Productivity Archives - Champs in Organization

6 Productive Things To Complete At The Beginning Of Every Month

Do you feel that your months are chaotic where you’re constantly playing catch-up with your tasks and never have a moment to breathe? Completing specific tasks at the beginning of each month is a great way to decrease the chaos in your home while increasing your productivity and organization levels. By starting the month off with a clear plan with specific things to complete every month, you are giving yourself the gift of starting the month off fresh. Let’s discuss 6 ways that we can jumpstart your month!

1.Update Your Budget

Update your budget by adding in expenses that vary from month to month. When you update your budget, intentionally think about events that will happen throughout the month. Reflect on birthdays, car maintenance, school events, holidays, etc. Decide on the total amount of money that you will need for each event and include these in your budget.

If you don’t currently have a budget, here’s a great article that details how to create a budget. A budget is a great tool that tells you where your money goes. Once I created a budget, it became a visual tool for me, detailing when and where our finances go each month.

2. Schedule any necessary appointments

Schedule any needed appointments for the month. Think about and include doctor’s appointments, dental appointments, and self-care appointments. Once you identify the appointments schedule a time where you can call or book the appointments for the month. Next, write these times down in your calendar or place the events in your planner.

Tip: Put a reminder in your phone to ensure you don’t forget the appointments.

10 things to do every month

3. Complete a grocery haul

Visit your local grocery store and complete a grocery haul at the beginning of each month. Completing a grocery haul at the beginning of the month is a game changer! By implementing a monthly grocery haul and buying items needed for the upcoming month, I reduce the number of shopping trips I need to make, which has consistently saved our family money each month.

I don’t know about you but each time I visit the grocery store, I always purchase more than what I intend to buy. A monthly haul has decreased my visits to the grocery store a positive advantage!

Tip: Shop at stores ( Sam’s Club and Costco) where you can buy in bulk and make a list before visiting the store.

4. Set Monthly Goals

Additionally, the beginning of the month is a great time to create smart and measurable goals. Monthly goals can be simple but can make huge changes in your overall life. Personal goals, health goals, home goals, productive goals, and financial goals are all great areas to set goals in. When making goals for the month, think about and reflect on the previous month. Are there things that you want to improve? Make this a goal that you commit to work on during the month.

Some of my recent goals include increasing my water intake, taking my daily vitamins, and working out 3-4 times a week.

things you should do every month

5. Deep Clean Your Home

The beginning of the month is a perfect time to deep clean your home. Cleaning and tidying your home each day is ideal but there are some areas that just don’t make your daily cleaning list. Here are some great cleaning tasks to complete each month:

Scrub and clean the inside of your oven
Clean and wipe down the refrigerator
Clean and run your garbage disposal
Clean your windows and window sills
Wash and clean shower liners

In addition, check your alarm and filters to ensure they are still functional.

6. Plan something fun

This is major! Monthly routines are important but it’s also important that you intentionally plan to do something that you enjoy each month. By planning something fun to indulge in each month, you are specifically planning to engage in an activity that will bring you joy, reduce your stress levels, and allow you to enjoy life.

Final Thoughts

At the beginning of the month take the time to make a list of things to complete every month. Scheduling specific tasks at the beginning of the month allows your month to run smoother and as a result you will have a plan that allows you to organize your tasks. If you are reading this at the beginning of the month take 15-20 minutes to jot down every appointment you need to schedule this month. From there begin scheduling the appointments and watch how your month improves.

What tasks do you schedule every month?

6 Powerful and Practical Home Tips For Working Moms

Categories: Productivity

6 Success-Oriented Sunday Habits For A Productive Week

I don’t know about you but I used to dread Mondays. I loved my job as an educator, but every Sunday afternoon Monday blues would begin to set in. After a few years of planning, I have been able to decrease my Monday blues by implementing and completing productive habits each Sunday.

