Today is quite humbling, but that’s kind of the theme of my entire site, right? I’ve been humbled, you’ve been humbled…and we’re all learning together.
For a while now, I’ve wanted to share with you what I consider to be one of my worst–if not the worst mistakes I’ve made as a homemaker.
Ready?
I quit using a day planner. Actually, after my second child was born, I stopped using a calendar period. And I quit living on a schedule.
It has been so incredibly detrimental to my family, my home and even my own health (more about that in the weeks to come…how’s that for a hint?).
You see, I never was much of a scheduled person. I don’t think I used a planner at all until I was in college. Then, all freshmen were required to use one, and I actually fell in love with how it helped my oh-so-scatter-brained self keep all my assignments and appointments together.
Before that, I was the classic straight A student, but I was always, always flying by the seat of my pants. I said I worked best under pressure. But I have to wonder how much better my work would have been if I hadn’t waited until the last minute to do everything.
Some of my earliest school memories are up my sweet mom staying up with me until the wee hours of the morning to help me finish a project (I’m talking late elementary school science fairs!). I remember us both talking about computers being from the devil when the printer would jam the old-styled green and white paper. It always seemed to happen right when I had a project due, and the stress would weary us both.
(Hmmmm, if I had prepared in advance, the last-minute paper jam wouldn’t have amounted to much!)
After college, I continued to use a planner and keep up with my appointments, etc….until I became a stay-at-home mom. Just like the breastpump, I had felt tied to my planner as a working mom, and I was ready to throw it out the window.
And so, I gave it up. After all, why do stay-at-home moms have to live on a schedule? Wasn’t being a stay-at-home mom the life? Couldn’t my baby and I both stay in our pjs all day long, watch Sesame Street and eat bon bons while lounging on the couch?
Ha! By the time baby #2 came along, I learned that flying by the seat of your pants and motherhood do not mix. That year was especially tough. I was dealing with PPD, and Baby Girl #2 wasn’t the healthiest baby. I was constantly running her to doctor’s and chiropractic appointments and trying to balance not one but two Bible studies. (Yes, what was I thinking?!)
I just couldn’t keep up, and my daily mantra was: “I just can’t get it together! I just can’t get it together!”
Those who know me the best know that I still don’t have it together. You can teach an old dog new tricks, but when those tricks have been shaped over the course of 30-some years, it takes a while.
Here are some resources that are helping me turn around my worst homemaking mistake of not living on a schedule:
1. Homemaker’s Friend
I love, love, love this little planner. (Have you entered the giveaway for one yet? It ends tomorrow!)
I’ll be honest: A few weeks ago I almost canceled the giveaway. Why? Well, I figured you all were a little givewayed out, and, plus, I wasn’t doing so hot on keeping myself scheduled. Then Sue sent me and my ad manager, Nicole, a planner to try.
Oh.my.goodness: I fell in love! As much as I try to be an electronic gal, at heart I’m at my best with pen and paper. This planner reminds me so much of that first planner I used in college–except that it is designed specifically for a homemaker by a very seasoned homemaker. The best part? It fits in my purse!
Read all about it here. (Right now it’s half price!!)
2. Clean Mama Printables
Clean Mama is one of our sponsors this month–and for good reason. I discovered Becky’s Clean Mama printables several months back, and I fell in love! She sells them on Etsy, and there are printables for just about every planning need imaginable! I had used printables before, but I don’t think I had ever found ones so pretty. I love her color schemes! I especially love the health and fitness printables!
3. List PlanIt
I won a membership to List PlanIt last summer, and I am 99.9% sure I am probably going to renew my annual membership. List PlanIt contains printables similar to Clean Mama’s except that you can type into them, so you don’t have to print them out unless you absolutely want to.
Stephanie at Keeper of the Home reviewed the site’s new set-up last week–which is pretty cool considering that now you don’t even have to store all the documents on your own hard drive. List PlanIt has made it available for you to keep a lot of your lists right on their site!
