OUR ORGANISATION STATION

James and I (OK mainly me haha) began creating our organisation station in the hub of our home when our son Theodore was born, June 2018.

The Whiteboard

This is where it all started. I purchased the whiteboard so that we could list our daily tasks when they felt overwhelming. It really helped us to break it down and focus on one task at a time. It worked wonders for anxiety! The whole wall really built on from there. This whiteboard is from Officeworks. 

We then added the weekly breakdown. Once James was back at work and we settled into that life a bit, we decided that doing his bedtime routine together every night was getting exhausting. Don't get me wrong - he is pretty breezy at bedtime really. We just wanted to be able to have nights we were either with him, or getting a decent (and guilt free) break from parent life. We started splitting the days up between us and doing his bedtime routine solo each night - we have not looked back! This concept would baffle some families, but each to their own, right? It works for us. Anyway, this is how we kept accountable and ultimately, saved both James and I from a lot of exhaustion! 

We began adding our wish list items because all of our extra money was either going to items for the new baby or we didn't have the $$ because of our newly limited income. This is our favourite section because it feels like such an indulgence! We have found that we actually get more for ourselves now that we have this list because we have a really clear goal for our money. James gets one thing, then I do and so on! Everyone wins and everyone is happy and feeling cared for.

The activities section of the board is the latest addition. We are new to Sydney after moving here when I was already 7 months pregnant! We evaluated our time here so far and realised we'd seen very little of the city we were lucky enough to call home. Due to the nature of James' work, it's possible we will only be here for another 2 years. We don't want to find ourselves leaving Sydney and never having actually experienced it! So we came up with a list of things we want to get done both around our area in Richmond, as well as in the city, and set our goals high! We want to achieve these things not just for ourselves, but for Teddy, too. We want to create memories together as a family here and do not want to be leaving here one day feeling any regret!

The Calendar

In December 2018 I came across the 2019 Calendar by Write to Me.
I'm a massive fan of the brand as Teddy's Baby Book and my Recipe Book are also from the brand. I'd been searching for a calendar with sections that went above and beyond your average brand. There are areas for Birthdays, monthly goals and life admin, as well as your usual daily breakdown. As a designer, it ticked the pretty and beautifully laid out boxes. As a mum, the organisation potential was drool worthy! 

Cleaning Schedule and To Do List

​My favourite part!! A few months ago I discovered Just Another Mummy Blog and oh my, she's the ultimate! Not only is she serious organisation goals for all the cupboards in my home, but she provides some amazing free content to download as well! I have found that the weekly cleaning schedule is a game changer for our family. I was looking at the cleaning as one huge and slightly unachievable task. It was overwhelming and a lot of the time it got to the weekend and a lot of things still needed doing. This lead to James and I spending so much of our key family time cleaning and washing. We wanted something to change, we wanted time for the activities we were dreaming about and that's around the time I found this amazing woman! 

I now look at cleaning as one task at a time, one day at a time. The weekends are no longer devoted to entire house cleans, but family time instead - that's a pretty damn good trade, don't you think? 

If I don't feel like I can get the thins done during the day when Teddy is napping or exploring because I'm either working, resting or we're out, I simply do them once he's gone to bed in the evening. 

​So that's it - out home organisation station! We've got it located in the hub of out home so that everyone can see and access it, no excuses not to get things done! 

It's saved us a lot of arguments, resentment, anxiety and frustration - I strongly recommend.