How to Get “It” Together: Lists Put Your World in Order

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Lists are a powerful tool to getting and keeping your home and family in order. If you have ever experienced "Information Turmoil", then please find out what putting all of your mental debris down on paper can do for you.

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Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Step1

I am one of today’s over-extended mothers who no longer find comfort nor satisfaction in a spotless house. Both of my Grandmothers’ homes were always impeccable. I never thought much about it until I started running my own household and wondered where they found the time and devotion to clean windows, walls, and ceilings.

Cobwebs? They don’t really bother me. Modern moms struggle more today with juggling schedules and playdates, work, and homework than with mops and dust rags.

Step2

One thing I do have in common with previous generations is the necessity and the aptitude for making a well-thought out list. What would we multi-tasking moms do without the ability to sort out some of the jumble in our minds? I savor the sweet release of putting it on paper, and I do mean paper. I need to not only see my list, but I must be able to hold it, check it off, and possibly fold it up. It oftentimes needs to be an ongoing list that I can store in my trusty binder and add to it whenever something new and important is introduced to my information-overloaded world.

Step3

The beauty of the list is manifold. It:

1) tracks personal family or business goals
2) provides an opportunity for achievement
3) can be compact and portable
4) operates as a tool for delegation (e.g. Honey Do lists, chore lists)
5) teaches self-discipline
6) produces enormous gratification with each task completed

So rediscover the power you wield when you print a list. Take out your pen and begin to LET GO of your “Information Turmoil”!

Resources

ListPlanIt.com to Organize your Life and Put Your World in Order

Comments

akbackpacker said

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on 5/10/2008 (Cont) Place a small metal binder clip (not a paper clip) at the top of the calendar to hold the first part of the year together so you can go right to the current week when you flip open the calendar. At the end of the year, take out the weekly planner and replace it with the next years planner. Use previous planners as diarys to look back on. Good luck.

akbackpacker said

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on 5/10/2008 I've come upon a great idea that works for me. Instead of lugging around a bulky organizer and possibly forgetting it at home, I carry a weekly planner in my back pocket. It can be bought at Office Depot or similar places. Its made of plastic binder material and stays in great shape while in your back pocket. A paper binder in the back pocket tends to fall apart in a week. Having something that fits in a back pocket is great in that its always there when you need it to write notes in when something is remembered. Carry it and treat it as you would a wallet (always have it, and dont lose it). A bulky organizer is better left at home or in one general place. Transfer info from the pocket organizer to the larger organizer when you're back home. Place a pen inside the pocket organizer on the current week for quick access. Place a small metal binder clip (not a paper clip) at the top of the