It is September and for many of us either school has already started or about to start! This year I am so excited to getwall_planner going!! I have finally organized my home and office so that I will be ready to go! Here are a few ideas that might help!

Apparently there is such a thing as a “command wall”. It is a wall dedicated to family organization……music to my ears!! It can include anything from a calendar to mail containers and everything in between. If you look on Pinterest, there are 1000 plus ideas! So that is where I started!

  1. On my wall, I put up:
    1. A family calendar, so my husband and I can see our own schedules and each other’s at a glance
    2. A menu, which forces me to plan ahead and be ready for dinner throughout the week
    3. 2 wall hangings with 2 mail slots in each…..each dedicated to catching mail (so I can sort it immediately then deal with it when I can):
      1. My mail
      2. My husband’s mail
      3. Coupons
      4. Take out menus
    4. A decorative “P” for fun…and for our last name J
  2. To take this a step further I have built in systems to make my life a whole lot easier. I am ADHD and I find that systems ensure that “it” gets done! Example:
    1. Sundays now are dedicated to food shopping and prepping meals for the week. I cut up all necessary veggies, mix dressings anything else I can do to make a week night meal quick and easy!
    2. After reading David Allen’s “Getting Things Done”, I learned how to file in a way that was easy and effective! To give you an idea, I have 1 folder for each of the days of the week and 1 for each month. I put the necessary paperwork in that day or month that I will need to work on it. For example, I need to pay estimated sales tax on October 15th, so I put that bill in the October folder. When October rolls around, I will put it the necessary week (weeks 1 -4), then that week I can put it in the necessary day.
  3. Build in family time. In reading books about productivity and how to accomplish what you want, rarely does one mention the power of family and friends!! That time spent gives me the energy to power through my week!!
  4. I am rereading “Tools For Teaching” by Fred Jones. I wanted to get back to basics. When you have been teaching for a bit …no need to mention how long….one might need a little brushing up on what is learned the first year and perfected over time. There is a newer edition and I have found it to be a good reminder, as well as learning some new tricks for good teaching and solid classroom management!
  5. A last hurrah! The last Monday that I had before school started and my little one was being taken care of, I went for a mani/ pedi! The idea was to savor the last moments before summer is gone and to end it with a bang! If you have already started, take time during the first weekend you can to commemorate the occasion!