Leave the house, on time, every time!

by | Feb 23, 2017 | Home Organisation, Tips

Organise

Get to get organised

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I don’t know about you, but I find it easy to run late if I’m not organised.

I worked with a client recently to help her get organised. Her biggest gripe was that she was always running late. Late to work. Late to pick up the kids. Late to visit friends. Late with dinner. And she wanted to fix this problem.

I know myself, if I’m not organised then I am guaranteed to run late. So I could totally understand where she was coming from. So here’s my tips to help you get out the door, on time, every time.

Planning  

It all comes down to planning. It doesn’t have to be military precision, but the more planning you do, the more likely you will be on time. Plus, the more kids you have, the more planning you need to do. So for example, if you know you are going somewhere tomorrow morning, then work out:

  • What time you need to leave to get their on time.
  • Consider if you need to allow extra time to park or if you will hit peak hour or school traffic.
  • Do you need to get petrol on the way?

Then allow an extra 10 minutes, as a buffer. So if you had planned on leaving at 9.15am aim to be in the car at 9.05am. Easy!

Communicate  

If you are taking the kids then ensure they know what is expected of them in the morning. Explain the night before, that they will need to be up at a set time in the morning.

Allow extra time

 As I mentioned above, factor in a 10 minute buffer zone. I’ve got little kids and it never fails that as soon as you are ready to get in the car, they do a poo. So their nappy needs to be changed. And, if you’ve got big kids, they still need to be managed too.

How long does it take to do one’s hair?

I mean really!

Do you really need to be snap chatting or texting at 8am in the morning!

Most teenage kids only know one pace. Dawdle!

Plus some kids are just not morning risers. So you need to plan for this. Explain the night before what the deal is. What time they will need to be up in the morning. And then stay one step ahead of them by calling them 15 minutes earlier than required.

Organise your clothes the night before

Each night I work out what I am going to be wearing for the following day. It’s out, ironed and ready to go. Then, there’s no procrastinating in the morning about what to wear. If you want to be super organised, plan your wardrobe on Sunday. Iron and hang it some separate so you are organised for the entire week. Easy!

I do this for my kids as well. So, then I’m not running around trying to find their clothes in the morning. Plus it avoids arguments.

If they are at the stage where they want to dress themselves, then get them involved. Get them to choose their own clothes the night before. There’s nothing worse in the morning. You’re now running late. You’re screening at the kids to get in the car and you realise your daughter is dressed like a bumble bee!

Don’t waste time looking for lost keys

Have one spot where your keys and phone get put. Perhaps you need to hang a hook inside the front door. Or set up a “drop zone” somewhere in your house where your keys and phone are put religiously.

Is it in the top draw in the kitchen? A bowl setting on the bench.  Or on the hallway table. Basically whatever works for your home!

Get up 15 minutes earlier than planned

I find this really useful, especially if you have to get kids organised to. Get up, get yourself organised and perhaps even have your breakfast first. You want to avoid shoving cold toast in your mouth as you run out the door…running late again!

The Lifestylers Group is a professional organising and decluttering service, based in Melbourne and assisting clients in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane and Perth.

Don’t make these 4 mistakes when decluttering

by | Sep 22, 2016 | Declutter tips, Home Office, Home Organisation, Tips

Don’t make these 4 mistakes when decluttering. If you keep motivated and inspired you will achieve great results. Make sure you have a plan and keep focused on the job at hand. Their is nothing more rewarding than standing back and admiring your work, once the job is done. I often find myself going back to a cupboard that I have organised, opening the doors and having a quick peek in to see my decluttering effort.

 

 1. You don’t think there is a problem

Time to declutter your wardrob

Time to declutter and organise your wardrobe

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You have become so use to living in a mess that it has become normal. It doesn’t worry you anymore that the dining room table is full of papers and stuff. You cannot see the office floor because of all the paperwork lying around but that is fine because you have just become accustom to it. You get frustrated when you go to get dressed for work because you cannot find anything, but that’s just normal now because it happens every morning.

 

2. You procrastinate

It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the job at hand and just not do anything because you don’t know where to start. If you are struggling then perhaps book the services of a declutter expert to help you. It’s amazing how motivated you become once you know someone is coming to your house to go through your wardrobe!!

 

3.  You don’t have a plan

To do list

To do list

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

You need a vision if you are going to get anywhere. Often clients stand at the door to the room and because they don’t know where to start, they simply close the door again.

It’s easy to get overwhelmed so having a plan or a vision is essential. I always ask clients how they visualize the room once it has been decluttered. It helps them to get inspired and motivated about the declutter process plus they have a goal to work towards.

I also recommend decluttering one shelve at a time. Start small, work through that area then start on the next one. Use these 4 categories as a guide to help you group declutter and group items.

  1. Keep
  2. Cull (throw)
  3. Donate
  4. Repair.

 

4. You lose motivation

Declutter and get organised

Declutter and get organised

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It’s easy to lose motivation especially if you cannot see much of an impact in the room you have been working in.

Decluttering can be a big job especially if you have a room full of stuff. If you are decluttering an office it can be much harder than decluttering a wardrobe because you physically have to inspect each piece of paper in case it relates to tax. Where as you can make a big impact in a wardrobe in a small amount of time by simply throwing out a couple of big, bulky items. Therefore, it’s important to remind yourself that your mess that may have been building up over a number of months or years, is not going to disappear in a matter of minutes. It might take a couple of hours or even a couple of days to see a difference.

It might also be a good idea to get a declutter expert to help you. They make you accountable and they can give you work to do in-between visits. We often give our clients “homework “to do before we come back and see them again. It helps our clients stay motivated because they have a deadline to work towards.

The Lifestylers Group can work with you to declutter and organise any part of your house: the kitchen, pantry, home office, bedrooms or garage.