By incorporating a few simple but powerful habits into your Sunday routine, you can set yourself up for success and transform your Sundays into a launching pad for the week ahead. Months and years are often seen as fresh starts, but the beginning of the week can also be seen as a fresh start.

Many call this routine a Sunday Reset. This article explains a Sunday Reset in detail and contains a FREE printable. A Sunday Reset simply means on Sunday you complete specific tasks that will allow you to set your week up for success. Depending on your home and current lifestyle, your needs on Sundays will look different.

In this article, we will explore 6 Sunday habits for a productive week which will allow you to establish a routine that promotes a successful week!

1. Clean and organize your living spaces

This is without a doubt a staple in my Sunday habits. When our homes are clean and organized, we can complete the remaining tasks with ease. A cluttered home = a cluttered mind which leads to productivity. My current Sunday cleaning and organizing staples are:

Grocery shopping
Cleaning the bathrooms
Cleaning the kitchen
Vacuuming and mopping
Laying out outfits for the next day

Combined, these tasks can take a family team two hours or less to complete which is a huge payoff as a clean and organized home promotes less stress, less allergens, increased productivity, additional sleep, and improved moods.

Below are additional cleaning and organizing tasks that you can complete.

Clean out your pantry and refrigerator
Laundry
Wash bed linen
Complete home management responsibilities (pay your bills, review your budget, review any upcoming appointments)
Choose a specific space in your home to declutter
Wash and clean your car
Shred old mail and papers
Take out the trash
Sweep your floors
Clean out your work bag and children’s bookbags
Wash your linen

2. Complete Laundry

In addition to cleaning and organizing my spaces, I complete our laundry for the week. This is the longest process (even with me washing a few loads throughout the week) so I start early on this task. This allows me to keep a steady routine going throughout the day.

3. Meal Plan

The number one question that is asked after a long day after school or work from my family members used to be without a doubt “What’s for dinner?” Creating a meal plan allows you to create a guide of meals each day and takes away the stress of the unknown.

Even if you are not able to place a grocery order or grocery shop on Sunday, having a plan or designated day to plan for food will relieve stress.

4.Reflect and Make Goals For The Week

Reflect on the previous week, identifying what went well and what could be improved upon. Based on your previous week, set out to make up to 3 goals that may align with any long-term goals that you have created. By aligning your weekly goals to your long-term goals, you are contributing to your overall growth and progress.

I have a long-term goal to become healthier each month and year. When I reflect on my previous week, I may set a goal to drink more water for the upcoming week or make a goal to decrease the amount of processed food that I eat.

Avoid overloading your schedule with a high number of goals, as this can be unrealistic but don’t overestimate the power of short-term goals. Smaller and short-term goals allow you to eat the elephant which allows you to reach long-term goals.

5. Review Your Upcoming Week

Review the upcoming week for any appointments or meetings that you may have so that you can make necessary adjustments to your schedule if needed. Reviewing your calendar or planner reminds you of meetings that you may have scheduled months or weeks ago.

If there are meetings that you have in the upcoming week but have not placed the meetings on your calendar, take the time to add the meetings to your calendar or planner.

If you don’t have a calendar or planner, I highly recommend that you invest in one. It is a staple in organizing your life. I currently use a traditional calendar where I write down all meetings and appointments. Writing down meetings and appointments allow me to remember the engagements.

6. Prioritize Your Tasks and Create An Action Plan

Our last Sunday habit for a productive week and a key element to unlocking the secret to a highly productive week starts with prioritizing your tasks. Make a to-do list each Sunday where you identify the tasks that you will complete for the day.

Prioritize your to-do list by scheduling activities that will take the most time or activities that are difficult first. When my children were younger, I would wake up an hour before they woke to complete these activities. Today I prefer to complete my cleaning and tidying activities first. In the afternoon, I relax, setting goals and reviewing my calendar.

Lastly, don’t add too many items on your to-do list. Focus on a manageable number of tasks that you know you can realistically complete. Don’t forget to include self-care and family activities!

