What to do when it seems to much?

We all have days when life just seems to be steamrollering along and we cannot keep up. These are the days when we blow a fuse or lose our cool with those closest to us.
It does not matter how Organised you are, it is important to remember that we are all human and it can get too hard when you feel like there is too much to do and you cannot do it all on your own.
So what are some coping strategies for times such as these in our lives.
* Walk away - sometimes you need to just drop everything and take yourself away from the situation that is about to push you over the edge. Try and walk away before you get pushed over the edge, not after. (or you may say or so something you regret)
* Do not expect perfection - It is important not to put your own expectations onto others. They will have different expectations to yours and they may not understand why you are losing your cool or getting frustrated.
* Lead by example - Walk the talk and be a leader by showing those around you what you would appreciate.
* Acknowledge & reward - When you see things getting done and people pitching in and sharing tasks etc take the time to acknowledge this and maybe introduce a reward system.
* Use a roster system to get chores done - Kids are old enough from about the age of 3 to be given set chores/tasks around the house. Start simply and remember acknowledge and reward.
* Consequences - Along with reward need to come consequences. If assigned chores/tasks are not done have a penalty system in place.
* Simple rules - Imagine if people put tings away when they had finished with them, shut things after opening and cleaned up messes they made without leaving it all laying around with the expectation someone else will do it. Make these the simple rules in your home - Put it away, shut it, clean it up if you own it, did it or made it it is your responsibility to attend to clearing it up.
* Never ever ask someone to do something you would not do yourself.

I hope these are helpful to anyone out there who has trouble trying to stay organised and simplified by feel like everyone around you is doing there best to make it impossible.

"Chore Wars" to the rescue!!

I am always being asked how do I get the family and kids involved in Keeping the home organised and in order. Unfortunately there is no simple answer, but Jennifer Hunter a Professional Organiser from Medford, Massachusetts has shown me a fun possibility.
That si "CHORE WARS" an online game that encourages the family to get involved with the household chores/tasks with gusto and competition.
Thanks Jennifer for sharing your find with us and if you are a family who is looking for a fun innovative way to get things done then check it out.
Go to www.chorewars.com and let the games begin. Have fun!!!

When the energy is all wrong!

You know how there are days when you should and days when you shouldn't.
Well today was a day that we shouldn't. I worked with one of my favorite clients today, and in hindsight would have been better to reschedule for both our sakes.
We actually achieved quiet a bit today and whittled her "Action" tray down to 4 items from being the general dumping ground. Also we discovered some real deenergisers and also ways to overcome them in a future session.
However for the 2 hours we were together I could feel the energy in the room dwindling rapidly, her heart was not in it and she was feeling really BLAH (for want of a better word). So this is really a mental note to myself to in the future I will offer a reschedule to this client if I know certain things are going in her life on that coincide with our session, or if such and obvious energy lag is occurring to stop and reschedule the session.
I have returned to my office feeling Rather deenergised and dejected despite knowing that we achieved the major objectives of this mornings session. So will be spending a little time just realigning myself before I get on with the rest of my day. Writing about it here is part of that process.
So I thank you all for reading.
It is the weekend coming up and my kids are going on school holidays after today, so the energy completely changes in my home for the next two weeks, to one of mayhem and laughter, I am also interviewing for my own Mrs Doubtfire next week, to help me keep my home and life in order. So I will keep you all posted on how the search is progressing.

"Is the future Organised?"

I am safely home in NZ from Reno. One of the amazing people I met was Julie Bestry, she has posted me a comment asking "Is the future Organized?".
This is no doubt referring to the fact that NZ is one day ahead of the USA on the calender, I laughed when I read this. It inspired this very quick post.
In a word "NO", I arrived home at 9am this morning, Tuesday 15th April, after losing Monday the 14th into the ether of the International dateline, to find the clutter fairies had been visiting and collecting in my home during the week away.
But that is OK, the best thing was seeing my kids, even through the mounds of mess saved up for me during my 7 days of travelling to the conference.
So rest assured everyone, right now the future is not organised, however in a day or two everything should be back to its chaotic normality in my home.

Reno Here I come!

Well tomorrow is the big day that I fly out to Reno, Nevada, USA via Auckland and San Francisco.
Anyone with kids will probably understand the somewhat sick, apprehensive, stomach flipping anxiety that I am beginning to fee about being so far away from my family.
Fort hose of you that do not know my kids are. Grace 13, Samuel 9 and Ben 8. They will be capably looked after by my fantastic husband Pete and a sitter until Sunday. You see my Husband is off to Asia for business, so the kids are "home Alone" till Tuesday, JUST KIDDING....
The amazing Margaret is coming to keep things in order till Tuesday AM when I come home.
Yes it is a flying trip.
So I will do my best to blog a little while in Reno and I promise that future blogs will be more about helping you get organised than my serious case of anxiety and nerves at being away from home. You see I think I am a control freak and hate not knowing what is going on in my little nest, LOL.
So sit tight hang on and get ready for some amazing Organising advice and ideas on my return.
Cheerio.
W

Welcome to the Organising Guru Blog

Welcome to you all, this is the first post from "the Organising Guru".

I have a wonderful job where I get to help all kinds of people get their lives in order either at home or at work. My Business is called Totally Organised, you can find it at www.totallyorganised.co.nz

I plan to share with you some of my more interesting Organising Challenges and how I helped my clients come to a solution.

Sometimes simplicity is the key, and a solution is never far away.

Getting this Blog up and running is exciting for me as I cannot wait to share with youways to become more organised in your lives.

Just so you don't think you are dealing with a Martha Stewart clone, I am not naturally organised and sometimes find being organised quiet a challenge myself.

I have a busy household with kids, pets and a husband all who at times seem to be conspiring to make being organised impossible. So I take it to mean it is OK to not be perfect, not everything will run smoothly and who cares if your beds are not made first thing in the morning.

My type of being organised is about, having time to do what really matters. Like spending time for yourself or with your family. Catching up with friends being social and not freaking out if your home does not step out of the pages of "House & Garden".

My home rarely looks perfect (I'm not sure if it ever has) but it is always open to friends and family, who can come in and feel at home. A friend once told me if your welcome is warm and loving, who cares if their are dishes in the sink. Life is more important than that.

So welcome to my Blog, and also my journey, make yourself at home and enjoy the adventure, join in of you wish and most of all dont stress about getting organised.

http://www.totallyorganised.co.nz