Key Storage:
I used to have this huge problem with losing my keys. This caused a ripple effect into another problem I had- time management aka being on time to pretty much anything. I got to a point where people would assume I was going to be running on "Allison Time" and would be late. Sadly that was pretty much the case 9/10 times......ok 10/10 times. A huge problem with me being late was I never knew where my keys were. I had no central location to put them so they sometimes were in my purse, on my coffee table, on the counter top, on the kitchen table, etc. Heck I think I have even left my keys in the door a few times. I needed a central place to put these keys so I could easily find them. I found the garage is the best location for me. I have an attached garage so this makes this easier and safer for me. I would not recommend if you have a detached garage. I hung up with little gem (that I got at Target for about $3) and labeled who's keys went where. We have a hook for my keys, Mark's keys, spares to the cars and house, and then a hook for our family members houses. This has worked out great because on our way into the house we just hook our keys and we know when we are rushing out the door in the morning they will always be there-no searching required.
Mail and Paper De-Cluttered:
Mail and papers can pile up super fast and before you know it there is a bill due but you have to go through a whole pile to find it. Being on time for bills is important (but I didn't have to tell you very responsible people that!) and you cannot afford to miss a mortgage payment, a credit card payment, or utilities bill. Along with bills there are tons of important things coming in the mail that relate to insurances, bank information, letters and cards from family, and the list goes on. You want to make sure you are on top of your bills and papers--it helps take one more stress out of your life. In our kitchen I have set up a mail area. I set it up in the kitchen because if you think about your time at home- a lot happens in the kitchen daily and ultimately you end up spending a good amount of time there. I found the most awesome baskets from Hobby Lobby that were already labeled and ready to go for my mail. One for magazines, one for mail, and one for "stuff". I also found a really cute sign to go above it. What I noticed in our house was that mail would end up in piles in multiple places- on the kitchen table, on the kitchen counter, and on the coffee desk. Having this mail system all in one place works great to make sure I am processing my mail and getting it to the right place at the right time. If a bill comes in I put it in the mail slot and once a week I empty the mail slot to pay bills. This way I don't feel overwhelmed by working on bills every day. I take the bills to my office desk and pay them one by one. I have a holder on my desk where I label the bill on the outside of the envelope with the day it is due and the amount and I hold it until a week before the bill is due. This allows Mark and I to budget better during the month by being able to physically see the bills that will be going out of the house. The top section of the bill (part I am not sending with a payment) I file away in my drawer. (Check out my most recent post on my filing system HERE). I know this system won't work for everyone but for Mark and I it works great. I personally do not have anything direct withdrawal anymore and I don't have paperless billing. Don't get me wrong I used to have those features on pretty much every bill but with buying a new house, moving, and buying a used car this year (yes I mean since January 1st...crazy I know)-we wanted to make sure we are 100% on top of all our bills. For that reason I have all paper statements and I write checks for about 70% of our bills. So stone age of me, I know.
p.s. don't mind my owl clips...love them :)
Daily Schedule and Planner:
Anyone that knows me knows I am a scheduler. I have driven my husband nuts on many, many occasions with how scheduled I have to be sometimes. I feel lost without knowing what is coming up next and what I need to prepare for in the coming weeks. (Seriously just ask him- I am a freak when it comes to planning things out.) I entrust my ability to remembering what is on my schedule by writing down everything in my personal planner. I am an old fashioned girl in that I have to write things down to feel like I will actually remember them. I did the phone calendar for awhile and it was ok-just not my cup of tea. When looking for the perfect organizer/planner I really couldn't find one that met what I needed for my planning. So, I did the next best thing and just made my own. Check out the full blog post HERE and HERE. I LOVE this planner. It keeps me from losing my mind daily and it keeps me on top of life over all.
As a self-proclaimed grumpy morning person- meaning I am a huge crab in the morning until I've been awake for about an hour....or two.... I love my closet because I can really go in auto pilot mode and still walk out of the house looking at least presentable. When thinking about what I am going to wear I think in colors. Do I feel like wearing black today? Maybe purple? Perhaps green? I typically think of a color first, then pick a shirt. Sometimes I do however, think of a certain shirt first. The reason I do this is because it's much easier for me to find the specific shirt I want to wear when I have my clothes ordered by colors. I know, I know, you are thinking I have lost my mind. I understand- I will give you a minute to let that sink in..........
....better? ok! The time it takes me to get ready in the morning has seriously cut down because I organize my clothes in colors. I don't find myself looking back and forth through shirt after shirt just to find that one I am thinking about. I used to do that all the time and like I said above- it contributed to my lateness. Now in the morning as I wonder around my closet like a zombie I pick out a color...let's say tan for today, I go to the tan section which is about 5 shirts and I pick up the one I was looking for. Easy stuff! This color code system works great for shoes too! I also don't lose shirts as often either. Even gone through your closet and become shocked that you STILL own that HS tshirt from freshman year. Freshman year! With doing the color system I found that I am much more aware of what is in my closet and what is not. Like I said, works out great for us zombies.
What tricks do you use to keep your daily lives manageable? Comment on my facebook page: Organized Chaos- Facebook and let me know!
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