inspection of their rooms with a reward to the neatest room. Try to get them to help with chores as they get older although it's a challenge with all the whining - just stand your ground. We've made a chores chart which we stuck on the kitchen cupboard which eliminates fights between siblings. You're probably doing all these things already.

Jackie Ashenden said...

Sorry. I got nothing. You could be describing me. :-)