Final Thoughts

Monday blues are not beneficial for anyone.! Incorporating simple yet powerful Sunday habits and Sunday routines for a productive week can unlock the secret to a highly productive we. Having habits and routines not only provides structure to your day but also helps create habits that support your productivity. When you consistently follow a routine, you train your brain to be more focused and efficient, allowing you to make the most out of each day.

How do you make your Sundays better?

The 10 Tops Lists For Organization (Free Printable)

Categories: Productivity

Supercharge your Mornings With A Fall Morning Routine

If you are looking to have awesome days this fall season, a morning routine is a non-negotiable, especially in the fall which I consider one of the busiest seasons. As a busy wife and mother, I crave routines as routines help me get through the day in an efficient manner and help my household run smoothly. Morning routines are also essential as they can boost your energy moods, improve your productivity, and allow you to build healthy habits.

As an educator, I have summers off which includes a relaxed morning routine. School is now back in session and with the start of the new school year, I decided to adopt a new fall morning routine. I have been consistent with this fall morning routine for a month and have noticed that my stress levels have decreased which is a win!

Below are 5 tasks that I complete each fall morning that have improved my not only my mornings but my entire day.

Disclaimer: I do rise early each morning (4 a.m.), so I strive to go to bed each night at a reasonable time.

1.Exercise

Exercising and working out consistently has been a game changer for me in terms of regulating my stress levels. Exercising allows our body to release endorphins which can reduce our overall stress levels. Depending on my schedule or obligations, I either go to the gym to work out or work out at home before work. I have noticed that immediately after exercising, I experience a natural burst of energy without the help of any coffee, tea, or energy drinks. Working out 3-4 times a week seems to be my “sweet spot.” Depending on our afternoon activities and weather, I also strive to walk for 30 minutes. The fall weather makes the walks so enjoyable!

2.Meditate

While I have heard of the many benefits of mediating, I never included this practice in my morning routine. Now after working out, I now meditate using a guided mediation video. Mediation for just five minutes each morning, has allowed me to improve my ability to focus for extended periods of time. Although I don’t want to admit it, with social media and technology, my mind is often overstimulated which impacts my ability to focus. I also feel that my mind can be on auto pilot which mediation has helped! My goal is to increase the time that I meditate to ten minutes, adding on increments of time over a period of time.

I seriously didn’t know how much cognitive power goes into meditating for just five minutes!

3.Read

After meditating, I read an inspirational passage for approximately 5-10 minutes. If something really stands out as profound while I read, I jot it down on a sticky note and reflect upon it throughout the day. I usually place the sticky note on my desk at work so that I can see it throughout the day. These notes encourage me throughout the day which proves that things that you do in the morning impact you throughout the day.

I used to ask myself what order I should do things in my morning routine. I often switch or adjust the times and tasks for steps 1-3 around depending on the day of the week but do all of the steps before moving on to the next steps. On set days, I also rest and do not exercise.

4.Get Ready

After completing steps 1-3, I begin to get ready for work by taking a shower and completing my personal hygiene activities. The night before I pick my clothes out, so this process does not take long at all. Read here about the power of a night routine.

5.Hydrate

While getting ready, I begin to hydrate with water. This has been an intentional change that I did for my overall health. Previously, my first choice of beverage would be tea or coffee. While I still have tea or coffee each morning, I realize the acid levels of tea and coffee and drink a glass of water first.

I currently leave the home by 7:00 each morning. I’m never hungry at this time so I take and eat breakfast at work.

Some staple foods that enjoy in the fall season are:

Chia Pudding topped with fruit

Egg Muffins

Smoothies

6.Get the kids ready

I purposely complete the steps above before waking up my children as the silence is golden.

After showering, brushing my teeth, etc., I begin to wake up my children at staggered times. Staggered times help our household because the children share a bathroom.

Our oldest daughter wakes up first to take a shower. While she is in the shower, I wake our youngest daughter wake up. She makes her bed and by this time the bathroom is ready. After they are ready, they grab a quick breakfast and we are out the door to begin our day!

