SIDETRACKED SISTERS...

My sister, Sid, and myself

How sidetracked were these outfits!!

Once upon a time,

 there were two sidetracked sisters. 

 We were stay at home moms 

with two kids each.

 Our houses were not dirty, 

but to say 

- not tidy - 

would be a gross understatement.

  

We were never 

ready for company 

and when it came 

unexpectedly,

 we were in the 

dregs of disgrace.

We would call 

each other on the telephone 

and spend many hours 

complaining about our circumstances. 

 Time 

that would have been better spent

 picking up a 

few things!

Unbeknownst to us,

 there were another two sisters, 

equally as sidetracked,

 many miles away,

 that were gong through 

the same thing.

 After they, too, 

spent many hours 

on the telephone 

complaining to each other 

they,

unlike us,

 did something about it

 and it affected our lives

 tremendously.

They wrote a book

 entitled Sidetracked Home Executives, 

or S.H.E. 

as we in the club like to call it.

 It changed our lives,

 because we found out 

that our biggest problem 

was that we were not BO's,

 or Born Organizers.

 So we bought the book,

 followed the rules,

 and it worked!!

 And I am sure

 it could work for you also, 

so let me explain 

how I do it:

In the book,

 it states that you need 

a gazillion index cards 

in pink, blue, yellow and white.

  If you want those colors, get them, 

but I have found 

that all one color is just fine, 

as I don't follow the 

S.H.E.rules to the T. 

 I'm not saying 

that you shouldn't,

 I have just found, 

after doing it for awhile, 

a little change in plans

 works well for me

 and I know you would find out

 the same thing 

after you put the plan in motion.

 Here are the tools needed to implement this plan:

A small plastic box 

that holds 3x5 index cards:

 Dividers 

with the names of the months, 

dividers

 with the number of days in the month,

 a pen or pencil, 

and a small calendar 

that fits in the box. 

 You will also need 

3x5 lined index cards,

 one package,

 on the average.

Next on the list 

will be to sort your tasks.

 One card for each task 

and write "daily" in the top left corner 

of the card

 for the tasks that will be accomplished

on a daily basis.

  As each of the tasks are finished, 

put the card back in the box,

 behind the date for the next day. 

 If there is a task

 on one particular day 

that is only performed on a weekly basis, 

write "weekly" 

in the top left corner 

and the name of the day of the week 

that it is to be performed 

in the top right corner, 

and when finished,

 put it behind the next week's date, 

using the small calender if necessary.

  Do the same

 if you have a job 

that is performed only once a month,

 2x weekly 

or yearly.

 When the whole days jobs

 are completed,

 add the title card

behind the one from the day before.

  Do the same when the month is done

 and you will be all ready

 to start over again

 in a new month.

This method 

does not cover heavy cleaning,

 such as drawers, closets, etc. 

but after you get your system

 figured out 

then you can see what days 

are less busy

 and you can add cards 

for the extra cleaning.

 Before you get to that point

 you will see 

that your home looks

sparkling and beautiful

  at the drop of a hat 

not an embarrasment 

in any situation.

I started out planning my system

 by counting the number of rooms

 in the house 

and dividing them in half 

before dividing them up by five days.

 I do not follow any system 

on the weekends. 

 If I am home

 and there are idol minutes in the day,

 I will do some chores

 but I do not make that a priority.

This plan 

could and should 

be changed 

for whatever feels right for you.

 Here is how

 I set up a 

days worth of work

 for me:

Cards are marked "Daily"

Make bed

Clean up (shower, make-up, clothes) ( don't laugh, I will explain later)

Eat Breakfast

Take Meds

Do dishes. Load or unload dishwasher

Empty watebaskets and sweep porches

Check water in plants and flowers, discard flowers when needed

Check Kai's Water

Pay and mail bills 

(This is my nemisis,

 the days just get away from me 

and then I can be late) 

(I write the day the bill should be mailed 

on the back of the envelope

 and keep in a wall box 

until ready to send.

