Thanks Emily for the great organization post!! I know it will help me try to dig my way out of 2010 and bring 2011 in with a clean and organized bang!
Since the turn of the new year, I've been thinking about resolutions and how I envision this year to go. Along with ringing in 2011, which is a natural time for most to be both retrospective and prospective, I have my 34 birthday and my daughters 1 year birthday this month. And whew, it's causing a heap of "spective-ating", both retro and pro.
So all these milestones (some would say 34 is not a milestone birthday, but I say any birthday is a milestone birthday) have really caused me to say to myself - how do I want this year to go? Last year went pretty well with having the baby and, of course, the creation of The Jones/Willey Team. I feel good and positive about both those things. I absolutely know both Jones/Willey Team and Bea are going to have a great year. But looking back, what I find lacking is this organization thing. And not organization of the big things, like the aforementioned baby and job. More keeping up with these little things around the house and in my life. The non-consequential things... the things that don't
have to get done "today".
For example - for months I have been noticing cobwebs above the window in my bedroom. They annoy me to no end. No matter what I've done that day, the moment I crawl into bed and look up and see them, I feel like any success is just a little incomplete. Because there the cobwebs are. Every night. Mocking me. Telling me "you just can't keep it all together" And every morning, I wake up when the baby cries at 6:30 am and stumble out of my bedroom in the dark, one eye open, thinking about all the things coming with the new day - what am I going to dress Bea in... what calls I need to make.... what I'm going to cook for dinner. Not one thought about those cobwebs. I will not think about those cobwebs until the day is over and I crawl wearily into bed. Only to have them mock me for one more night.
So, my resolution: Figure out organizing the small stuff. How? Emily's tips below are a great way and I intend to follow those. But I've also incorporated the "List System". I did this "BB" (Before Bea) when I worked commercial real estate 9 to 5. And I've done it a little over the past year, but I resolve to incorporate The List back into my daily life. As I think of these little things I need/want to get done I number them and write them in a list every day. I keep the notebook on the counter so it is easily accessible and also serves as a reminder. As I have a minute or two here and there, I will do #3 (sew a button back on Bea's overalls) or #7 (cancel eye doctor appt for next month) as time allows and cross it off my list. When I wake up in the morning, I move the things not crossed off from the previous days list to the new days list and start anew.
Now, all this might seem basic to some of you, and all of you might have been doing this for years and I'm just the fool that's showing up to the party now. But it's made me have a positive outlook for the year and feel like I can control some of the small things. At the very least, my list made me remember one thing last night: take my duster to bed. And this morning, with a sense of accomplishment, I crossed #5 - Remove Cobwebs - off The List.
