Oh how I wish I were an organized person. I have to work really hard to be organized and it usually doesn't last long. Something I've realized since getting serious about being healthy is that organization is SO important.
1. FOOD: Organizing your meals for the week, your pantry, your prepped food (snacks) for the week. Healthy meals don't just happen, they take some preparation and planning.
2. HOUSE: It may sound weird, but I've come to realize that the more organized and clean my house is,the healthier we are. We have more time to spend on working out, planning meals and cooking. We are a somewhat messy family, not gross messy, but cluttered, not picking up after ourselves messy. I literally spend half of my day picking up after everyone in our family. Imagine if I had just half of that time free, oh the things I could do.
3. SCHEDULE: Not the best in this area either. My husband has never been one to stick to a schedule or be on time for anything and I can't say I'm much better. Since my daughter has started preschool and other activities we are becoming more scheduled. I've learned that I am going to have to get more of routine down, especially for the kids. I never realized how much they need it until lately. The days that I do stick to a schedule I notice that things are more peaceful and everyone seems so much happier at the end of the day, especially my husband. You may be wondering what this has to do with being healthy, well I'll tell you. If we are sticking to a schedule that means eating at the right times (very healthy for you), I have more time to fix healthy meals (obviously good), no excuses not to make it to the gym or get your workout in (it's already scheduled) and on and on.
4. BUDGET: When a budget is not set, it's easy to spend too much and not have much left to put towards healthy options, like organic or a gym membership.
My challenge for the month of September is to get organized. Here's the plan:
A) Organize each room of the house. I found a 31 day organization plan on pinterest. I always see these organizing blogs and articles and think "oh, that's nice for them". But I found one that I think is doable for me. Each day you tackle a different area of the house and clean it out and put anything you don't need or want into bags. Those bags go into the trash or goodwill. It's a way of simplifying your house. We have too much junk that we don't need, it's time to clean it out and get closer to just the basics. The less stuff we have, the less messy the house can get, leaving less for me to do when it comes to cleaning.
B) We are going to make a schedule and stick to it as closely as possible. It will be posted in the kitchen and followed everyday. We need to set a routine and start new habits. I thought this would be a great way to work on that.
C) We are going to set a budget and stick to it. Here is a tricky one for us. With as much traveling as we do and as many home remodels that we always have going on, all of our extra money gets spent pretty quickly. So it's budget time whether we like it or not!
D) Going along with the budget and schedule we will be going back to eating out 2 or 3 times a month. And I will be planning healthy meals for the week.
So, by the end of the month, my house should be cleaned out, we should be on a routine, we will have stuck to a budget and paid off some debt and we will have only eaten out a few times. That's the goal, wish us luck! Be watching for updates. If I can get organized then anyone can!
Update 9/27:
The month is almost over and it feels so good. I feel like a huge weight is lifted off of my shoulders. Here is what I've done so far.
A)
Day 1: Clean out my clothes, shoes, closet
Day 2: Clean out husbands clothes, shoes, closet
Day 3: Clean out daughter's clothes, shoes and closet
Day 4: Clean out son's clothes, shoes and closet
Day 5: Clean out linen closet
Day 6: Clean out kids bathroom drawers and closet
Day 7: Clean out playroom
Day 8: Clean out coat closet
Day 9: Clean out entertainment center drawers and cabinets
Day 10: Clean out desk drawers and shelves
Day 11: Organize kids books
Day 12: Clean out pantry and refrigerator
Day 13: Straighten up basement
Day 14: Clean out papers (file cabinet, stacks of magazines and paperwork, etc.)
Day 15: Clean out laundry room
Day 16: Clean out garage
There were a few days of rest and just basic cleaning in between some days. When I clean something out, I filled some garbage bags with things to throw away and the others with things to give away. With the kids clothes, I used tupperware boxes to pack their clothes away in the basement.
B) The scheduling is not perfect yet, but it is a large improvement. I bought a calendar (I hardly ever hang calendars, that should show you how unorganized I've been in the past) and started filling it in immediately. I also made an organization station in the kitchen right next to the refrigerator where I will see it everyday. It has helped so much not wondering "was there something I was supposed to do tomorrow." I also have started more of a cleaning schedule. Thursdays are laundry days, do the dishes every night before bed, Wednesday's are grocery days, etc. Between all of the organization and the cleaning schedule, our house has stayed so much cleaner on a daily basis. I actually wouldn't be THAT embarrassed if someone dropped by.
C) The budget, let's just say was a really good effort. It also was not perfect, but a huge improvement. I went to cash for everything except bills and gas. It's a lot harder to spend cash when you can physically see how much you have left for the month. I was more conscience of the price of food and not buying extras at the store. I also stayed away from Target, my weakness.
D) Eating out was kept to a minimum. I planned meals for the week, allowing one night for eating out or leftovers. I cooked 6 days a week, which really wasn't that hard. Each meal doesn't have to be gourmet, just a simple healthy meal. Maybe splurge once a week on a more elaborate meal. I also post the menu for the week on the fridge, so there was never the conversation "what do you want for dinner, I don't care, what do you want?, I don't know, what are my choices?" or "What's for dinner tonight?" It's really not that hard to plan the meals. Something I have started doing is when I find a recipe online, I print it off. If I find one in a book, either copy it or write it down on letter paper. Get a binder and some plastic covers and start putting the recipes in the binder as you make them. Write notes on the recipe, like "we loved this one" or "left out the onions and added peppers". Keep filling that binder until you have about 30 recipes in it. Now you have a month's worth of recipes in one book. I will talk more about this in next month's challenge.
I would definitely recommend everyone having an organization month. Just one month of working hard, will make a big difference in your day to day life. I know I am much happier and more relaxed now.
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