Jet Set to Car Seat: An Organized Mess Seeks Relief

My big secret is I'm very organized and on top of projects at work. However, at home I'm a mess. I've been able to manage my mess and keep it all together until recently. I guess once you add a baby to the mix it gets harder to keep things straight. Of course, the sleep deprivation doesn't help.

I've always used a Franklin Covey planner at work to keep my to-do lists together. Since I was on maternity leave at the beginning of the year, I put off purchasing the 2012 pages. Once I went back to work, I had every intention of getting to the store but I never made it. And well before I knew it, I didn't have a job to go to so I didn't need a 2012 calendar - or so I thought. In my post-pink slip days, I've been using the calendar on my phone to keep up with appointments but I knew it wasn't really working.

Its hard to say exactly when I realized I wasn't doing a great job of keeping it all together. There was the interview that I thought was at 11 but really was at 9 - thank God I confirmed it before I went. Then there was the day that the pest control man showed up as I was eating breakfast (PJs and all). But as they say with addicts, the first step is realizing you need help.

Just as I was I thinking I needed to invest in a calendar, I saw a post by a blogger I have followed for years, Blue Eyed Bride. The Blue Eyed Bride was creating a home organization notebook for herself and she shared on her blog how she did it. It looked simple enough and I had most of the stuff needed to start it. So I did. I've been working the system now for a few weeks and I'm happy to report its working.

I just used a simple 3 ring binder and divider tabs. The Blue Eyed Bride was generous enough to include links to the pages she used. Most of these sites have several versions of the pages, so its easy to find the lists to fit your needs.

This is how "My book" looks.