Is your brain on overdrive? Are things starting to fall off the “I Must Remember This List”, despite playing little memory tricks? Even when you’re so sure that you won’t forget this Very Important Thing?
You might be naturally forgetful, crazy busy, or really loathe boring stuff like shopping for toilet cleaner. But you DO like a nice clean toilet…
Life is short. It’s more fun to play with your kids or read a book than tear about the world in a state of emergency because you’ve forgotten something or can’t find the thing you need.
I’ve developed a few simple tricks for myself, that you might like to try if your brain is just overflowing. Or if you’d much rather dedicate your attention to something far more worthwhile than trying to remember to buy loo paper.
Be Prepared.
You know you’re going to need toilet paper. Soap. Coffee. Chocolate. Wine… What are THE worst things to run out of in your home?
- Buy two next time you’re shopping. Just two – packets, bottles or bags, you don’t need five, especially if it expires. Unless you go through coffee in monumental amounts like I do. Then buy an amount that makes sense to you, but make sure they’re organised and fit their assigned space. Remember to use the old stuff first!
- Shop online, in advance of suddenly desperately needing to get to the shops. Get it delivered. Just do it. Don’t beat yourself up. Why make yourself crazy by squeezing in a frantic shopping trip between school stuff and dinner when everything you need could arrive at your door without you having to break a sweat.
- Schedule buying this stuff in advance like it’s a Really Important Thing. Because it is. Pop reminder lists in your calendar or planner so you stay organised. Maybe you need to buy shampoo every week. Make a reminder or shopping list for a specific day to buy 2 bottles once a fortnight. Add one extra bottle next time it’s on special so you have that back up.
Double or triple it.
How much time do you think you waste looking for things you know you own, but you just can’t find? Or even if you know exactly where everything is, it’s inconvenient to go and get it when you’re busy. Let’s make your life a whole bunch easier:
- At Home: If you are always searching for your glasses or your phone cable or a pair of scissors… Make sure there’s a duplicate stored where you need it. I have a pair of scissors in every room because I often need to trim a thread, snip off a scratchy label or cut a tube in half to get to the last little bit.
- On The Move: If you keep leaving your phone charger or your sunnies or your lip balm behind, get another one and keep it where you need it to be. Keep them everywhere you need them to be so you don’t have to waste time hunting for things, squinting until you get a headache or suffer dry uncomfortable lips ever again.
- At Work(for those not in lockdown): Is there precisely ONE (1) working stapler in your office? Do people keep nicking pens off your desk? Did you forget to put your wireless mouse in your laptop bag again? Get duplicates and keep them where you, or your colleagues, need them.
Group similar stuff together.
I know. I go on and on about this. But why not? This way you can see exactly how many you have. Here’s a random list.
- Backup products. Line up the same or similar products, newest behind oldest so you use the oldest first.
- Linen. Keep your sheets in sets for each room or by size or type so you can grab and go without hunting for (sometimes non-existent) size labels.
- Wardrobes. Group your clothes by type, colour and temperature, not necessarily in that order. Whatever makes the most sense to you.
- Makeup. It’s easier to find the colour you need in your makeup if all your lippys are in one spot or container, same with all your eye shadows, blushers, bottles of nail varnish…
- Paperwork. Is so much less annoying, scary or boring if it’s super easy to find. Bunch them together in the most logical way for you (and label your files.)
- Toys. Buckets of Barbies. Boxes of LEGO. Clear plastic containers with lids are your friend. The smaller the bits, the smaller the box. Keep big things in big boxes.
- Labels, glorious labels. Use labels so everyone knows what lives in that space.
Btw – The idea here is to make your life easier. Not to have an avalanche of deodorant bottles hit you every time you open the bathroom cabinet. You don’t need more than one or two of anything as a back up product unless your goal is to reduce your shopping trips to once a month or you live a long way from a store.
Also – Just because it’s on special doesn’t mean you NEED it.
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