Brush toilets and wipe sinks 

(bath tub and shower are wiped down daily anyway every time they are used)

Check and answer e-mails 

(I leave this one 

for the very last job of the day, 

as I tend to get "sidetracked"

 on Pinterest

 if I don't.

All of the above 

get done everyday, M-F. 

 Now I will add in 

the weekly or monthly chores.

Example:

Card will say: 

Weekly, top left 

and day of the week in top right

Change Sheets on Beds.

After sheets are changed,

 put card behind 

the following week's day.

In the front of the card 

that shows the month you are working in,

 I put one card that has 

"Appointments - August 2016.

 As I am moving through the days 

I will take note of an appointment 

and put the card in front

 of the day that it is due, 

keep that appointment,

 then move the card to the next one. 

 You won't ever

 forget that way.

In order to have a home

 that is always at the ready, 

I dust half of the rooms on one day, 

which is a "weekly" card, 

and the other half on the next day.

 Vacuum all the rooms on another day,

 which is also a "weekly" card 

and do windows,

 waxing floors and wiping cobwebs,

 which is a "monthly" card.

 I do laundry

 2x a week 

on Tuesday and Thursdays 

and wipe down appliances and cupboards 

on a "weekly" basis. 

 You can make these card for any day 

that you like

 just so it gets done.

 It sounds like a lot of work

 but with a feather duster 

and the vacuum at the ready

 and with a positive mind-set, 

it goes really pretty quickly.

 You may also designate tasks

 to others in the family.

 The majority of the tasks 

on any given day 

will only take about 

2 or 3 minutes.

This program really works 

but you have to stick

 to certain principles

 in order for it to do so.

 You have to learn

 to say no

 to any outside influences 

until the work is done

 and you have to be able to 

forgive yourself and not stress if,

 by chance,

 something doesn't get done.

 If you can't get to a job,

 don't move the card to the next day

 unless it is a "daily" card.

   Put it into the date 

that you would normally put it in, 

whether weekly or monthly, 

after it was completed 

and then do it next time.

 Try not to do this

 too often 

or you will defeat the purpose.

 Another habit to get into 

is that you pick up

 all papers, magazines, books

 and fluff pillows 

and straighten up the kitchen

 before you go to bed,

 then you wake up 

ahead of the game 

each morning.

You can buy the book, 

"Sidetracked Home Executives" 

from Amazon 

or you can set up your own card system,

 following similar ways

 that I have set out 

or what works for you.

 It is a pretty good read 

with lots of helpful hints

 and some comedic situations 

and I do 

recommend it.

After

 you have read all this,

 I'm pretty sure 

you will think it is a lot of work, 

as I know 

I tend to go on and on,

 but, truthfully,

 it isn't all that bad

 after you get the kinks worked out.

 If you have any

 inclinations to put off

 doing some of the things 

you know you should do, 

you will get a big boost

 from following this and,

 I know,

 you will be so happy

 you did.

I told you

 way back early in this post 

that I would tell you why

 there are some cards

 that might seem silly to put in, 

but my theory is 

that it gives me 

such a feeling of accomplishment 

to do a card 

and have something tangible in my hand 

to put away.

  I line them up

 on the dining room table

 and don't put the box away 

until the last card is done.

 This helps me too,

 in chores like doing laundry, 

as I tend to put a load in the dryer

 and then forget about it

 and have a dryer full of wrinkled clothes

 when I do get around to it, 

but if I see the card out

 everytime I pass by,

 I won't tend to 

forget it.  

The book tells you 

that once you have repeated one thing 

for 27 times in a row, 

it becomes a habit 

and then you could do away

 with those cards. 

 That would be a personal decision,

 one that I don't intend to make.

 I get out of bed every morning 

and I have lived on this earth 

for 27,740 days

 and I almost never forget

 to make it,

 but I still

 keep the card.

FYI: 

This system also works well

 for menu planning,

 shopping for groceries, 

holiday planning

 and keeping track of

 birthdays and anniversaries.

Now I better go in and start that dryer again!!

...Judy...

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