Mommy Monday: Home Management...MY WAY!

For years I have wanted and tried to put together a Home Management Binder.

And each time I fail miserably.  

It's not that I don't like the concept, they just don't fit my life!

We live life- fully- perhaps over committed but "it is what it is."  I don't have time to schedule household chores into my day...because honestly I don't know what my day will hold.  Yes I have an off farm full time job that takes me away from home 11 hours a day but I also have 2 kids, a farmer husband and commitments that I have to keep.  Sometimes on Tuesday at 5 a.m. I am milking cows, other weeks I am snoring, and then there are the days when I am feeding the baby, doing laundry, and fixing my makeup.  My life doesn't fit an hourly timeframe.  

For me I wash dishes while cooking supper, helping with homework and feeding the baby, I fold clothes between changing diapers, playing sword fight and reading stories.  I'm not structured to a time table.  I'm better at long list that I can mark off when complete.  Maybe if I was on a time table my house would always be ready for company and supper would be on the table at 7 each night and the baby would sleep peacefully through the night without throwing up, crying or wetting the bed...but that's just not me.

So how do I do everything and stay somewhat organized?  

It's probably unconventional and even a little risky but I write, you know like with a paper and a pencil!

I love my gadgets and do use them for somethings like tracking what I eat and what workouts I do but for most everything else I write it down.  If you see me I always have 4 things with me

1. My calendar 

2. My project notebook

3. My journal

4. My iphone

plus somewhere in my bag you will also find a zippered pouch (full of pencils, pens, highlighters, paperclips, post-its) and possibly a folder with a few of my favorite printables as well.  

Everything goes into my calendar in pencil first.  Because I like to change things pens are reserved for those times when I know something isn't going to change think school holiday or birthdays.  I start with my month at a glance section and pencil in appointments, blog post, events, etc.  This way I can easily see what is happening that month so that I can make plans quickly.  My work and personal life all go in one calendar...I can't keep them separate because then I have to check 2 calendars to see if I am available and well that's extra work.  

My calendar has the weeks as a 2 page spread which I love!  It gives me room to make notes about each day, list appointments, blog post titles, and more!  This is the page that stays open on my desk all day.  I take notes about phone calls on the day I receive them.  This allows me to be able to go back and find out when someone called and information about their call.  If it's a long convo or I need more detail notes my first go to is a post-it stuck on that day...if I need more room that is where my project notebook comes into play.  I highlight the original note in my planner and then write everything into the notebook (more on the nbook in a moment).  I also paper clip any forms that need to be returned and mail into the calendar based on the week it needs to be completed.  My weekly Bible verses or study is clipped in the calendar as well.  That way I am reminded to study God's word daily.  It also let's me review the verses more often.  

My project notebook contains everything that needs more detail in my life, from meeting notes to birthday invite list to menu plans.  This allows me to keep everything at my finger tips.  I date my notebooks in sharpie using the day I started one to the last day it was used.  I keep all my old notebooks in a box under my desk at my office.  Why at my office?  Mainly because the notebooks contain work info as well and it's much more likely I need to know about a work file than what we had for supper in July of 2011 ;) 

Then we have my journal (I keep all of these as well) but they are personal.  My journal is where I write down my daily verses, my Bible study, sermon notes, prayers, and trinkets about life.  This is my space, my personal space where I dig into God's word and pour my soul out to him.  It gives me peace to be able to confess to him and praise him.

My phone is the last thing that I ALWAYS have with me.  It has all my contacts plus it's how I keep track of my fitness and weight loss goals.  In addition my budgeting is all done through an Excel spreadsheet so I have it on there as well.  

So there you have it.  How the most unorganized person in the world keeps up with life!

How do you do it?

Caci