Organization Archives - TheSanityPlan

30 Things You Can Do in 10 Minutes or Less

March 24, 2017 By Sara M. 22 Comments

I don’t know about you, but I often think that I need a huge chunk of time in order to “get something done.” I used to be so spoiled pre-kids, when I had the time to devote an hour or more to projects. Completely focused with no interruptions.

But now, with three kids at home, I have really had to adapt. Sometimes, while juggling the small army, I find I only have a couple of minutes to spare. And it’s easy to get stuck thinking that there is nothing I can do in such a short amount of time, which leads me to squander away those precious minutes scrolling through social media or on other unproductive time wasters.

But, if you think about it, 10 minutes is actually plenty of time if you change the way you look at it. Breaking down tasks into bite-sized chunks helps me see all kinds of things I can do in a short amount of time. Here are some ideas:

Clean

Set timer for 10 minutes and pick up around the house – no rules, just put stuff back where it belongs, and no worries if you don’t finish, it will be an improvement
Get a load of laundry started
Vacuum one room
Clean out fridge, dump old food, check dates & discard old condiments
Do dishes – this might not work for after dinner dishes, but for those small piles that accumulate during the day, 10 minutes is plenty of time to wash them quickly or throw them in the dishwasher
Start a goodwill bag – I like to keep one in the laundry room so clothes I’ve identified as goners go in directly after washing

Plan/Organize

Make a to-do list – if you’re like me, there is a never-ending list of things to do, take 10 minutes for a brain dump of everything you need to get done
Start a grocery list
Organize your catch-all drawer
Plan out meals for the week
Research new recipes on Pinterest
Organize & restock your purse/diaper bag

Digital Life/Finances

Unsubscribe from junk emails – this may seem like a never-ending task but taking time to unsubscribe from new mailing lists will help tame the email beast
Declutter your phone – weed out bad/duplicate photos, clear out voicemails and text messages
Check bank balances and scan through latest transactions – keeping an eye on your finances can be quick if you do it regularly
Pay bills – pop onto your banking website to initiate whatever bills you don’t have set up on auto deduct or write out checks for mailing
Do some research on something you’ve been wanting to buy

Get Connected

Call someone you’ve been meaning to catch up with – tell them that you only have a couple minutes but you wanted to check in
Write a note to a friend

Take Care of You

Fix yourself a cup of tea and relax while you drink it
Eat a healthy snack
Freshen up – touch up your hair and makeup
Go to the bathroom in peace
Stretch – Get up, move around
Rest your eyes – 10 minutes may not be long enough for a power nap, but with the prevalence of digital devices, it’s good to relax your eyes and closing them helps with lubrication
Meditate – take a moment to regulate your breath and let your thoughts flow

Journal – free form, gratitude, etc.
Read a short chapter or a magazine you’ve been meaning to get to
Write a list of 10 ideas – I’m borrowing this one from this brilliant guy I’ve been following recently
Get outside – go for a short walk or sit outside

These are just a few ideas off the top of my head, but I am sure that you can think of so many more!

One extra note on this topic. Reading this you might assume that I’m a productivity nut, which I’m not. The reason why you’ll find things on this list like meditate, stretch, or rest your eyes is because I believe that the body and mind need down time. We cannot run around expecting to fill every last minute of our time on this earth without negative impact. Our bodies and minds were just not made to be like machines.

This list is really about becoming intentional about your spare time and not wasting it because you think it’s already wasted.

I’d love to hear your ideas. What do you do when you only have 10 minutes?

Maintenance Mondays – A Scheduling Hack

January 23, 2017 By Sara M. 26 Comments

I hate schedules. In fact, despite the fact that I know that routines are really helpful for getting things done, I feel completely rebellious towards setting one and sticking to it. I guess that’s pretty immature for a 30-something year old, but hey, it’s where I’m at.

I recently came up with something that has really helped. Instead of creating a full-on schedule, I have assigned a day to catch up on things that I want to do regularly, on a weekly basis.

I call it “Maintenance Mondays.”

It initially started as a way to make sure I would do certain maintenance tasks with the children on a regular basis, such as cutting their nails or applying lotion. From there I modified it to also capture tasks that are not necessarily daily, like taking apart the kids’ boosters seats and washing them thoroughly. I also tend to do my weekly meal planning and grocery shopping on Mondays since it is the beginning of the week.

