Thanks in advance for your assistance. I am a single homeowner with a dog and many family responsibilities oustide my home (parents are both very sick and need assitance often). I have a very busy job as well and an active social life.
Organization is my weak point...so when things get really hectic it seems my organization is the first to go.
I am looking into a maid, but they don't keep you organized, they just clean.
What I am looking for are easy ways to keep up with daily tasks (laundry, dishes, bills) when under a time crunch.
Any tips and tricks that work for you would be appreciated...thanks much!
P.S....know that spending less time on Yahoo Answers would help, LOL, so lets just leave that answer out please!
2006-11-05 10:12:06 · 7 answers · asked by Barbara 6 in Home & Garden ➔ Cleaning & Laundry
Ignore the sympathetic chuckles here: I'm in a similar spot.
It is true that maids don't organize: All they do is clean.
One thing that will help is don't let chores pile up. For instance, I don't like washing dishes. For the longest time I let them pile up. But I've found it's not so scarey- or time-consuming- if I wash them right when I'm done with them. Another thing that will help is if you start your laundry first before you attend to other chores. Keep a check list, whether on paper or a PDA as Griff suggested.
I've also found it's easier to do chores when I wake up, rather than wait until night when I'm worn out.
As for the bills- perhaps the old fashioned in and out tray system would help you best.
Good luck! And good luck to your parents!
2006-11-05 11:20:58 · answer #1 · answered by Tigger 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
A good thing to do is buy little plastic containers and drawers, they are great storage bins. Another way that I read in a magazine is if you don't like cleaning up mess after mess, and putting stuff away all of the time, you can get a big container (a box or a trash can maybe?) and put the thing that you were using in it. This way you can empty the container out about once a week instead of organizing and cleaning all day long. Also, if you so get a maid, you can ask them some organizing tips. I'm just trying to help, good luck.
2006-11-05 11:39:24 · answer #2 · answered by Lola13 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm pretty busy too and the only thing I've ever found that works is making a small task list and just doing the things on it. It's easy to say "oh I'll just let that load wait until it's a bigger load to make it worth it"... it's just as easy to go ahead and throw it in and be done with it. Same with dishes ... even if it's only a plate or two, especially if it's only a plate or two... it's just as easy to take 5 minutes to tend to it and mark it off the list. Bills ... ugh bills, they can be the worst. If your income schedule allows pay them as you pull them from the mailbox and be done with them. Why have them sit around until there's 4 more to go on the same day if you don't have to. If it works that your income schedule would only allow you to pay them once or twice monthly then mark it on your calendar that it's "bill day" and do them then.
The daily, routine, run of the mill, monotonous tasks are the ones that we would put off til never but it's so much easier to spend the 5-10 minutes here and there than watch it pile up and become the job most people see it as. (Yea, I'm one of "most people" sometimes but when I'm on top of it life is good and those 5-10 minute chores aren't even felt!)
2006-11-05 15:38:27 · answer #3 · answered by Snow 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Some of the best advice I ever got about staying on top of things and organized is "only handle a piece of paper once." That means when you go through your mail, don't sort it into piles to deal with later--all you end up with is piles that you never have time to go through and it drains your energy just to look at them. If it's a bill and you can pay it right then, do so and put it in the mail. If it is coupons and you are really going to go through and cut them, do it right then; if not, recycle. If it is a catalog and you are REALLY going to order something from it, put it in a file marked "To Order" or something like that; if you are just thinking of browsing through it, you might as well recycle it if you life is really very busy. Same thing with other papers that come into your home or office--reciepts, work that you brought home, whatever. Deal with it, file it, or recycle it. This means of course that you'll need a filing cabinet with places for the various papers that do need to be kept--bank statments, reciepts, insurance info, any papers about hobbies or personal interests, etc. Following this rule, you will be amazed how much it unclutters your life.
2006-11-05 11:18:57 · answer #4 · answered by judysn66 1 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Check out flylady.com for some good tips. The first thing to do is start removing clutter. Just toss it at first because otherwise you'll get bogged down w/guilt. Magazines, clothes you don't wear, run down shoes - either toss them or take them directly to a charity.
I have a box by the door that I throw items in good condition that I don't need or want. When it's full, I take it to Goodwill. It's a small thing to do, but at least a start.
2006-11-05 11:19:24 · answer #5 · answered by Taffy Saltwater 6 · 2⤊ 0⤋
I love this site
daily action its starting now for beginner again stay tune check in every day save as favorite I did it for a year it helped me
http://dailytimesheet.blogspot.com/
2006-11-05 11:17:33 · answer #6 · answered by give h 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Buy a PDA and use it every night before bed. Stay focused on what you need to do and don't invent new things to do.
2006-11-05 10:15:37 · answer #7 · answered by Griff 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