Although some of us seem to have been born organized, many of us are happy with chaotic existences. However, when children come into our lives, we suddenly find that spending this much time looking for our things and our children's things, forgetting to bring home their milk and missing their dentist appointments, isn't such a lark anymore.
Write it down
If there was one single thing that you could do which would help you get a lot more organised, it would be to write things down. If you carry a tiny bag that cannot always accommodate your notebook, get a really tiny book. Always, always carry a pen, so whenever you remember something, you can make a quick note there and then.
Don't let the absence of a sheet of paper bother you. Although it may seem tacky, writing notes on your palm can save you a lot of trouble later. Simply jot down anything you remember, at any time, on your palm, and enter it into your 'to do list' later on.
Don't make notes on random sheets of paper you find in your bag, because chances are you will never look at the paper again, or will spend the better part of another day rummaging through all your bags trying to find that one sheet of paper. Always keep one specific notebook for your lists.
Don't substitute post-its for your notebook. Instead, use post-its as reminders. If you have to email someone, stick a post-it reminding you of this, on your computer. Similarly, if you have to call someone, stick a post-it on your telephone. Alternatively, keep a small message board next to your phone and use it not only to take down messages, but also to remind yourself to make that call to the gas company before your cylinder empties.
Attach a sheet of paper to your refrigerator with the help of a magnet, and keep a pen in one of the drawers. Whenever you run out of anything, make a quick note on the sheet of paper. The next time you go grocery shopping, take the list with you.
Tackle the 'key' problem
Do you spend precious minutes every morning just looking for your keys? Never has something so tradition and so beautiful, been more useful. Get yourself a decorative 'challa' and hang it on the waistband of your jeans, trousers or skirt, or tuck it into your petticoat or shalwar. If you generally wear something more formal and western to work, then opt for a more subtle challa, perhaps in leather, with a hook to hook onto your trouser waistband. No bells! Also, hang up a key holder by the door, and ensure that the car keys are always hung on them.
Allocate a place for everything
Focus on teaching your children to always put things back in their place. The importance of this phrase - "A place for everything and everything in its place" can never be underestimated. Once your child has ingrained the habit of always keeping a particular object in a particular place, he will be that much more oranganised when he grows up, and will not have to spend hours of his time looking for things.