And for some reason, it stuck. When Monday arrives, I remind myself it’s “Maintenance Monday” and consider which recurring tasks I can do to get myself set up for the week. What do I need to catch up on that has been on my mind but I haven’t made time for?

This is how I feel on Mondays

It also relates well to work. On Mondays, after the weekend of being off from work, it helps to come in and get set up. I like to review what needs to be done. I don’t know about you, but sometimes it’s really hard for me to get back into work on Monday. This is a great time to complete a couple of small maintenance type tasks, such as follow ups or the technical stuff like website enhancements or updates.

These tasks don’t take as much brain power and concentration for me as working on an in-depth project or writing. And getting started with smaller tasks is often enough to get my creative juices flowing and I can move easily from there into more critical work.

So, if you are anything like me when it comes to schedule rebellion, try picking just one day where you will devote a day to prep work, setting up, catching up, and miscellaneous tasks. I particularly like Mondays because it sets the stage for the week, helps me organize my thoughts, and gives me simple tasks to complete to get started if I am feeling lethargic or slow to start.

But it doesn’t have to be Mondays, and it doesn’t have to be related to maintenance.

How about “Free-for-all Fridays” where you run around the house doing whatever comes to mind?

Or “Take Time Tuesdays” – maybe this is a “you day” where you spend a little extra time in the shower, shave your legs, schedule an exercise class, or hit a bookstore or a coffee shop for some “me” time.

The possibilities are endless. For me, this gets around the rigidity of a typical schedule, and yet it still provides for a regular space in my life to catch up on things that I might not otherwise make time for.

Here are more ideas of things you can do on Maintenance Mondays:

Kid’s hygiene
Cleaning
Deep clean
Phone calls
Bill pay
Schedule appointments
Meal Planning
Grocery Shopping
Organize a space
Digital organization

Are you good about using a schedule? I see this concept as fitting nicely into a schedule that you have already created.

Do you have certain tasks that you like to complete on particular days? I’d love to hear your tricks to getting some of the simple things done that are easy to overlook.

A Great Way to Organize Your Child’s Artwork

January 17, 2017 By Sara M. 13 Comments

Is your artwork pile growing? Does it look like this? Or, worse?

This mess was making me crazy. I have a really hard time throwing anything that the kids make away because I love it all (what can I say? I’m their MOM). But I really needed to get it under control. Part of my Sanity Plan is to create systems to be better organized and efficient. I wanted to organize their artwork in a way that allowed me to preserve it, but also still enjoy it.

I did a ton of research and finally landed on using professional artwork folios and a second flat bag to capture the larger, unusually shaped items. Most of the artwork is on letter sized paper (8.5×11 inches), but I wanted to be able to store pieces that might be a little larger than that.

I chose these because of the following features:

Ability to add extra pages
Safe for archival storage
Multiple sizes available (I chose 11×14 portrait size, but there are other variations)

I wanted to personalize them for each child, so I ordered these vinyl letters. Just their names looked a little plain, so I made the label into “NAME’S ARTWORK.”

I started with my daughter’s artwork because she’s four and I’ve accumulated the most artwork for her. I sorted it by date and once I saw everything I had, I was able to eliminate pieces that were hard to identify or didn’t demonstrate a skill she’d gained.

NOTE: One thing I’ve done that’s proven to be really helpful was to label each piece when it came home.

I typically put the child’s name, date or age, and the place or activity where it was made.

Another thing I love about the ability to add/remove pages is that I can always pare down even more artwork as we go along, especially as newer pieces come in to replace them. I can’t wait to show the kids their portfolios when they are older and give them their collection one day.

Once they were set up I put them in a drawer where I can easily access them to add additional masterpieces. While I don’t see myself filing as they come in, I will collect new artwork throughout the year, choosing what I want to keep and file once or twice a year.

It was such a relief to complete this project (it was one of my goals). I love having a system and feeling more organized with their artwork. I’ve already gotten a few new pieces and knew exactly where to store them!

This setup would also be a great gift idea for parents of a one-year old or two-year old, you could even decorate the cover a little more or add a special note on the inside. Everything I used is below:

How do you organize your child/children’s artwork? I’d love to hear your ideas in the comments.

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Hosting A Low-Stress Birthday Party for Kids

January 10, 2017 By Sara M. 26 Comments

Both my kids had birthdays recently, one on either side of Christmas so it is a really hectic time for our family. This past weekend, we had my son’s 2^nd birthday party and finally the pressure is off.

