I am excited to share with you this post about one of my new sponsors, Simply Convivial!
I am a very organized person, or at least I'd like to think that I am. The truth is that since I had my first child, my planning turned more into a survival mode. I love to plan and I used to thrive on being organized. These past few years, I have just been doing things as I can, hoping it all gets done, and crossing my fingers that I'm not forgetting anything.
My husband is super easy going and really never complains, but when he starts organizing the basement on a Saturday or asking if we could have a better system for something, I feel like I'm letting him down. At the same time, though, I know that I'm doing all that I can. I'm not trying to say that every wife should have her home and everything in her life perfectly organized, but I am keenly aware that I deeply desire organization back in my life. This picture is of me back in the days when I was organized =) Just a happy, young girl at her wedding shower, excited to begin organizing her own home! What nice memories!
About two months ago, Mystie from Simply Convivial introduced me to her ebooks GTD for Homemakers and Paperless Home Organization. I thought they might give me some ideas, tools, or maybe even just a little inspiration to get organized again. Boy was I right! These books did all three! I read both of them all the way through and plan on going through them again (which is a mark to me that a book is really worthwhile =)
These books are filled with really helpful information, not just fluff that you already know. GTD for Homemakers is the why part of the duo and Paperless Home Organization is the how. Well, I guess GTD for Homemakers has a lot of how in it too, but Paperless Home Organization really takes your hand and walks you step-by-step through setting up a complete organizational system on your computer (or other electronic device).
The goal of Mystie's books is to help you be able to enjoy what is presently going on in your life by not being mentally drained thinking of all the things you need to in the future. The point is to get it all out of your head so that you are not thinking about it. If you have it organized outside of your head, you can rest easy. At the same time you can be confident that you are not forgetting anything.
It's funny, because as I read and reflected on these books I recalled that this is exactly how I used to function (pre-kids)! I literally remember telling people who asked me about something coming up, "I have no idea, but I can find it out for you in just a second." I used to practice these principles and I am happy that I am beginning to practice them again =)
"Defining my work appeals most to me, yet doing predefined work is what eludes me most." (GTD for Homemakers pg 11)
This is exactly me, and when I read this I knew that this book would be helpful! I love to plan and make lists, but it's the doing of the work that is the tricky part =)
"As you go along, remember to just do anything that will take you less than two minutes to do." (GTD for Homemakers pg 36)
I thought this was a great tip! If you have something that can be done quickly, it will take you less time to just do it than it would do write it down, think about it, decide when to do it, etc.
My Life Before Reading Paperless Home Organization
- Dirty dishes in the sink at all times...enough to do another whole load
- Always playing catch up with the laundry
- Feeling overwhelmed by the thousand thoughts swimming in my head
- Often forgetting things
- Feeling like I would be embarrassed if someone stopped by my house without giving notice
- Frustrated that there just aren't enough hours in the day
My Life After Reading Paperless Home Organization
- Satisfied with the few dishes that might be in the sink at any given time
- Literally not having any laundry to do one day...it was all done!
- Being able to focus on one task at a time, knowing that the next thing to do is written down and waiting for me later
- Feeling confident that we could be ready for visitors with just a quick 15 minute go-over of the house
- Having my husband say to me, "You should really write those ideas down." and being able to respond, "I already have!"
- Looking at my husband one Saturday and actually saying, "I sort of feel bored." Then he reminded me that it was just about dinner time ;)
The great thing about the ideas in these books is that you will benefit even if you only implement one or two of them. Then as you settle on those new processes, give one of the books a look through again and find the next easy idea to apply. That is exactly where I am. I am really happy with the way things are going, but I'm sure that I didn't catch everything the first time through and I know that there are more ways that I can be using the system to increase my organization. I'm excited to read through them again!
This week only, you can get Paperless Home Organization and almost 100 other resources as a part of the Ultimate Homemaking Bundle!
If you are feeling stressed out with all that is going on in your life, if your mind is swimming with a hundred things at any given moment, or if you just feel like you could use a better system for keeping track of everything, I highly encourage you to get these books.
You can get GTD for Homemakers or Paperless Home Organization for just $4.99 each. I recommend starting with GTD for Homemakers if you need a new mindset about keeping organized. If you just need the help understanding how to make your computer/smartphone really help you in the process, you might be able to go right to Paperless Home Organization.
I hope that you will soon be on a journey to a more peaceful, satisfying, organized life!
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