Organizing: Daily checklists

We have been using outdated checklists since we moved into our new place, just because everything has been so dysfunctional in our lives. I think there is a point at which routine & organizing is impossible, and then a point at which routine & organizing will help you get the rest of the way to where you want to be. There's definitely a tipping point, just as there is with menu planning. I think we've finally hit that tipping point.

Finally today I've got our checklists updated and ready to be printed. One of the nice things about living in a place before updating the lists is that we can see what's been missed and make sure to get it on the list. So that's helpful. Bright side, right?

I have to tell you though, don't skip getting the shopping list white board up on the wall as soon as you move in. Forgetting that rice vinegar was on the list for over a month was torture when I kept re-discovering for three whole weeks that I was out. Or the day we forgot to pick up toilet paper. Oops.

Now I just need to figure out what to do with two giant boxes full of... boxes. After the last three moves being so urgent, thus not having time to spend on scouring liquor & grocery stores for boxes, we've spent money on the boxes that we have. They're still in good shape and I don't want to just recycle them, but they're hardly sellable. And frankly, I don't want to have to buy more again when we move. Some creative box-binding and storage is going to be in the works in our near-future. If I'd thought it it before just now, I'd have had Mr. Moon leave 4 inches of space behind the book shelves for a stash of boxes. I suppose it's not too late!

I'm so excited to get back to menu planning. But not as excited as I am about our daily checklists. It's a little chore-heavy right now, to accommodate the fact that everything is going to take a little more time than it will once we're actually finished unpacking. In the meantime, we set timers and use the time to finish unpacking whatever room is on our checklist, and hopefully get some actual cleaning done as well.

I've also got a built-in system to make sure our laundry and papers don't pile up. Those two are huge panic triggers for me, both in having to deal with them and in seeing them piling up. I've got the bedroom on our list 3 days a week, 2 of those are weekdays with a separate reminder to deal with any paperwork, and laundry day is a completely different day. Thus, if laundry doesn't get finished being folded or put away on laundry day, there are other days scheduled as times to do that with reminders on the checklist. It's all about building your systems in such a way they help you to succeed and lower your own stress levels in the process. Winner.