Getting Out Of The House On Time
Thank you to Carolyn Verhoef from Out of The Box Solutions for her guest blog this week. Getting children organised can be exhausting and stressful – Carolyn provides some tips on how to make it easier.
How To Get Out Of The House On TIME!
How many times have you planned to be somewhere but somehow something always keeps you from being on time?
Then when you manage to be on time, you’ve left something behind!!
Hopefully it wasn’t one of the kids!?
Families are busier than ever before, for most families both parents are working and increasingly mums are working from home running small and micro businesses.
This is where I can help! I’m going to share with you my best “Expert” Professional Organiser Tips to help you be on time, create calm mornings with energy and sanity intact.
Did you know that in a survey by the Australian Bureau of Statistics they found that in 82% of couple families with children under 15 where both parents were employed, one or both parents always or often felt rushed or pressed for time.
There has to be a better way to live in today’s’ world!? How can we enjoy all the wonderful things that are available to us without all this stress on our time and attention?
What I’ve discovered is that not everyone knows how to be organised, and that’s completely OK! Being a well-organised person requires a teacher, no one is born with an organising gene!
To be organised and on time all you need is:
- A plan
- Systems in your spaces
- A healthy balance in everything you do.
Here are my top strategies to help you create some calm and balance in trying to get out of the house ontime and some ways to be more effective in working from home.
#1.
Stop going around in circles by making a plan first. Did you know that researchers found just 1hr of planning will save 10hrs of doing!!
Get the household ready for the week ahead.
First, make a plan tonight for the rest of the week’s activities.
Second, allot time chunks to each task that have to be completed before you leave for or start work at home.
Identify the tasks that are taking the most time to complete, do these first!!
#2.
Pack bags ready to go for sports days, stay over’s, extracurricular activities etc the night before. You will be amazed how much time this saves!
Go a step further and create pack lists for each day of the week for each member of the household. Laminate and post up where all can see and make older kids responsible for their bag packing each evening.
Keep an exit zone by the door you leave the house from for these items.
#3.
Limit the time zappers.
To get out of the house in stress free with no yelling, “Go brush your teeth, pack your bag, and put your uniform on!” Make a commitment not to use your computer, TV, phone or check emails and Facebook until everyone is ready for work and school.
Distractions like these will all zap your time before you even realise it. Sounds easy but we all do it!!!
#4.
Get systems into your spaces to work for you. Did you know that according to researchers the average person spends 55 minutes a day looking for things they know they own but cannot find?
That adds up to a total of almost 14 days a year people spend just trying to find lost things.
Many people under estimate the value of well organised cupboards to save time and money.
In the morning you use three main storage areas and usually at whirlwind pace. Organise and systemise your bathroom cupboard, your wardrobe, the pantry, and you will be out of there in no time!
After following these tips for one week, look back and see if anything has improved, you may find something worked and you can use it to help in another area of the house or business.
I would love to hear your challenges and successes, let me know if you discovered anything that worked, you may just help someone else with the same challenge.
Have a great week being on time and keeping the balance between your business, family and creativity.
Carolyn Verhoef
Personal Organising Coach &
AAPO Expert accredited Professional Organiser
Creator of Outside the Box Organisation Solutions
www.outsidetheboxsolutions.com.au
www.facebook.com/OrganisingOutsideTheBox
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