Organization tips- Lists

I know it sounds silly, and may think, well DUH! But sometimes, people need to hear it. So that is my tip. Lists simplify things and make things easier.

When I have a full day ahead of me, like today, I make a list of "to-do." I used to be able to remember it all and be aware of what I had to do, but with sooo much on my plate these days, it's easier to make the list and not HAVE to remember. (it's something my FIL taught my husband because he doesn't have the best recall skill out there, and so his dad always told him, write it down, then you just have to look back. And being as busy as my FIL is, and doing as much as he does with regards to work, I understand now, why he does that. Occasionally, he stills forgets to call back a customer, or look for a certain item maybe for another person, but that's just because of the volume of his load.)

At my old age, hehe, sometimes, I am forgetting about certain things, not necessarily anything important really, but a little something, that I at the end of the day don't want to say, Oh! I forget to get such and such, and so I take the easy route and write it down so I can use my brain for more important tasks of the day.

For me, I don't put down things that are obvious, just so I can check things off; I'm not that type of list maker.

Get up

Dress kids

Make bed – those sorts of things, they don't make it on my lists. Those are "given" in my book and aren't worthy of a list.

Mine are usually more like errands that I have to run, of places I have to stop, things that need to get done for the day.

Get ribbon at Michael's.

Pick up balloons.

Get gift together.

Go to bank. (then name which one and what I am doing there if necessary)

These are more the sorts of things that show up on my list like today.

I have also found that lists are very effective for other people.

• Bullet points make a great way
  
• Helping others understand what they need to do.
  
• Hubby and my oldest son, get lists now.
  

My husband actually asked for one. I thought, of course! Why didn't I think of that? If we are talking about things that we want to do around the house, or things that need to be checked on, after we walk away from the conversation, sometimes it's like, Now what was I supposed to do again?? For this, I give him a list.

For my oldest boy, who can now read, I've listed his chores for him so he can remember, and I'm not repeating myself 50 times. PUT YOUR CLOTHES AWAY!

His list sometimes is a little more of obvious things because he doesn't know of everything that he has to do. (at least that's what he says-not sure I'm buying it.)

His looks something like this:

• Pick up clothes [off floor] (because they ALWAYS seem to wind up on there)
  
• Hang up clothes in closets.
  
• Put pants in a pile with hangers for mommy or daddy to hang. (His pants hang high and for now, I'd just rather be the one to put them up for him)
  
• Pick up toys off floor
  
• Put in their bins.
  
• Take dirty clothes to laundry.
  

These are the items that I found myself repeating (over and over and over again) so he got a list, in the form of a chart.

Other things that he does around the house, sweeping and vacuuming, I didn't put on a chart. He doesn't have to be told more than once, because he enjoys those things and he's excited to do them. He actually asks to vacuum sometimes and pulls out the broom by himself. {mother grinning here}

That's it! It's that easy, it may sound simple and it is! Stop remembering and make lists!

The end.