4. Getting It Together: Your Guide to Setting Up a Home Management System that Works
I had always wanted to set up a home management binder, but because organization does not come naturally to me, I needed someone to hold my hand and walk me through it–step-by-step. Kayse Pratt does that in her fairly-new ebook, Getting it Together: Your Guide to Setting Up a Home Management System that Works. This book is a quick read and comes with 30 printables to get your home management binder started. And it’s only $3.99!
5. Controlling the Spin Within
A couple months back I was incredibly blessed by weekly mentor meetings with family manager coach Holly of Controlling the Spin Within. I went on to take her 6-week home management class, and, wow, she is a treasure full of wisdom!
What I love best about Holly is that she is real. She has been out of the season I am currently in for quite some time (her boys are in high school and college), but she remembers! Praise God–someone remembers!
She gave me so much encouragement and motivation! I haven’t seen her for a while, but I am meeting up with her tomorrow, and I am just so excited! She radiates God’s love and has such a heart to mentor young moms like me who struggle to stay on a schedule!
Do you ever struggle to stay on a schedule or struggle with organization? What has been your worst homemaking mistake?
Disclosure: I have included affiliate links in this post.
Top Image by eagle1effi
AineMistig
Are you sure we aren’t sisters? You just described ME when it comes to my academic history and scheduling!!! I got a couple of books on the subject, but I haven’t really read them. X(
But I’m hoping your links will prove more helpful! Thank you!
beth
I am just a procrastinator. times 7. I try to do big things every week to help myself out, or little things daily, and I just get too lazy, distracted by making dinner, or distracted by playing with my lil daughter.
Cheryl L Stansberry
I need a planner desperately. I have a Ph.D. in procrastination (haha) and every day is a struggle!
[email protected]
I have ADHD so using a planner is critical to my success. Anytime I get tired of it and tell my family I’m not going to use it anymore, they freak out. They know that bad things happen when mama doesn’t use her planner. Even now that they’re grown, they know it’s still a bad thing.
I use a ring bound planner and usually make my own pages. It works for me – I’m a bit of a rebel, I guess.
I hope you’ll be able to get back on track. It really does make life go better.
Lynda
I am computer literate, etc., but I definitely prefer written records for planning. I also cannot use weekly calendars, I have to use daily calendars. My problem is I am disabled and unable to clean and organize my house as I used to be so type A about, and my husband works most of the time. When he isn’t working, he is renovating our home. There is no way I can keep the house clean. He won’t allow me to hire a maid and at this point, I would be ashamed that it is dirty.
By the way, this is a major issue for the disabled and elderly. It isn’t that we don’t want to keep our homes clean and organized, we cannot physically do it any longer. I would love to simplify and downsize, but my husband “doesn’t get it,” and he doesn’t see things the way I do.
Becky - Clean Mama
Calendars and a good list are musts for me too! Thank you for the highlight!
xo, Becky
Kimberly
Planners and organizers are a HUGE help in this “line of work”. 🙂 I’ve tried to do the “I don’t need to write it down because I’m sure I’ll remember it” method, but after baby #2 my memory completely left and still hasn’t returned. I used to have such a great memory! Thanks for the suggestions and resources. Looking forward to checking them out!
Kate
Trying to get it together is the whole theme of my blog! I could get by before I had kids this way( I am a last minute person too. Like, doing the assignment in the class before, buying a birthday gift on the way to the party last minute). But now that I have child (ren) I need to change my ways. I hope I win that planner!!
Kate
Prerna@The Mom Writes
Ooh.. I am a planner and list maker all through.. I have a home management binder that has the Master Schedules and To-Do lists among other things.. For weekly and daily stuff, I absolutely LOVE my Dotmine Day planner and am heartbroken they’re no longer in business.. I think for next year I will check out Homemaker’s Friend.. I also use a nifty to-do list app on my Android called Wunderlist.. It syncs well with my iPad and Mac and so I have my to-do list on-the-go as well.. 🙂
Mary
The twitter handle in the follow on twitter entry won’t work.
I loved the planners we used in college, and I too have gotten away from it! I need to get back to that!