How to Control All of the Things (or at Least Feel Like You Do)!

So remember last week when I told you I wasn't doing anything and needed to get myself back into a routine? Well, today I'm gonna tell you a little bit about mine so you can come up with your own.

So I made a list of the usual chores everyone has to do in every household everywhere (clean the bathroom(s), laundry, dishes, etc) Then I broke that down into two lists: stuff that has to get done every day nearly every day (baby steps), and stuff that has to get done weekly (otherwise known as my "daily chore"). With the daily stuff, I created a morning and evening routine in EverNote so I can refer to it on my phone if I need a reminder as to what I'm supposed to be doing next.

And then I did the same with the weekly stuff, but a little more thought went into it. It all comes down to when it makes sense to do something. For example, tonight, Monday, is trash night in our neighborhood, so I decided that cleaning out the fridge should be done on Monday. Whenever I can, I multitask. Because I need time in the evenings to watch True Blood now that I finally talked My Fella into HBO. So on Mondays (and laundry nights [Tuesday and Thursday...because I know you were dying to know]), I do my daily chore during whatever down time I have while cooking dinner. I also clean up the mess as I go, to the extent that I can.

This is where you're really going to tweak a routine to fit your lifestyle. I have off every weekend, so I try to get my errands done on those Saturdays or Sundays. I also have off every other Friday. I try to use those days to do "extra" stuff (organize a closet, hang towel hooks, etc) because the two Fridays that I DO work leave me with no time whatsoever. I work, plus get The Girl from the train at nearly 7:00 p.m., almost an hour from home (but only 11 minutes from work) aaaaaaaand we've been getting into a habit of getting Chinese on the way home, so I leave at 8:30 a.m. and don't get in till nearly 9:00 p.m.

I've gotten some projects finished that I'd been meaning to get to for forever. They're not huge things, but I feel like if I can get through that list, I can work on my bigger/unimportant/just for fun projects with less guilt. Pluuuuuus, since they're mostly organizational stuff, it helps me get through my routine quicker (ya know, when I'm not going, "Where the F*CK did I leave my/the <insert the thing I need that didn't have a home because my closet/cabinet/etc was not organized in the way it should have been>?!" things move faster. Just sayin'). Plus they look prettier and that calms my nerves :) Anyway, I'll probably share my kitchen cabinet and laundry hall (because it isn't a room) and the improvements I've made on them next week!

I Owe You an Apology

I have been gone forever, I know. I think about you all the time, though! And I DO have a good reason. On St. Patrick's Day, I started a job. It's almost an hour drive, so even though my hours are only 10-4, it's really like 9-5 (sometimes later)...and actually, as of this past Friday, 8:30-5. BUT (there are so many buts), firstly, I REALLY like this job, so you should forgive me for my absence because you are ever so happy for me :) Right? Before I get to the "secondly" part (which is good news for yous, btw), I should give yous some background about me. I am crazy. Absolutely neurotic. I've mentioned my need to face my cans, right? And that my kids are trained to give me even amounts of Reeses Pieces? And that I thrive on routines (oh, and lists. I do so love my lists)? Well, if I haven't, now you know. And when I don't have my lists and routines, my "routine" looks like this:

Neglect a bunch of things, stress over not being able to find the time to NOT neglect them, and then, one day, neglect other stuff to do ALL OF THINGS. At once. Repeat.

It's utter chaos. Which only serves to make me MORE anxious. In the past, to combat this insanity, I employed more insanity a structured routine. This is where it gets good for you. The last couple of months have been the aforementioned cycle of insanity. It's been incredibly difficult for me to re-acclimate to working again after not working for so long. I can't seem to restructure accordingly because there was no structure to  begin with, ya dig? As such, I've come up with a daily routine (morning/evening) and a weekly routine. It's pretty basic right now as I test it out and make adjustments, but it will become rigidly structured over time because that's how I roll. I somehow have an easier time deviating from the routine the more structured it is. Does that even make sense? If I know exactly what every minute of every day looks like, I know exactly what can be rearranged when something unexpected comes up. Somebody out there "gets" me, I'm sure. Anyway, back to you. So I've determined to include 1. crafting time and 2. blogging time. I think to start, I'll keep it to blogging once a week. But crafting and blogging were my hobbies. And it's true what they say, everyone DOES need a hobby. And I need to get mine back. In the meantime, bear with me!