How do you organise your life? (or not)

[janeyo]

Hi I am a nosey so-and-so and am curious as to how people organise themselves?
I am a LIST person, I have them everywhere and for everything. I even keep paper by the bed so I can write things down in the night if I wake up!

For instance at the mo I have a list for the organistion and shopping etc for the bbq I am holding for mum and dads ruby wedding on sunday.
I have another for the childrens joint party in July I have just started making so I can get the invitations, bouncy castle etc.
I have another for our holiday - what to take and what needs doing for each person in the family.
I have another for the long-term house improvements. House is a bit of a project.
And another for the short term house improvements ie - which bits of cleaning to tackle
And another for the garden jobs.

Phew! NO wonder I don't have time to go to work, lol

If I don't have my lists I do tend to panic. Too controlling maybe. But may parents were always a bit laissez-faire and I remember the stress of it all!

So how do you manage your life?!
Come on there must be more weirdies like me about!

janeyo

[Becca]

mobile phone diary.. I would never get to my physio appointment (about every 2 weeks so long enough to forget) if my phone didn't go off 1/2 hour before to remind me to leave work.. also end up with notes in the reminder section (like the order of rows for my root veg the other day) as I never have a piece of paper when i need one.. and peoples birthdays etc are in there too.. would probably be a bit lost if i lost/broke it now :O/ basically disorganised otherwise tho I'm trying to change that.. was thinking the other day about giving myself some kind of household rota as, after a manic effort last weekend, it's in a decent state and I want it to stay that way but I'm good at forgetting the little routine jobs till they're suddenly huge scary ones... :O/

[HeyWayne]

For appointments, meetings, anniversaries etc I use my PDA thingy - other than that I live by the seat of my pants.

The most unorganised person I know.

[Flummery]

If I told you that Janeyo, I'd have to kill you!
Having had to be organised all my working life the reason I'm enjoying my retirement so much is that I don't have to be. I even get cross (even though I'm grateful really) when offered a lift to the shops at the same time on the same day every week! I like to be spur of the moment and now I can be!

[OverWyreGrower]

Lists
Folders/dividers
Organiser/calendar

Lists of things, e.g. shopping, what I need to do during the week (e.g prescription pick up etc)
Folders/dividers: sections for various bills, utilties etc. Things are filed roughly once a month
I have a calendar and an organiser (filofax). Dates go into both - updated on a weekly basis.

Since I'm a PA, it's my "job" to be organised.... urgh!

[zazen999]

I have a big diary and pretty much everything goes in there; and we run a running list of things to get/jobs to do.

Other than that, and sticky labels for work stuff; with a bit of menu planning it's pretty organised...although when I am out day in day out during busy periods I have to plan everything in advance and then chaos ensues if I forget something vitally important [like toothpaste and toothbrush when away from home for a few days; so I end up with about 3 on the go at once].

[zanussi101]

We recently relocated from Manchester to west yorks and for a couple of months we were living in 2 houses. I wrote list after list at that time to make sure that i always had what i needed at each house. Now that we're settled in our new place i've weaned myself off lists but it wasn't easy! I now have a massive to-do pile on the kitchen table and a calendar for appointments etc...
I've started keeping a journal of what i've done in the garden but i think i really ought to start putting what i need to do in it too as i always forget!
xx

[piskieinboots]

SmartPhone/Pooter ....and both have just pinged me to say it's beer o'clock

[squashysu]

my filofax is my life! if i ever lose it i will be screwed!!!

plus being a Virgo and typically anul, i have lists as well!

Keep listing

SS

[Seahorse]

Cheerful chaos here

I have a pinboard for crucial things re the kids (school trips, hospital appts etc) but otherwise I just go with the flow!

[piskieinboots]

I have a pinboard for crucial things re the kids ....

Do you use pins to pin them to the board or staple them on?

[Tracey]

I usually keep things in my head until things get too complicated, then I make a plan. That way I can sleep.

Tracey

[Two_Sheds]

I'm a lister too (Virgo). I have a paper diary in my bag, and a calendar on the wall. When out, I make Notes To Self on my mobile, and transfer them when I get home.

I have to be organised, I can't just get up and go... for instance, today we went for a hike. I would have Googled or MultiMapped the route, the journey time, etc. Mr Sheds just got in the car and went for it, expecting the destination to appear in front of him by osmosis or something. Needless to say, we wasted an hour driving round in ever-decreasing circles trying to find the damn place. But because I was organised and had made a packed lunch, at least we had something to eat out in the middle of nowhere

Today just got worse: I went through Mr Sheds' "filing" (bills just chucked in a drawer, not looked at). So far, I've found he's been paying �20 a month for 4 years for a phone that he doesn't even own; and his electric bills are all wrong. Wildly wrong. Some of them even have the wrong address on them.

For goodness sake, people, check your bills and statements - it only takes a minute, but it takes hours/days to sort out if you don't bother. grrrr!

[bluemoon]

When I was at uni, then later working I had a filofax. The thing was permanently welded to my hand, I daren't make a move without consulting it. (pathetic I know). Now I never plan anything if I can help it - even a hoped for day at the lottie can be wrecked by the weather. Now I just tell people 'On Saturday I might.......' and leave myself room to change my mind - or more likely, forget.

[kirsty b]

I have a diary so all my work shifts can be written down as soon as the new off duties come out. I also have a cleaning job but as that is the same two nights at the same time every week, I find I'm ok to remember those.
I try to plan meals depending on whether I'm working that day/evening as I don't believe in creating too much extra work for myself if I can possibly help it.
If the weather is fine enough and I can seize the oppotunity to get out on the plot, then I will!