Thursday 2 October 2014

Organise Your Life - Part 2 The Sanity Folder




Wowsers you guys - your response to last week's post on organising your life was HUGE. Literally one of my most hit posts ever, so thank you!

So I promised that this week I would share my 'sanity folder' with you. Remember the folder that goes everywhere with you and promises to keep you sane?

Yeah that one.

Holy crap - that was a big call wasn't it?

A folder that promises to keep you sane.

Now I'm quietly pooping my pants in case you read this and then curse me as the white van drags you away screaming "SHE PROMISED IT WOULD KEEP ME SAAAAAANE".

Alright, so truth be told - if the padded suite and straight jacket have already been pre-booked, I can't guarantee that this folder will save your ass, but, it will at least keep you organised enough to know who to call, what you were supposed to be doing (if you weren't being led away by the white coats) and what you were supposed to be cooking for dinner that night.

Basically this 'sanity folder' goes with me everywhere... and I mean everywhere.

In it is everything I need to do for that day (or week) so that if I ever find myself in a position where I am sitting around waiting, you know like at the Drs surgery or sports training yada yada, it means I can still be productive rather than sitting there and twiddling my thumbs.

I worked out that on any given day, there was at least an hour (double that on some days) of wasted time. 15 minutes waiting for an appointment here, 10 minutes waiting at school pick up there, 45 minutes to an hour in the car waiting for sports training to finish.

You get the idea.

Now usually I would be sitting there wasting time and stressing about all the things I need to do. The folder came about as a way of allowing me to use that time to actually do those things that need to be done rather than sitting there just thinking about them.

Enough of the waffling already, let me show you.
2. THE SANITY FOLDER

WHAT YOU NEED

  • A folder of some type - the cuter the better... obviously
  • Your Weekly Calendar and Work schedule (if applicable)
  • A daily to do list (see below)
  • A menu planner (see below)
  • A monthly calendar (I use this awesome one from The Organised Housewife)
  • A bull dog clip
  • A note pad

So the idea is simple, I carry the folder around with me and in it is everything I need to get things done when I am out and about - my calendars, schedules, to do list, and all the bits and pieces I need to follow up, do, pay, reply to etc.

 Let me show you what is currently in my folder.


1. The folder which has been embellished with cute washi tape and stickers, cause that's how I roll.

2. On the inside cover (on the left) is some cards I need to write when I get a chance - when I buy the card it goes straight into this folder until it gets attached to a gift or posted. I also keep here a list of projects or blog post ideas too.

3.  My weekly work schedule so pretty much wherever I am, I still know what I need to do work wise.

4. My daily to do list which is broken up into 3 columns 
  1. work - things I need to do specifically that day for work
  2. family stuff - appointments, bills to pay, cards to write, rsvps, etc, 
  3. errands- things I need to do or pick up whilst I am out and about

5. My month at a glance calendar so I know where everyone needs to be, special events, birthdays etc

6. Bills that need paying, parties that need an RSVP / gifts to buy, prescriptions or forms to be filled out etc

7. My running to do list, everything gets written on here including long term stuff and then I move it across to my daily to do list as applicable.

8. I keep a copy of my weekly meal planner in here so I can fill out next week's plan when I have a moment.

9. My shopping list, which I add to when I do my weekly meal plan. I also have it handy to grab stuff I need when I am out and about.

So that's pretty much it. Everything I need to function and actually get stuff done when I have unexpected time on my hands or I'm waiting - which let's face it, as a parent, we spend plenty of time waiting around.

 It's how I stay sane ... or at least semi sane!

What do you think? Do you do something similar
Would this work for you?


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