Make your life easier with effective systems

Life is a whirlwind, isn’t it? If you’re like me, it often seems like the weeks go by in a blur of activity…and then it’s the weekend again. Or the weekends go by so fast and when Monday rolls around, you feel like you’ve just started to wind down and the week is upon you once again.

The problem with this is that we never have a sense of peace, calm and control. A feeling that we are directing the course of our own lives. I also have hectic times, so I thought I’d share some of the systems I’ve set up to make our lives easier:

household calendar

We have a household calendar in our kitchen where we mark any commitments such as church, other ministry commitments, meetings, the gym, social events, etc. We use a system of stickers with a different color for each area of ​​life. The good thing about this system is that when there are too many stickers, we know that we are too busy. I also mark recycling collection days, when the meter should be read, and of course things like birthdays.

I combine this with planning the journal for the next week. I look at my diary on a Sunday and put in my appointments for the week. I also add any tasks I need or want to work on, such as writing articles, e-courses, newsletters, etc.

meal planning

I love planning meals because it saves me time. When I tell people this, they think I’m crazy because “how can all that planning save you time?” It’s pretty simple: a twenty-minute planning session on the weekend saves me time Monday through Friday, when I need it most. No more standing in front of the open fridge wondering what to make for dinner.

And you can still be spontaneous within the plan. I plan meals for the work week, but if I don’t feel like a particular meal that day, I switch it up and cook another day’s meal. For example, if it’s really hot and I planned to have baked potatoes with a dip, I’ll put that off for another day and make a pasta salad instead.

Tidy up and organize regularly
I board an area of ​​our house every weekend. Let’s face it: If we’re constantly buying things and bringing them into our homes and lives, clutter is constantly piling up unless we get rid of something.

It doesn’t have to be a big workout. While you are busy cooking or baking, you can tidy up one or two cabinets. I don’t trust my oven timer (it’s erratic), so I stay in the kitchen every time I bake to make sure my muffins don’t burn. Then I use the time constructively to organize my cupboards, plan my menus, write my shopping list, etc.

When you factor in just 15 minutes of cleaning and organization each weekend, you can easily maintain your home if you’re already organized. Of course, if your house isn’t anywhere near where you’d like, I suggest 15 minutes every day.

Launch pad
Do you know the place in your house where you throw your suitcases when you enter? Flylady calls this a launch pad. I like that term because she reminds me of action. We have an interesting little nook in our entry hall that I use as a launching pad and my husband uses another section near the kitchen.

Mornings are one of the worst times in most families: you can’t find your keys, wallet, bag, etc. Running around frantically and screaming happens and that’s just not fun.

The point is that we use our launch pads to prepare for tomorrows. Every night I pack my bag, my work bag, and my keys, and I leave everything here. In the mornings all I do is grab and go. Literally, once I leave the room, I walk to the fridge to get my cooler bag with my lunch, set the alarm, grab my bags from my launch pad, and walk away. And that’s two minutes tops!

Now, I come to you. What systems can you implement to make your life easier?