Getting organized....

I've been devoting a lot of energy lately to getting organized. In the time we've lived here, our place has managed to create a certain disorder all on its own. So, I'm taking it back. Actually, I am someone who gets overwhelmed easily, so I need to have things organized and running smoothly. Unfortunately, because I am easily overwhelmed, I often start organizing, become overwhelmed, and find I must dive quickly into something like a book or the internet to distract myself. But this time I'm making progress, and it is invigorating.

The picture above is one of my victories. A binder in which I've organized the "plan" for running my household. It includes daily schedules, daily cleaning routines, weekly cleaning rotations, a month's worth of dinners, a tentative plan for lunches, breakfasts, snacks, etc... I've even planned out what food I need to get at the store each week. I went shopping with this plan this week and couldn't believe how much time and money it saved me. I guess it may seem like this would make my life too rigid, but the goal is to do the opposite. I hope that by making my work running a household a structured routine, it will free up time and energy for things that really matter to me. I'll be less stressed this way and able to have fun with my kids, spend time with friends, and be creative.