Final Thoughts

Fall is my favorite season but with it comes a lot of activities that keeps our family busy. These 5 steps have allowed me to create a fall morning routine that allows me to have overall productive day.

Do you incorporate any of these tasks while getting ready for your workday or school day during the fall season?

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Categories: Organization, Productivity

The 10 Tops Lists For Organization (Free Printable)

If you are looking for tools to help you stay organized this article is for you! I am a firm believer that lists promote organization. Through lists, we create written guides that allow us to get things done. These written guides are extremely helpful for busy individuals who forget things in the midst of their busy day. Lists are also beneficial for individuals who need a starting place when looking to become organized.

If you are looking for ways to become productive and complete tasks in your home, keep reading for the top 10 top lists for organization and a FREE printable.

Before we discuss each list, it’s important to note that some lists can be used every day while some lists will be used sparingly.

1.To Do List

The most common list that we often hear of is a to-do list. A to-do list is a simply running list of tasks that we have to complete. You can create a daily to-do list as well as a weekly to-do list. I make a to-do list each day which has been a tremendous help. A to-do list helps me accomplish tasks and allows me remember items that I may forget.

Each Sunday I also have a set to-do list that helps me prepare for the upcoming week. This Sunday Reset article lists the tasks that I complete with an additional free printable.

2.Grocery List

Before I make a weekly trip to the grocery store, I always make a grocery list. A grocery list has been a game changer for our budget as groceries make up a large portion of our monthly budget. With a grocery list, I write down food items that I need to purchase from the grocery store and don’t steer from the items on the grocery list. This prevents mindless spending which helps me stay within my budget.

3.Menu List

A grocery list is awesome but when you combine it with a menu list, your life will run so much easier, especially in the evenings! Each week before I make my weekly grocery list, I make a dinner menu for the upcoming week. Next, based on my dinner menu, I create my grocery list adding in breakfast and lunch items. This plan allows me to quickly create a grocery list and each evening gives me a plan for dinner.

Tip: Ask your family members about their favorite dinners. Keeping these dinners in rotation will also save you time when creating your menu and grocery lists. *Plan and cook more elaborate meals on days that you have more time.*

3.Shopping List

Once a month, I make a shopping list of household goods and personal hygiene items. As a family of four, we buy these items in bulk which decreases the times that we need to go to the store each month (my goal is once a month). The shopping list with minimal trips to the store helps our household save money.

4.Goal List

Goals are things that we want to accomplish in life. Creating a written list of 3-5 goals that we consistently review can provide us with motivation, acts as a guide, and allows us to focus on our goals.

Think about a new project or skill that you want to accomplish. Write these goals down. Lucidchart recommends these goals meet the SMART criteria which gives us a higher chance of meeting these goals.

Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Realistic
Time-bound

After writing down these goals, refer to your list of goals often.

5.Password List

We have definitely jumped on the streaming bandwagon and have many streaming services (more than I would like to admit). Although we try to keep the same password for each streaming app, there are some minor differences in the passwords. We have a password list for our streaming services which has been beneficial as a parent of teenagers who constantly are in need of the passwords. We also have a document which we have written down the passwords to our online billing accounts.

6.Cleaning list

Use a cleaning list to write down your cleaning tasks for each day or week. I use a weekly cleaning list to help me reset my home on the weekend. Even though I complete the same cleaning tasks each week, my family members help clean and appreciate the written reminders.

7.Decluttering list for each season

A decluttering list for each season has helped me strategically look for items during each season to declutter. A few weeks before a new season, I begin to prepare my home by decluttering items that I did not use the previous season. For example, a few weeks before the summer season began, I set time aside to unpack my summer clothes. As I went through my summer clothes, I asked myself:

Do I love the item?

How often do I wear this item?

Do I have duplicates or similar items?

Does this item add value to my life?

If the answer was no to any of these questions, I gave the items away.