I really do love hosting parties. I love to see the kids enjoying themselves and having a reason to get together with my friends. But… I am relieved when it’s finally over. It’s just stressful planning and preparing for upcoming events, especially so close to the holidays and travel.

But this party went extremely well. It flowed so easily, the kids and the adults mixed well, and I honestly was able to really enjoy myself while hosting. Shocking, right?

I’ve been trying to think of the reasons it went so well, because I would love to replicate it for every party from here on out. Here’s what I’ve come up with:

Spread Out the Cleaning

Cleaning is not my forte. There are a lot of areas that become dumping grounds that I targeted throughout the week and everyone knew not to fill them back up because of the party. Some areas needed to be re-cleaned right before the party (like the kitchen), but only a touch up was necessary.

Prep, Prep, Prep

Most of the major prep work had to be done in advance because my stepdaughter had her first communion and a celebratory brunch that morning. This turned out to be a blessing because there wasn’t too much to do on the actual morning of the party – which made me so much more relaxed and mentally prepared for entertaining the guests. I will definitely need to implement this rule for myself in the future.

Accept Help

My girlfriend offered to bake my son’s cake, which was delicious. She also crafted a gorgeous Toy Story themed topper that I can save for a memento that just deeply touched my heart. I tend to be horrible at both asking for and accepting help but this made it all worth it. I also accepted help with cutting bread and laying out snacks, as well as cleaning midway when we transitioned to cake time. It’s so easy for me to want to do it all, but it really helped to allow others to participate (and they didn’t really seem to mind). I think these roles are often done by family, but I don’t have that kind of support.

Hire Help

I know not everyone has this option, and many people don’t need this because they have family nearby. While my husband was attending his daughter’s communion, I had my sitter come for a few hours to help with the kids and last minute prep work like cutting veggies and kitchen cleanup. Just a couple of hours made a HUGE difference. This way, I was able to run out and get the food and the balloons without having to juggle the littles.

Use Simple Decorations

I like to keep it simple with decorations. We have a banner we re-use for every birthday party. We ordered themed balloons, one set of prepackaged table toppers, and cake plates/napkins. That’s it. I’ll dress the tables up with our neutral tablecloths, but for us this is all that is needed to make the house feel festive.

Use Catering Where It Makes Sense

Money or time is the question when it comes to catering. Luckily our local grocery store offers pretty economical catering so I did a mix. We did our own veggie/salad/cheese/fruit trays and I ordered entrée style foods from the store. It was simple to reheat and I was able to provide something a little different than my standard go-tos for parties. This took a lot of the burden off of me and kept the kitchen in decent shape.

Provide Easy & Mess-Free Activities

Our parties are always for the whole family, and the mix was about 50/50 adults to kids ranging from 1-13 years old. It is super hard to entertain that large of a range but we often do a divide and conquer strategy. I am wary of providing supplies that are extremely messy for parties in case I end up with artwork on the walls. I found these great scratch off pages and stylus sticks that that the kids loved and put out coloring books and washable crayons. My husband was in charge of playing a movie for the older kids in the basement.

Make Simple Gift Bags

I am always looking for a mix between inexpensive and useful, yet still age appropriate and fun. As usual, I hit up Amazon for their selection. These were all great hits. I didn’t mind overbuying on the Model Magic because we literally use this all the time for taking to restaurants and on long trips. It’s cheap enough that you can throw it out if it gets yucky and it’s less messy than Play-Doh.

*****

I had such a wonderful time at my son’s 2^nd birthday. With every smooth transition, I kept being reminded about how fortunate I am to have my support network and awesome friends. Most people have been coming to our house for years, so everyone reacquainted easily. I will definitely be keeping these lessons in mind for future parties to keep my stress levels down.

What helps you the most with party prep? Do you get the chance to enjoy yourself during parties?

Why Mess Avoidance is WAY Better than Cleaning

September 15, 2016 By Sara M. 3 Comments

Cleaning is quite possibly my least favorite activity in the world. Actually, it might even be a tie between cleaning and exercise. I’ve even been known to refer to both as an allergy.

I’m not sure I would have signed up for this stay at home mom gig if I had known the amount of cleaning involved. Add in the second kiddo and the tack on teen and even when I try I can barely make a dent. Besides I’d rather be reading, or playing with the kids, or basically doing ANYTHING other than cleaning. I do have a weird fetish with buying cleaning supplies, though, but I may need to talk to my therapist about that.

