Getting Organised – With Help from “The Kids”

Are we able to get organised and STAY organised? Is it possible to get our children involved? Will they help effectively?

The answers are yes, yes and yes. With a little planning and knowledge, you can get organised, and by getting the children involved they will see the value and help you stay organised because they were part of the process (and it will give them something to do during those extra long Christmas holidays).

Here are some of Busy Mothers top tips for getting and staying organised:

1. Take Stock – what is it that bothers you most? The messy pantry? The fact toys are everywhere? The problem of having to decide what is for dinner every night when you finish with work? Work out what area causes you the most grief and start there.
2. Start Small – don’t expect to be able to go from chaos; (whether it be complete and utter, or only sporadic), to picture perfect organisation all in one hit. Choose one area, divide that up into little sections and work on one small section at a time.
3. Get “The Kids” involved – tell them what you are doing and why. Stress the importance to you and to them so they know why they are doing it.
4. All Hands on Deck – once you have decided which area to tackle first, give everyone a job to make the process faster. Rearranging the pantry to make it easier to find things? – let the children sort all the tins, packets etc into groups; Organising the toys? - get the children to create labels to go on the outside of toy boxes to indicate what goes inside.
5. Congratulate – once you have finished your first section, don’t jump into the next. Give yourself and your helpers the congratulations due, and allow yourself time to appreciate what you have achieved.
6. Make it a Habit – once organised get into the habit of keeping it the way you want it; put the toys away every night at the same time, ensure your pantry stays the way you have set it up, let the children help you so it is their habit too.
7. Maintain – once you have established the habit, give yourself time to maintain it before jumping into the next section. Make sure everyone has the habit.
8. Where To Next – once you a comfortable maintaining part 1, move on to the next section.

By starting small, then giving yourself time to ‘stick’ to your new organisational systems you are more likely to succeed in the long term. If you set your goals too high too soon, you are expecting instant success and that doesn’t often happen. Being organised is a skill that, like all skills, requires practice in order to get it right and succeed.

Article Source: http://www.therepozitory.com.au

Gillian Cornwell is one half of the Busy Mothers team. Busy Mothers, www.busymothers.com.au, aim is to support parents in the challenging task of raising children. Home of The Busy Mothers Companion your one stop resource for getting yourself and your family organised. Busy Mothers wants to make your family time count.

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