8.Packing list

If you are preparing to travel a packing list is crucial. Create a packing last by writing down everything that you will need for a trip. Always start packing a few days before your trip and on the day before leaving check off the items on the list. This will ensure that you don’t leave anything off the list.

9.Birthday List

I have a large extended family that consists of many aunts, uncles, and cousins. Many of my family members are on Facebook which sends me a birthday reminder on their actual birthday. However, a list of birthdays which includes our family and friends’ birthday gives me a monthly glance at upcoming birthdays which allows me to send them a card or small gift. Once you have created a list of birthdays, place alerts in your phone that will send you a reminder a few days before your loved ones birthdays.

10. Brain dump

Lastly, if you are not ready to create various lists, create a brain dump list. A brain dump list prompts you to write everything down that comes to your mind. Most individuals when brain dumping, write for 5-10 minutes, with the goal of getting as many thoughts as possible out of their head.

If you prefer one list, consider brain-dumping all of your thoughts on one sheet of paper. Next color code and group similar tasks. Just as you would do with specific to do lists, mark the items off as your complete them.

We’ve made it through our top lists for organization. Now, here’s a quick recap of the lists that will help you become organized and productive

To-Do List
Grocery List
Menu List
Shopping list
Goal List
Cleaning List
Decluttering List
Packing List
Birthday List
Brain Dump List

Final Thoughts

This article discussed the different types of to-do lists. While you may not need every list discussed if you just create one organized list, you are creating habits that will allow you to become organized.

What are your go to-do lists for organization?

Click here for your free to do list. Use this list a brain dump list or for a specific list that was discussed in this article!

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Categories: Productivity

6 Powerful and Practical Home Tips For Working Moms

Being a mom is one of the greatest gifts of all time. We have the opportunity to watch our children grow into adults who go out into the world and make a difference. More importantly, we have the opportunity to guide them, support them, challenge them, and cheer them on.

As a working mom, we are also essentially home managers of our homes. In reality, this can be hard for a working mom who only has 24 hours in a day. As a mom with three children who have different needs and who has worked since the age of 16, I see you. At times I have failed in managing our home but thankfully I have also learned strategies to help the flow of my home.

If you often feel overwhelmed and have working mom struggles below are 6 powerful but practical tips for working moms that can help you.

No matter if you are a working mom with babies, a working mom with toddlers, or a new working mom, these tips for working moms will guide you and will help you save time!

1. Have Compassion

First, before anything else have compassion and grace for yourself! As humans, we overly criticize ourselves in many areas of our lives including our home life and work life as we often set high expectations in these areas and evaluate ourselves negatively.

Although there is a time and place for self-criticism, it is important to be kind to yourself and know that you are doing a great job as a working mother.

We all are human and being perfect in all areas of life is just unrealistic! Integris Health affirms that “Perfection is not something we can actually be or achieve. It’s an illusion, a legend, a myth.”

Practice having grace and compassion for yourself by meditating and thinking about your strengths in the areas of motherhood and your career. Use those strengths to make improvements in the areas that you would like to improve in.

2. Ask For Help

Although every mom is a superhero, remember that perfection is just an illusion.

Each day we only have 24 hours to complete various tasks. As a working mom, a huge portion of those hours are devoted to your career and job which means that you will need a plan to accomplish home tasks.

While in a perfect life, we would LOVE to complete home and work tasks by ourselves, it is okay for you to ask for help!

Help may come from a spouse, family member, friend, or you may be able to outsource help. It may come from all three!

I would love to have help from family members but as a military wife, our immediate family lives 6 hours away. Currently, we outsource help and it has been a game changer for the household.

We first decided to outsource help when my husband was assigned a tour overseas. Although he had been on many deployments, during the previous deployments, I was closer to home and now our family had grown (we had welcomed our baby girl) and I became the sole parent at home to three children on top of having a career.

We hired someone to bi-weekly to deep clean our home and we also hired someone to upkeep our landscaping.