So instead of giving this ghastly task so much attention and trying unsuccessfully to change this about myself, I simply subscribe to a new way of thinking. It’s called mess avoidance. Check out these rules we employ so there is less mess:

No pets. As much as everyone would love a dog, I can barely clean up after myself, let alone the kids. And you know no one else is going to do it. Sorry, kiddos.
Wear shoes outside. This means: do not go outside barefoot or even in socks. And while we don’t go all the way to no shoes in the house (I’d never win that battle), it does at least prevent filthy feet from tracking dirt upstairs where we do have a no shoe rule (previous owners chose white carpeting!).
Eat in the kitchen. Not in the living room, not in your bedroom, no exceptions. I’ve seen what ends up on/under the kitchen table during mealtimes. Not willing to risk it.
Drink in the kitchen. One exception being water (not so hard to clean up).
Wash your hands. I am often surprised at the sheer number of parents I know that do not teach this to their kids. Either they like cleaning or their kids don’t get messy hands. No thanks!
Contain the dirt in specific areas. One way we do this is by designating one side of the sink for clean dishes and the other for dirty dishes. Don’t let me catch you putting any dirty items or even food on the clean side!
Rinse dishes immediately. Even better, put them in the dishwasher immediately (ahem, husband).
Keep dirt from spreading. Since we do most messy things in the kitchen, that is where most of our dirt lives. Keeping the kitchen cleaned up, and floor vacuumed prevents the trail from being walked through the house.
Dry wet areas on the floor immediately. If you wear shoes in the house like we do, any wet spot will pull the dirt from your shoes onto your floor.
Use a microwave cover. If you don’t have one you need this – unless of course you like cleaning every little crevice of the microwave.
Use a splatter guard. I typically don’t fry anything (not worth the mess) but who could live without bacon? I use an extra-large all in one lid that can fit every pan I own.
Use chair covers. They must be washable and cover underneath the kids’ booster seats. We also use these in the cars as well to protect the seats from the car seats.
Use bibs. Much to my mother-in-law’s dismay, the 4-year-old still wears one if we are eating something messy.
Buy products that can be easily washed. This is more of a rule of thumb than specific products. In general, for all baby items, I made sure that all covers were removable and could be machine washed. Because: babies.
Use a large canvas for arts & crafts. We use the same one repeatedly, and I don’t care if it’s caked with paint, it dries.
Art supplies live under lock and key. If your child can get to them on their own you will likely find their artwork in unexpected places.
Get naked. If you are going to eat something ridiculously messy or do really messy arts & crafts, I often just strip the kids down. They are easier to clean than their clothes.
Take it outside (not to be combined with getting naked above). If it’s really messy, take it outside. For example, we husk corn outside to avoid the silky strings going everywhere.
Use garbage can liners. Because I’d rather die than clean out a disgusting garbage can.
Rinse toothpaste spit down immediately. I’ll take it a step further and suggest that one should attempt to aim for into the sink when spitting said toothpaste (not the mirror, or the faucet, or the counters).
Limit the number of toys. This is hubby’s rule and it certainly does help since the kids don’t seem to want to pick anything up without a fight, and yours truly doesn’t really want to do it either!

The beauty of employing a few simple practices is that you can go a really long time before other people start to notice how dirty your house really is. It is a bit of a wake-up call that I need to mop the floor when the kids’ feet are black. I should probably be doing that now…

Do you have similar rules? Please share any tips, I am always looking for ways to clean less!

30 Things You Can Do in 10 Minutes or Less

Clean

Plan/Organize

Digital Life/Finances

Get Connected

Take Care of You

Maintenance Mondays – A Scheduling Hack

A Great Way to Organize Your Child’s Artwork

Hosting A Low-Stress Birthday Party for Kids

Spread Out the Cleaning

Prep, Prep, Prep

Accept Help

Hire Help

Use Simple Decorations

Use Catering Where It Makes Sense

Provide Easy & Mess-Free Activities

Make Simple Gift Bags

Why Mess Avoidance is WAY Better than Cleaning

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Clean

Plan/Organize

Digital Life/Finances

Get Connected

Take Care of You

Spread Out the Cleaning

Prep, Prep, Prep

Accept Help

Hire Help

Use Simple Decorations

Use Catering Where It Makes Sense

Provide Easy & Mess-Free Activities

Make Simple Gift Bags

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