Weekly TimetableAs we’re preparing to move, I’m noticing more and more how much we rely on proper storage. Mostly because our storage containers are already packed and full of things, and everything else is just running around loose. And it’s driving me crazy! Oh well, tomorrow we get to unpack and organize things (I LOVE that part!) and then things will calm down. A little bit. Maybe.
Anyway, storage is a problem that most people face without knowing it. I spent years in high school and college convinced that I lacked the ability to be clean. What I really lacked was the ability to purge the old/bad/stained/useless/broken/etc. and so I was left with waaaaay too much stuff that just didn’t fit the space I had. However, as that space got smaller over the years, from my beautiful childhood bedroom that was as spacious as a kid could ask for, to a college dorm, to a tiny room in an apartment, to our current apartment, I’ve learned to get rid of the items that I don’t need. This has two benefits: (1) I use what I have more often which results in less shopping, and (2) I know what I have to store and I’m more aware of the space I have available to store it. So, to sum up, I’ve gotten a lot better at cleaning and organizing over the last several years (which is great because I was awful at it as a child).
But today’s post is not about my ability to be clean or organized, it’s about everybody’s ability to stay clean and organized. To live a clean and orderly life the first steps are to get rid of the things that hold you down. These can be anything from the old socks that have no matches anymore to the tennis lessons that you hate going to but feel like you have to. Once you’ve pared your life down to the items that are essential to your happiness, staying clean and organized gets a lot easier. There are four different types of organization (at least to my understanding): (1) small-scale storage and organization, (2) mid-scale storage and organization, (3) large-scale storage and organization, and (4) time “storage” and organization.
via Real Simple
It’s easiest to start with the end of the list and work your way backwards when, like me, you’re trying to get your life in order. There are two basic components to the last step, time “storage” and time organization. Time organization is simple enough to understand, it’s how you order your time. Time storage means setting time aside for yourself and your family, however you define that and whomever you include in that definition.
Pottery Barn's Pocketwatch Clock
Organizing your time, like organizing anything else, begins with a full understanding of how you spend your time. For one week, copy the image below if you wish, write down how you spend your day. You don’t have to include the start and end time, simply put the task (chores) and the time (1.5 hours). It doesn’t have to be perfect, but it should be enough to let you know how you spent your day.
At the end of the week, see how much time spend on doing things that are neither productive nor pleasant. Sometimes you need to bite the bullet and do something because it needs to get done, but if you’re spending 4 hours a week taking a yoga class that you absolutely hate because it’s cool to do yoga, then that’s a waste of time. Also, you might see that you spend too little or too much time on something, and that will allow you to alter your schedule. For example, I spend a lot of time driving, so I try to go the library on a weekly or biweekly basis and get books on CD. This both helps me enjoy my drive more and means that I don’t have to spend some of the little time at home that I get with Marty with my nose buried in a book (I can’t give up reading, and Marty would never ask me to, but conversation is a nice change of pace).
via Country Living
After you’ve gone through your week and gotten rid of the unproductive and unpleasant time wasters, see how much new extra time you have. And leave it alone! By not overbooking yourself every day you’ll have more time to perform your best in all of the activities that you do have scheduled. Plus maybe you’ll finally have time to finish that book, or, better yet, get the rest of your life in order so that you have to spend less time each week getting organized! Tomorrow we’ll talk about large-scale storage, then mid-scale storage, and finally small-scale storage, so be sure to stop by!
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