Time to Tackle

It's time to tackle another nemesis. HB was nice enough to get us started by answering the paper/clutter question. Even though that wasn't my personal nemesis I still loved what you wrote and have thought about it a lot. I love "one touch" and I've been trying to set up ways to help myself do things that way, paper or otherwise.

So I propose a problem rather than a solution, help me tackle my nemesis: ironing.

What are your tricks? I see people with ironed clothes and families who look so nice in their pressed clothes. However, everyone whom I have asked how/when to get ironing done claims that they just don't do it. Well, I don't believe you and even if it is true that answer is not good enough. I need real help here...my hubby has to have ironed clothes and I feel like a slacker wife when he does it himself - even though he says he doesn't care. I really want to be good at it but so far I'm not. HELP!

What are you doing?

I like this blog and here's why- it makes me think! My house hasn't been spotless by any means, but my cleaning has improved! I think about cleaning, while I'm cleaning, and I start to find things that work better for me or at least motivation to get done what I need to do. So, now that we are all considering better ways to do what we do, I propose some goal setting. My goal is to be "ready" by 10am every (weekday) morning. To me, this means having my downstairs presentable as well as myself. There will be some toy clutter, and I'll likely be sporting some yoga pants.However, my hair will be under control, I'll have some amount of makeup on, lose the pj shirt, and have a generally picked up downstairs. This way, if somebody stops by at noon, I don't have to be completely embarrassed. Also, if I want/need to run an errand it's not an event just to get ready to get out the door. So this is my goal, what's yours?

The One-Touch system

Although my house is not perfect, I like organizing. One of the things I've learned from reading organizing books is that you should organize your house to fit your habits and not the other way around. If you organize to fit your already-established habits, your organization is much more likely to be successful.
An organization thought process that I really like is the One-Touch method. This means that you should be able to clean or organize your space in one touch. For cleaning, it means that you put stuff away right away. You clear the table and put them right in the dishwasher instead of letting them sit in the sink or next to the sink. I'm okay at doing this for breakfast, but usually after dinner is when I let things sit.
Here's what I did to clean up the paper clutter. When I bring the mail in, my habit is to just drop it somewhere. This makes a messy table or countertop. In addition, then I end up "touching" it several more times every time I move it out of the way before I finally get to sorting through it and doing bills and etc. What I did to solve that problem was I created a file system in my kitchen. I know I'm not going to change my habits and immediately file what needs to be filed, shred what needs to be shredded and pay what needs to be paid right when I walk in the door. This file system was a solution so I have one place to easily sort and drop my paper mess and get to it when I can. This system really works for me because I pay bills once a month. The rest of the month, I just let things accumulate. This system may not work for you, but think about your habits and creating a space for organizing your habit in One Touch.

As you can probably tell, I don't think I've done any shredding since Christmas break.

I bought the file organizers at an office-supply store and then just Mod-Podged paper inside and used scrapbooking rub-on letters to label them.

Now if someone could tell me what to do with my shoe mess!

The Heavy Duty Schedule

This may look familiar to some of you, especially if you are my sister. I have had this schedule for a while (and I have altered it somewhat from the original) but rarely use it. I wish that I were organized enough to use it because it covers just about everything you need to do in your house EVER, but alas, I am still a work in progress.

DAILY CHORES

*make beds *dishes *bath kids *pick up clutter *sweep floor *read books to kids *dinner *weekly chore

WEEKLY CHORES

*Monday - bathrooms (toilet, tub, sink, counter, mirrors, shower, mop floors), laundry, take out garbage

*Tuesday - dust (frames, lamp shades, furniture), vacuum upstairs

*Wednesday - change bedding in one room, ironing, grocery shopping

*Thursday - kitchen (appliances, counter tops, mop floor, clean out baskets and organize), vacuum downstairs

*Friday - monthly chore, laundry, yard work

*Saturday - windows, clean out fridge, clean out cars

MONTHLY CHORES

*Week 1 - Baseboards, vents, window wills, clean & sort toys downstairs

*Week 2 - Wipe doors & knobs, light switches, telephone, remote, deep clean fridge

*Week 3 - Yearly job, sweep garage, clean car, wipe fronts of cupboards

*Week 4 - Clean & sort toys upstairs, window sills, wash trash cans

YEARLY CHORES

*January - vacuum under furniture, replace air filter

*February - Clean inside oven, wipe walls down

*March - Wash blinds &/or curtains

*April - Wash screens & outside windows, replace air filter, change batteries in smoke detectors

*May - Plant flowers, straighten & wipe closet (Master)

*June - Straighten & Wipe Drawers

*July - Straighten & Wipe Cupboards, replace air filter

*August - Defrost Freezer

*September - Straighten & Wipe Closets (All except master)

*October - Turn Mattresses, Wash Comforters, Pull up Plants, Replace Air Filter, change batteries in smoke detectors

*November - Wash Light Fixtures & Ceiling Fans

*December - Organize Desk & filing cabinets

The Original version of this schedule had the weekly chore of bathrooms divided up into two different days doing certain jobs in the bathrooms one one day and the remaining jobs in the bathrooms on a different day. I am a little bit OCD and I like my bathroom to be completely cleaned when I do it, so I moved it all to one day. Feel free to use this schedule and re-arrange stuff differently if it works better for you.

Also, we will talk more later about the "clean out baskets & organize" listed on the day to clean the kitchen so don't be confused. Good Luck!

Confession

I must confess because otherwise I won't be held accountable, and then how can I improve? Today was a lazy day. I want to blame it on a sick kid and getting back from a trip last night, but I took a nap for heaven's sake! And again, here I am on the computer rather than getting something accomplished. Okay, now that I've gotten it off my chest I can turn the guilt into motivation. Here I go...