Creating my own systems

I recently started reading Get It Together Girl!: A 28-Day Guide to Practical NOT Perfect Home Organization, and was terribly disappointed.  It is another book with specific steps to home organization, which is fine, but either I'm more organized than i think i am (a realistic possibility) or the exercises were a poor fit for me.  I do a fridge purge weekly, and already group like with like in my pantry.  Under the sink is for dish towels and cleaning supplies, over the fridge is for emergency supplies.

And i thought about why i'm not doing the Kelly's Missions or monthly habits as part of FlyLady, and again, they just didn't fit for my life.

One of the reasons I think i've struggled with these sorts of things before is i was trying to follow the systems too closely, but until someone comes up with an organizational system for geeky girls who have a full time job, a role in an activist organization, live with their spouse part time, own a cat, and have an active social life there will never be a perfect fit!  And trying to adapt a life to a system is a recipe for frustration and even failure.

So what elements are working for me?

• Write things down - This is something i learned through Getting Things Done by David Allen, and is admittedly a skill i need to keep improving.  Jotting down ideas takes minutes at the most, and prevents them from being lost in the shuffle of daily life.  
• Create a manual - Many organizational systems encourage a journal or manual of some sort, to serve as a reference for yourself, but also anyone else should they need to step into your shoes.  I am still in the process of creating mine, but hope to share it as it grows.
• Break things down - Many projects can seem daunting initially, but if you set reasonable time limits and work on the tasks that make up a project, anything is possible.  This method lets you tackle big projects over time, rather than exhausting yourself trying to get everything done at once.  This is where that 15 minute thing comes from, as well as the idea of breaking your home into zones.  
• Dedicate time - When you are doing something, try to remove distractions like TV or internet chats. I like to keep music on to keep me motivated, but try not to change the station once i'm going.  If your family all working together is beneficial, do that, but if not, try to make time when you can work alone (which is usually my preference).  I make sure i build time into my weekly plans to work on the most relevant projects.
• Follow routines - Routines mean you can rely on yourself to get certain things done.  I have a morning routine, an after work routine and a before bed routine.  They are all short, simple tasks than ensure i'm ready for the day, and can rest easy or focus on more critical things.  The scale and scope of your routines is up to you and your needs.
• Be flexible - For me this is critical.  My schedule changes often, and my work hours are not always consistent.  I need weekday routines that are short in time span and can be done before work, after work or before bed.  I also don't follow a days of the week plan except for calendar activities (Monday yoga class for example).  Having every Wednesday be grocery day would be way too challenging!  I try to keep a few projects ready to go for when i have time, and schedule things early enough that there is a little wiggle room should something come up.  
• Experiment - There is no one-size fits all for organization.  Be open to new ideas, and give experiments enough time to see if they work.  If they don't, try something else, if they do and it makes you happy, stick with it.  
• Let go - Sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day.  Don't hold onto guilt or shame about not getting everything done, just be OK with what you did do and move on to tomorrow.  Let go of stuff you're not using, is bad, broken, or you just don't like.  Its not as simple as it sounds, but really, give yourself some compassion and create space for the things that make your life better.  

Getting back to routines, Creating a system

Previously, i have learned a lot from using modified versions of FlyLady.  Although the system is geared towards stay-at-home-moms, homemakers, there is a lot of unnecessary stuff, and a has a bit christian bent, i have found the core ideas to be very useful (for the record, i don't have kids, my spouse lives at home 3 days a week, i work a full time job plus a volunteer gig, and have a vague Catholic influenced but also nature based spirituality).

I'm once again finding myself with a focus on my home and have a desire to return to domesticity, and now am asking how i can accomplish ALL THE THINGS without sacrificing other important elements of my world (yes, that comic is terribly accurate).  So i come back to FlyLady, despite the sugar sweetness, silly acronyms and way WAY too many emails.

The dear FlyLady is all about routine.  There is a morning routine, an evening routine and others if you want them.  There is also routine tasks for each day, week, month and even seasonally.  This is probably the thing that has helped me the most, along with tackling things in small, manageable chunks.  

If you're like me, you succeed when you 1) know what needs to be done, 2) know how to do it, and 3) can make time for it.  Although routines can feel monotonous for some, for me this system meets those three needs.  It also helps prevents me from spending 3 days in a manic state trying to accomplish everything i truly meant to do over the last month.

In FlyLady land, you have all these routines written out in something called a Control Journal.  It's the magic binder with all your information.  In the world of service oriented individuals, there is also something often referred to as a Butler Book.  While there are different elements in each, the general concept is the same, a guide for how your (or someone else's) home runs.  I am also associating some GTD systems in with this concept as well, as lists and references are important tools.

My intention is to begin building my personal guidebook with my routines, references, calendar, and so on as i build my habits.  I'll try to find a way to share them here as well.   I will be calling it a Home Management Guide for now (a phrase i have seen used less often, but also contains the elements I'm hoping to create, and isn't as emotionally loaded as the other options).  So stay tuned!