Just by outsourcing these two tasks, I was able to gain back time to spend with my family and decrease my stress levels.

While I still had to clean my home between the cleaner’s bi-weekly visits, I was able to create systems that allowed me to maintain a clean home between the cleaning company visits.

One myth that I always believed before hiring a cleaning company was that we could not afford a cleaning company. However, we used referrals and were surprised that the cost was similar to our other monthly bills.

Below are common areas to outsource.

Areas To Outsource:

Landscaping

Housekeeping/Cleaning

Home Organization

Home Maintenance

Grocery Shopping (Pick Up or Delivery)

Laundry Services

3. Schedule and Plan Everything

As a working mom, it is important to make the most out of your time. It’s also important to manage your time. A good way to do this is to utilize a planner or calendar. In the planner or calendar write down birthdays, appointments, meetings, and any other upcoming obligations.

Review your planner daily and share the appointments with others involved. For example, If I have an obligation or appointment which requires my husband to pick up the kids, he will put the event in his phone. Next, I will remind him a week before and the day before of the appointment (Don’t judge me).

To-do lists are also a great tool. As a working mom, you will make many decisions at work and home each day which is taxing on your brain. As a result, you can often forget things.

Compiling a daily to-do list helps you keep up with things that need to be completed at home. If to-do-lists work for you at home, they may also help you at work.

Tip: Don’t create a to-do list with a huge list of items to complete. You will become overwhelmed. Prioritize your tasks and try not to exceed 5 items.

4. Have A Reset Day

Schedule and choose one day out of the week, where you intentionally plan to reset your home and plan for the upcoming week. Ideally, choose a day on the weekend or you can choose a day during the week when you are off.

Remember that you have to do what works for you and your family.

In resetting your home, you are completing home tasks that will allow you to set your week up for success.

One benefit that you will immediately notice is that in resetting your week on a Saturday or Sunday you will gain time back in your weekday due to your being proactive and completing certain tasks that you would normally complete during the week.

Here are some tasks to consider including on your reset day:

Create a weekly menu and go grocery shopping or have your groceries delivered
Meal prep
Clean out your pantry and refrigerator
Laundry (Don’t forget about your linen)
Prep outfits for the week
Complete home management responsibilities (pay your bills, review your budget, review any upcoming appointments)
Clean your kitchen
Clean your bathrooms
Vacuum and dust
Clean out your work bag and children’s bookbags
Wash your linen

When my children were younger (and on a sleeping schedule), I woke up early and completed some of these tasks while they slept. Today with older children, I still wake up before everyone else to complete certain tasks (I am more productive in certain areas when I work alone).

5. Model For Your Children

If you feel overwhelmed as a working mom, you are probably juggling your career plus a huge load of housework. There will be seasons when this is the norm, especially when your children are babies and toddlers.

However, children are sponges and learn so much during their adolescent years. Teach and model for your children how to help around the home by cleaning and maintaining their spaces.

As they become older, they can be assigned chores that will help you with the housework.

Tip: Bins are excellent tools to use when teaching young children how to clean their spaces. After children are finished playing with their toys model how to clean up by placing their toys in the bins.

By placing the items in bins, you immediately reduce clutter and children are learning to pick items up and return them to their “home”.

6. Have a Strong Morning and Evening Routine

Lastly, we are what you do. If you currently feel that your home is chaotic, you may have habits that do not resemble structure.

Morning and evening routines provide so much structure in your home. By implementing a morning and evening routine in your home, your kids know what to expect each day. It also helps create a calm, organized, and time-managed environment. These aspects will always help you as a working mom as it will reduce your stress levels and build healthy habits in your children.

Final Thoughts:

This article contained tips for working moms. Remember to give yourself grace and that you are doing a great job! To improve in the area of being a working mom, try out at least one of the tips mentioned.

I would love to read some of tips that have helped you juggle motherhood and a career. If you plan on trying some of the tips for working moms, please let me know!