We all know that one of the best parenting practice is getting organized. . . we know that getting organized can have a magical impact on our lives. But sometimes we just need someone to prod us to actually do it. Below are five action steps to help you get started today.
I used these steps during a frustrating period when all my projects were bogged down. Within a day I started to feel the turn-around. By the end of Day Three, I was feeling in control of my life and eager to work on my projects. By the end of Day Four, I had finished one bogged-down (but dear-to-my-heart) project.
Two weeks later, I have a clean house, my To-Do list has been slim-lined and I have more clarity about what I’m doing.
The trick with these tips is to not overwhelm yourself. Think about your lifestyle before you go bananas trying to do all this at once. Set reasonable goals based on short bursts of time.
Start with the tip that excites you the most. Then let your momentum lead you to the other steps as appropriate.
Clean first, not last
It’s another step to have the best parenting style – It’s amazing how much you can change your life by changing what you do when you first get out of bed. And, yes, I’m talking about cleaning your house (in stages).
When you give it its proper place of honor, this lowly task can have tremendous power. It’s like cleaning your desk before you start a new project: a little cleaning can go a long way when you have the right motives.
To succeed with this one, have a clear idea the night before of what you’re going to tackle. And make it doable. Don’t underestimate the sense of achievement you’ll gain by getting one isolated area—such as the kitchen sink—sparkling clean.
The goal is to inspire yourself. Seeing that clean sink will motivate you to clean for a few minutes the next morning, and the next, and the next.
Traditionally speaking, I’m not a morning person . . . and I work at home. That can be a bad combination when it comes to staying on track. When I came up with this harebrained scheme (cleaning as soon as I get out of bed? ay yi yi!) I had no idea the positive impact it would have on me. I love it! Much better for my morale than checking email.
It has even made getting out of bed much easier. I’m so excited about my new organized life I can’t wait to do my cleaning so I can start my day on a high note.
Get that ju-ju moving with giveaways
Another one to become the best parenting practice – We all know how good it feels to sort through our stuff and donate what we’re not using or wearing. But don’t let your piles of stuff sitting around waiting for you to drive them to Goodwill. Schedule a pickup! Go to Amvets Pick-Up Service and fill out their simple form requesting a pickup. You’ll need to give them at least two days’ notice. (Bonus! That will give you extra time to find more giveaway goodies.)
Turn idle stuff into $$$
You probably have hundreds of dollars of stuff sitting around that you never use. Let’s face it, garage sales are a lot of work—plus they depend on good weather. Why not sell your stuff online? You can list stuff at your leisure so it’s all at your convenience.
You can even buy postage online and put some items out for your mail delivery person to pick up (thus saving a trip to the post office). I like to use iOffer.com, but naturally you can use eBay.com, Amazon.com, Craigslist or your preferred buyer’s and seller’s site.
Use positive psychology and choose the biggest dollar items to offer first. That way, making the first few sales will set you on fire to continue. I used that approach to motivate myself to later tackle the boxes of books sitting around in my basement.
The absolute juiciest way to get off your butt and start this project is to set an inspiring goal. The two goals I set were to (a) tithe 10% of profits to my favorite online charity and (b) use the rest to pay off my store cards, This is another step for us to have the best parenting practice develop.
Don’t let those “in-betweenies” linger
Stuff you can’t give away to charity, but that’s also not suitable for selling online, are the in-betweens that can clutter your house. Use the free section on Craigslist to move this stuff.
For instance, I got rid of piles of unread magazines, a bread mixer in perfect working order that needed a new paddle (I even supplied the link to where the recipient could order the paddle online), and a well-loved espresso maker that did not warrant the shipping costs for its weight.
Use a kitchen diary to take back your power
This one takes a little setting up but it’s well worth the effort. First, go through your fridge and kitchen cupboards ruthlessly. Throw away old stuff. Non-perishables can be donated to your local food bank.
Now find or buy an attractive notebook. Be sure to use one of a suitable size for your kitchen countertop. I leave mine where I’ll see it when I’m making coffee—the perfect time to decide what’s for dinner.
Finally, each time you bring home a load of groceries, spend an extra 10 minutes recording items in their relevant categories. Only record items you’ll need for making meals: meat, sauces, vegetables, other side dishes, etc. Staple items such as coffee, rice, flour should not take up space in your diary.
Goal
The goal is to be able to see at a glance what you can make for dinner and other significant family meals (in our house that means Sunday brunch).
The first benefit is obvious: you’ll feel more motivated when it comes time to make dinner. But there’s a long-term benefit, too. You’ll be pumped about your more efficient use of groceries, and that inspiration is guaranteed to spill over into other areas of your life.
And so it is for all five tips. The inspiration you’ll gain from using even one tip will spill over into other parts of your life that are crying out for an energy boost.
To get started to achieve the Best Parenting practice:
1. Print this article (and remember to review it whenever you lose momentum).
2. Pick one thing to clean or declutter tomorrow morning that will make a noticeable difference when you’re done.
3. Set your alarm 15 minutes earlier—or drop one non-essential activity from your morning routine, such as reading the news online while you drink coffee.
Go, us!
P.S. Here’s a bonus tip to use after you make some progress with getting organize.
Take a machete to the time you spend on routine chores.
Once you catch fire with this one, you’ll start to see creative shortcuts of your own. Here are my three favorites to aquired best parenting practice:
1. Allotting chores to family members.
When allotting chores to family members, try to do this according to preferences. This increases your chances of getting the chore done sooner. For instance, I’d rather rinse dishes and load the dishwasher than put clean dishes away—whereas, my husband prefers to unload the clean dishes. Less arguing that way, too.
2. Run the dryer only when you’re home.
The moment the buzzer goes off, show up and unload the dryer. Immediately hang up anything you can avoid ironing (i.e., if you don’t let it sit in a heap gathering wrinkles). Throw everything else in the laundry basket to fold later. You can do the folding part of this chore while watching a movie.
By the way, this tip works best when you keep a supply of hangers, plus some kind of hanging rack, near your dryer. If you don’t have much space, install the kind that folds down when needed.
3. Make Sure you paper roll in your bathroom.
In between cleaning the bathroom properly, use damp paper towels to wipe surfaces before too much dust or hair builds up. This only takes a minute and keeps a basically clean bathroom looking clean longer. You’ll also feel better about using the bathroom.
(I don’t know about you, but doing my morning hygiene in a dirty bathroom does not give me the inspiration to conquer the world that day!)
These are some of my tips for the best parenting practice to keep up with your family.
