If we don’t plan or organize our homes, times, activities, etc. we may find our lives being too full, too empty, or simply frustrating. But we can limit the amount of wasted time and space, the amount of frustrations if we will simply seek to organize.
Why want an organized home, schedule, life, etc.? Personally, I want to have a home and life where my family can feel things like love, peace, comfort and joy-fruits of the spirit. I want to have a home where most of the time spent as a family is doing things that bring joy. I want to have a home where decisions can be made easily and willingly. I believe these things are more likely to be accomplished when we seek to organize ourselves, our home and our time.
Some things that I have found that help accomplish these desires:
- Living the gospel of Jesus Christ, really making it a part of who I and the members of my family are. President Ezra Taft Benson said, "When we put God first, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities." (Ensign, May 1988).
- Taking care of our health. Getting enough and a proper balance of rest, food, and recreation/exercise.
- Individuals within the family take care to fulfill their responsibilities and work together to accomplish goals willingly.
- Properly planning and preparing for activities, routines, the day, etc.
- Things having a proper place (both in hearts and in home) and being cared for and cleaned regularly.
Some things that I believe may hinder or prevent the above mentioned desires from being accomplished:
- Not living the gospel of Jesus Christ daily and fully.
- Unbalanced health: too little or too much sleep, food, exercise.
- Individuals within the family are unable or unwilling to fulfill their responsibilities and/or don’t work together well.
- Improper planning and preparation for the day, activities
- Things not working properly, not taken care of or things not having their own spot or not being put in their own spot; things &/or schedules becoming more important than relationships.
Some examples of planning:
Time & things: Most of the time my family is early for church on Sunday. But, occasionally we lose track of time or didn’t properly plan by having everything ready before Sunday--like making sure everything is clean and ironed, or even can be found because it is in its place. I personally don’t like to be late and so by being organized in time and things, I do more to prevent tardiness.
Budget: When shopping, if I take time to go through the ads, to write down prices and such, and make menus based on what I already have that needs to be used and on whats on sale, I do a better job of sticking within the budget I have.
Cleaning: In regards to cleanliness of a home, like surfaces being cleaned regularly, cleanliness is on a pendulum, it comes and goes quickly--though it stays cleaner longer when everyone is asleep or gone. Things will not stay cleaned indefinitely, especially with kids or pets. But thinking through the cleaning that needs to be done can help make use of the time and reduce stress caused by repetition. What I mean by this is like waiting to mop until after the yard work is done so that it won't need to be done again after dirt is tracked in, or cleaning from top to bottom, left to right (or right to left as long as you are consistent) so things don't get dirty again while doing something on top or next to it. Also planning who is going to do what & when (by what time is it to be done?), as well as how it is to be done--if you want things done a specific way you will need to plan training time into the cleaning time.
Below are some thoughts from a RS class I taught on home organization 4 or 5 years ago.
In order to organize ourselves, our home, etc. we need to consider some basic steps or preparations to do so. These would include:
1. Desire and motivation to change current habits, lifestyles, living areas, etc. in order to become organized.
2. Have specific goals in mind, write them down, post them where they will be seen, and make sure family members are aware of these goals and can participate.
3. Set your plan in motion. You can do it, seek the help of the Lord and you will be guided.
4. Periodically schedule a review/evaluation of how things are going, praise yourself for what you have accomplished, decide if and where more changes are needed, etc.
The answers to the following questions will also help to know where to begin, how to tailor a plan for individuals and families and how to not to do more at once than you can handle so we can be diligent in what we do choose to do.
1. Why do you want to be organized? What goals do you have in regards to becoming organized?
2. What keeps you from being organized, or rather what do you feel hinders you from feeling organized? (interruptions, health, scheduling, kids, small areas, large areas, no room, etc.) These things shouldn't give us the go ahead to not be organized, they may slow us down, but certainly shouldn't stop us from reaching our goals.
3. What do you like to do, what would you do with the time &/or freed up by being organized?
4. What is irritating you and/or your family members? (what's for dinner?, I can't find..., phone interruptions, last minute runs to grab/do this or that..., etc.)
5. Do I really need this/that? When do I use this? Could someone else use this more than me? This of course is referring to items, but could also refer to things eating away our time--TV, activities, etc.
6. Do I think things through before doing them? Why do I do certain things, or in a certain way--is it really because it is efficient and the best way to do it or simply because don't know another way? Example: how clean the bathroom--what do you start and end with, do you end up doing something over again because did it before doing something else?
I hope these questions and thoughts help in making any changes that would make life more bearable, more enjoyable and easier.
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