December was a whirlwind of chaos and busyness unlike any other month of the year. Now that the magic of the holidays is over and the dust is beginning to settle, I am left feeling completely exhausted.
Don’t get me wrong, I am very thankful as well. This was our family’s best Christmas yet and we were able to spend good quality time together. And as a military family that is something I do not take for granted.
Now I am looking ahead to the new year, I am wanting to make some personal resolutions and actually follow through on them.
As a mother of three, I have realized I need more organization in my life. Not just strolling the aisles of Target buying new matching bins that just end up with random things frantically thrown in them. Nope. I am referring to mental and physical organization. The kind that will help me cut down on daily stress and anxiety allowing for more peaceful moments with my children.
So how does one achieve this goal? I am not actually sure yet, but I do have a few ideas I would like to try.
My Ideas On How To Get More Organized
A To-Do List
I decided to start every day with a realistic to-do list. I used to create one daily when I worked full-time. However, since becoming a stay-at-home mom I have found that my mind is all over the place. This is mostly due to exhaustion, of course, and then my weekly to-do lists feel too daunting. But, I found some super cute “to-do” list stationery for just $3 and I am going to put it to good use!
Delegate
This is going to be my year to delegate! I am so used to doing it all because that’s what moms do, right? Wrong!
My daughter is now five and a half years old and has a newfound passion for cleaning. Honestly, she loves to clean and I even overhear her telling her brother to pick up his toys and throw away his trash. Not that he ever does it… still, she makes me proud.
So delegating tasks to my daughter and my husband is going to be one of my priorities in order to lighten the load.
Time For Myself
I am going to find 30 minutes a day to do something relaxing just for ME. For so many years I was severely lacking in the self-care department. I was in the trenches and just ignored self-care all together. That is unless my mom was in town visiting, which was only a couple of times a year.
This led to exhaustion, burn out, depression and an array of other issues. Around that time I started blogging as a form of self-care. It was then that I fell in love with writing all over again. It was my peace in the midst of chaos.
I used to think self-care only referred to pedicures, massages, and shopping days. Now I know it is so much more than that. It is realizing that you are a person too who deserves free time to enjoy whatever it is you enjoy doing, and not feel an ounce guilt about it. Personally, self-care leads to increased productivity and therefore my “to-do” list gets knocked out quicker.
Cut Out The Clutter
Lastly, I am going to try and cut down on the clutter in my house. I swear my kids each have 1,001 toys in their rooms that I am constantly having to pick up. Less clutter equals less cleaning and less cleaning leads to more time for fun.
So the garbage bags are coming out! With the help of my kids, I am going to start donating anything we don’t use or play with. And this time, I will not let the bags sit in the garage for three months first.
Wow, I am feeling more organized already!
