My Disorganized Life

My Life Is In Chaos

As of right now everything I own, everything I have and everything I do is disorganized. It's no wonder I can't get my life sorted out with this big mess of a room; files tucked away in all sorts of places, bills out of whack, my clothes spilling out of drawers, books laying around in piles everywhere.

If I could afford to hire a professional I definitely would, but since I can't I will simply have to figure this out on my own.

I figure there are three main parts of my life that need sorting out to become a much happier, more productive and successful person.

My “Stuff”

 

The first one is sorting out my physical belongings. That includes everything from my books, to my paperwork, my wardrobe, movies, music, desk area, and so on. I see a lot of de-cluttering involved.

In the past couple of weeks I have been weeding out my books, DVDs, Cds and clothing but there is still a lot of work to be done. Plus, I have no where to store the things I don’t want except for the garage which is kind of full at the moment. I can’t wait until yard sale season to get rid of my junk.

My filing is all scattered, too. Bills are tucked away in my desk drawer, in the bookcase and even in the bathroom (huh?!). Most of them need to be shredded, but some do need to be put away properly.

I also need to find better storage for Sidney’s artwork from school which is a lot, and is taking over the entire house! I have no choice but to buy a large storage bin to put them in. Even after recycling 90% of them (which breaks my heart every time!) there is still so much.

The bathroom is getting really cluttered, too. Time to go through my make-up and beauty products again. How do they keep building up when I rarely even go shopping?

All of my other belongings are tucked away in the garage - my furniture, kitchen gadgets and other house items. They’ll have to stay there until I move out.

Time Management

 

The next is sorting out my time. I need to learn to stop procrastinating, better time management, prioritizing chores, my spare time, learn how to become more productive and still have time for what really matters - my family.

I have all the free time in the world right now and yet I don’t get everything done in a timely manner. What will it be like when I start a job, or college? Best to take advantage of this downtime to get things straightened out before the hectic schedule of school and work.

I definitely see a chore schedule in my future. And it might be a good idea to prepare for things beforehand, like getting Sidney’s bag packed the night before instead of my mad rush in the morning.

My Crazy Mind

 

The most important thing I need to sort out is my head! I need to get things straightened out, decide on what really needs my attention, learn how to let things go and stop stressing out.

But I think even more important than that, I need to find a system that works for me so I can stay organized.

But it's scary! Where do I start and how do I do it?

I guess the first step would be to clean my room. Which means I have to stop procrastinating and just do it. So here I go, head first into this mess I’ve been avoiding for a week…

Thanks,
Cole

My Bad Temper And Feeling Guilty

I lost my temper this morning.

Yesterday the school had sent a letter home saying the teachers would be on strike today, and there would be no school. So I let my daughter stay up a half hour later than usual. However, early this morning I found out that teacher's were no longer going on strike and that students were expected to go to school. 

Sidney was really tired when I woke her up, and disappointed because I made the mistake of telling her last night she was going to get to stay home today. This made for a really cranky little girl. She was giving me attitude, whipping her shirt in my face while I tried to dress her and screaming at me. 

I completely lost my temper. No matter what I said or tried I couldn't get her to listen or treat me with respect. 

She ended up being late for school, and we parted angry and upset with one another. This is the first time I have sent her off to school feeling that way and now I don't feel angry, just childish and sick to my stomach. I feel so guilty, and unworthy of forgiveness. I'm the parent here, right? Why didn't I act like it? 

I definitely need to refresh my memory on how to deal with this type of behaviour properly, and push my own tiredness away the next time.

In the mean time though, I get to pick Sidney up in ten minutes and all I want to do is hug her so tight, and never let her go and to apologize over and over again.

Does anyone else ever have days like this? Do other parents lose their temper, and feel quilty afterwards?

Thanks,

Why We Made A Chore List

Sidney's Chore List - 11/07/2012

 

The Chore List

My Daughter Was Becoming A Slob

About a year ago I noticed my daughter was becoming a slob. That’s right, a slob. I had let things slide and instead of making her clean up after herself I would do it for her. 

I felt bad because she was so tired all the time. She went from being home with mommy, relaxing and even taking the odd nap when she needed it to being in kindergarten full-time. After school she was just so tired, I felt like it was my responsibility to clean up after her so she could relax.

Well, a few months into school she became used to it and wasn’t as tired any more, but she still wasn’t picking up after herself. Worse, she didn’t want to and would whine when I told her to put her things away! I knew then that something really had to change, that I had to motivate her some how to start taking responsibility. 

Letting Go of The Guilt

At first I felt kind of guilty forcing her to clean up after herself, “she‘s only four years old!”, but I knew I would feel more guilty if I allowed her to grow up not fully understanding responsibilities. I’ve witnessed what happens to children when their parents don’t force responsibilities on them; they grow up unprepared for the real world.

The Chore List

That’s when I made her a chore list. This is something Nick and I decided together to help Sidney begin to understand responsibilities. Mind you, her chore list is really simple and age appropriate.

Things listed on her chore list include:

• Hang up backpack
• Put shoes away
• Pick up toys
• Put clothes in laundry basket
• Help sort laundry
• Help with meal prep
• Help set table
• Homework
• Feed pets
• Help clear table
• Water plants
• Help with yard work (gardening, raking, shovelling snow)

 

Helping

Most of the chores on Sidney’s list say “help” because obviously she can’t clear an entire table by herself and I wouldn’t expect her to. It’s important to take the time to help her, even when I feel frustrated. Just like my teachers, my supervisors and my parents have helped teach me new skills, I have to take the time to teach her. It also promotes teamwork. 

The Benefits and Awards

To help motivate her, I simply drew out a chart on a piece of colourful paper and every time she completes a task she gets a sticker!  Sidney also made her own piggy bank out of an old jar by decorating it. Five tasks equals one quarter that we tally up at the end of the week. Twenty five cents may not seem like a lot to an adult but to a five year old it’s a major accomplishment. 

Most of these tasks are easy and to be expected of her on a daily basis so I don’t see the need to be paying her a large allowance. Besides, Sidney has a savings account that I put money into regularly. 

This chore list is simply to encourage her, build self confidence/self worth and responsibility. 

It also lessens my workload at the end of the day! 

Do your children have chores list? What kind of chores do they have and how are they rewarded?

Thanks,