WIP Wednesday:: My Home Management Guide

(the above picture has nothing to do with this post, but it was just so pretty I wanted to share!)

Lately things around here have gotten...well, chaotic. In the untidy sense! I hate it when the house gets like this (which lately has been most of the time), but always feel at a loss for what to do about it. I have toyed with the idea of a home binder before (FLYlady calls them control journals) but have never really taken the time to pull together even the basic steps. Mostly because I wasn't sure what they were! Enter this wonderful blog: Want What You Have, particularly This section. My friend shared the link with me and I've been working slowly but surely on it since that night. I have a long way to go, but I think that with the daily schedule and cleaning lists in place I have enough to start putting it into action! So I thought I'd give you a little peak inside what I'm working on... pictures should all be clickable if you want to read what I have.

For starters, my binder is a 3" wide Avery conference D-ring binder, with a one hand ring opener, front and back interior pockets and clear vinyl pockets on the outside. (sounds like a car, huh?)

(the section papers I have are from a system called the Maidservant, I never could get going with this one, but I do love the pages! The booklet that comes with it is helpful too) My first section is "Prayer", but right now it only has a layout of what to read each day to complete the Bible in a year. So I'll show that later when it's more useful. Today is about the "Cleaning" section.

Let me start by saying that I think the key to this thing working is the pretty paper. I got mine at Staples, and for about $14.00 I got 200 sheets and I L-O-V-E it! Opening up to see this really makes a big difference! I put all of my pages into clear page protectors, so they stay nice and neat and tidy. (And if I have changes to make I can either stick a tabby with my notes right onto it, or just write it on with a dry erase marker to be wiped off later.) Okay, where was I....

First I have our new daily schedule. New. Like, I just finished it. We start tomorrow, trying for a half day, and the after dinner part, we'll work our way up from there! It's simple and straight forward, and takes the thinking out of my day. Because really, I'm terribly scatter brained these days and I just can't count on my brain to be there when I need it!

Then I have my day-of-the-week jobs. When you're making up your lists, she actually has you make your daily tasks list first, (which I did) but for a two page layout, I liked having this next. A simple break down of what has to happen each day of the week to avoid a really big cleaning day. That works for some people I realize, but with two small children each day is too much of a variable to be able to say "Friday I scrub my whole house", where as I can plan an hour or two's worth of work and spread it out as I can over the day.

Flip the page and you will see my Daily Tasks. These are those jobs that absolutely must happen or you will be embarrassed to open the door all the way type things. Bare bones, "get these things done and you will be able to sleep at night" type things. I have planned 40 minutes in the morning, and 40 minutes in the afternoon, along with a few reminders of things I should be doing throughout the day.

Thursday is my Kitchen Deep cleaning day, so here I have all of my tasks listed out for that day.

Almost every day, in addition to the day-of-the-week jobs, I have a spot for one monthly/quarterly or bi-annual job. I can just choose which one I feel like doing/have the time for (etc.) and knock it off of my list so that I don't have to have just one giant day to take care of them all. An exciting idea, don't you think?

Now, this isn't in my binder, but it is helpful to me. I have another copy of my daily schedule printed up and in a clear page protector on my fridge. This allows for quick referencing, and serves as a visual reminder to stay on target throughout the day. (Jenny was thrilled that she got a piece of special paper lol)

And this little $5.00 magnetic white board is the best marriage tool ever! Joe likes me to just write what I need him to do/have on his radar down, but we were always loosing the list and it just wasn't working well. Neither was me "reminding" him. So this is great. :) I found it and the day of the week magnets at WalMart. I just jot down what I need him to do that day (a big job on the weekend or something like that), and when he gets home from work he checks it and most days he can get right to it. I don't have to remember (or forget) anything and he doesn't have to be "reminded" whenever I see him. ;)

Look out for some finished project posts coming soon!