Manager Mom (101)With three kids all under the age of six, stay-at-home mom Marsha Wolfe has a chaotic household. To overcome the pandemonium, home and family management expert Kathy Peel has a few ideas on how to help Marsha establish routines for her and her family.
She is also having trouble organizing her messy home office and doesn't have a game plan for getting it organized. Efficiency consultant Dolores Kaytes will teach Marsha strategies on how to clean the clutter in stages.
Helpful Family Routines:
Tips: Did you know the average American experiences a stress induced adrenaline rush 50 times a day? Here are some ways to help reduce that stress:
- Create order in little ways — sort through a single pile of clutter, clean your shelves, or tidy up one section of one room. By taking control of small areas of your life, you'll feel calmer about tackling the big ones.
- Take a de-stressor. Get outside, take a walk and enjoy the beauty that's all around you.
- Instead of telling yourself you SHOULD do something, tell yourself you COULD. Say, I COULD go dancing. I COULD play with my kids. Have fun.
- Set priorities. Never let the things you SHOULD do come before the people you love or the deepest needs of your own soul.
Problem: A chaotic household.
Solution: Establish routines to help you coordinate your household.
- Make a Daily "Hit List" the night before to remind you of all the things that you need to do the following day.
- The "Power of Ten" Minutes affords you enough time to complete small tasks without feeling overwhelmed and reduces the size of larger tasks.
- Dispel Mealtime Madness by setting a mealtime as a priority and allowing everyone to help out — including your kids — with the meal preparation and clean up.
- Implement Standard Operating Procedures. For example, let your kids hang their own coats and get their own backpacks. Routines provide the kids with more security when they know where things go.
Contact Information:
Kathy Peel
Family Manager, Inc.
972-818-4403
kpeel@familymanager.com
www.familymanager.com
Resources:
BE YOUR BEST: The Family Manager's Guide to Personal Success
by Kathy Peel
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Organizing the Home Office:
Facts:
- The average disorganized person has 3,000 documents at home.
- Clutter in the average home creates 40% more housework.
- Americans waste one year of life looking for lost objects.
- It can take from three hours to three days to organize a home office.
- Home organizers rates range from $40 to $200 per hour.
- Total time to complete the Wolfe's office: Five hours/day for three days.
Tips: Here are some ways to make it easier for your younger children to help out in the kitchen.
- Clip and paste magazine pictures of items in low cabinets, such as cereal boxes, so your kids learn where things go.
- Keep the kids glasses, bowls and cups within easy reach so they can help themselves as much as possible.
- Baskets are a good way for kids to clear the table instead of trays.
- Teach your kids to set the table by coloring in the shapes of a fork, knife, spoon, plate and glass on a plain white paper place mat.
Problem: Decreased home office productivity.
Solution: Clean your office clutter in stages.
- Start by purging all the extra trash.
- Return borrowed items and recycle others.
- Sort all like items with like items.
- Make a home for everything and place it there.
- Learn to let go of things. You can't keep everything.
Contact Information:
Dolores Kaytes
Highly Organized, Inc.
310-207-3184
dkaytes@highly-organized.com
www.highly-organized.com
Resources:
National Association of Professional Organizers
www.napo.net
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