Getting Organized.

Here's a little peek inside my home office! Ok, not really. But if you were to drop by our house on any given day, you will find my "work station" camped out at the end of our dining room table.

I was hoping to touch on this sort of topic during my 31 Days series, but I think we all got to see the extent of my hot mess-ness while trying to keep up with the blog challenge; publishing sub-par posts and neglecting most of my daily chores.

I am happy to report now that I actually am able to (sort of) stay on top of my housework when I am not blogging every day.

One of the things that is helping me to stay in line is keeping a house management binder. I did not invent this concept, however I was able to tailor one that is specific to our family's needs. I have sections for cleaning, cooking/ menu planning, health/ essential oils, and DIY projects. I am hoping to add some more tabs for kids activities & finances.

Here's what I reference for cleaning chores. There are dozens of these checklists available across the web, but the key is finding something that is actually feasible for you. My favorites are the Daily Quick Cleaning Checklist from Real Simple, the Weekly Checklist for House Cleaning by Household Management 101, and the Project: Organize Your ENTIRE Life Mega Cleaning Action Plan from Modern Parents Messy Kids.

I printed these out and placed in clear pocket folders so I can check off with a dry erase marker and reuse.

I also use the same clear pocket folders for my grocery shopping list. This list is also from Household Management 101 & is proving to be more efficient than the bits of paper I had been scribbling them out on.

In addition to my house management binder, I also use a good old-fashioned planner. I bought one that shows the calendar month with grand intentions to do some meal planning. Turns out, I suck at it.

A system I find a little more realistic for me is to keep my main dishes on post-it notes and place them on the calendar after a big shopping trip. This way I can easily switch them around if our plans change or we don't feel like eating that particular thing that night. This is a new system I am implementing, and so far, its helping.

So, those are just a few of the tools I have been using to better manage our home! I've definitely missed blogging since my 31 Days series ended, but I have really been enjoying a clean house. Also, knitting. It's officially the time of year to bust out the needles and bask in the stench of seasonal pine & cookie scented candles. I'm trying so hard to restrain myself from decking the halls until after Thanksgiving, but I don't know how much longer I can hold out on that...