Help for Disorganized People

If you haven't figured it out yet, I'm not the world's most organized person.  (Someone recently suggested I might truly have ADD.  Who knows?  But hey, maybe I can use that as an excuse, right?)

My super-organized (and extremely patient) husband has taught me a thing or two about how to keep things organized.  I'm sure I would be 10 times worse without his help.

So for the next few weeks, I'll be running a series on Time Management and Organization for the Disorganized Procrastinator.  I'll be sharing some of the things I have learned from my husband as well as personal obstacles that I have overcome.

Ready for part 1?  Let's dig in…

Do you have piles of paper surrounding your desk? Do you have boxes of paperwork to go through in the attic, inside closets, or in the corner of your office that need to be organized? Are your computer files a disorganized jumble of text files and Word documents full of ideas that you will never find again? Do you have many plans and ideas that you just never get to? Does the idea of getting organized make you uncomfortable and a little bit nervous? If so, then this guide is for you!

Week One:

Identifying Your Organizing Style

The first thing you need to do is figure out your organizational style. Even as a disorganized person you have an organizational style. Trust me. Knowing your own personal organizational style will help you avoid choosing methods that won't work for you.

• Neat Nelly — She puts everything away out of sight; however, the term neat can be questioned. She feels neat because it's all out of sight and out of mind.
• Piles Polly — She puts everything out where everyone can see it, usually in piles all over the place. She cannot find anything when she needs it.
• Basket Betty — She puts everything into baskets so that they look neat and out of sight, but they are anything but neat (and maybe not even out of sight).

Understanding your organizational style will help you move forward with creating a system of organization that works for you. Working with your personality, instead of against it, will make becoming more organized a lot simpler. So, it doesn't matter whether or not you pile everything up, stuff everything out of sight, or have lots of baskets and bins with all your work in them. You can work with your natural inclinations to create a plan and develop a system that works for you.

If you're still not sure about your organizational style, think for a moment about what you do when you receive a monthly bill. Do you throw it on a “bill pile”, file it away, or throw it in a basket (or drawer)? Some people just prefer to be able to see everything because they're afraid they'll forget something. Other people feel more accomplished if it's all out of sight (and out of mind), while others do a mixture of the two. Which one are you?

Week one challenge:  Identify your organizational style and tell me in the comments.

(If you're the organized type, none of us naturally disorganized people will mind a bit if you chime in with your helpful suggestions during this series!)

Printable Daily Planner for Disorganized People

Organized bloggers talk about their tried-and-true methods for keeping your house clean and being productive.  Most of them center on the concept of routine.  But what if you're like me and routine makes you bored?  Chances are you jump in to this system that is “guaranteed to work”, and it works great…for a few weeks.  Then you get tired of being locked in to vacuuming on Monday, cleaning the bathroom on Tuesday, etc.  You want to do what you want, when you feel like it — all without your house falling apart.  Me too!
I am not naturally organized, and I hate routine.  But instead of letting that defeat me, I have tried to find ways to work with my personality to create a system that works for me.

I noticed that the days I was most productive were the days when I was scribbling down everything I needed to do in a notebook.

Over time I noticed that without thinking I would always list “like” items together – for example, anything I had to do on the computer, any phone calls I needed to make, etc.  I had unintentionally created a system that was working pretty well for my personality.

I made a printable version to make my method look a little prettier.

How to use this printable:

Although this planner is intended to be used daily, you only need to print one copy.

Attach 6 standard sized sticky notes to the squares (I prefer Post-it Brand since they stick the best.)  Then label each section whatever you want it to be.

My labels are:

1. Basics – I write down everything that I have to do, even no-brainer stuff like “make supper”, “make the bed”, etc.  With a personality like mine, I really do forget if I don't write it down!

2. Extra – this is extra housework that does not get done every day, like mopping or cleaning the bathroom.

3. Shopping list – self-explanatory

4. Computer – this is anything I need to do on the computer, such as working on my blog or ordering grocery items from Amazon. (aff. link.)  That way when the kids are napping I can quickly work through what needs to be done, and I can easily see it on my list.

5. Projects – This area is for things like crafts that I want to make or fun activities I want to do with my kids.

6. Notes – I use this for stuff that's not necessarily to-do but that I still need to remember.  For example – “Tell hubby he has an email he needs to check.”

I love this system!  I can switch around what housework I do on what days, without forgetting about it altogether.  I make my schedule be a slave to me, instead of being a slave to a schedule.

I like using the Post-it notes because I don't have to print a new to-do list every day.  If I've completed the stuff on one square, I can remove just that sticky note and replace it.  If I still need to work on some of the stuff, I can leave that list right where it is.

Are you the “creative” type who gets too bored with a routine, but forgets to do things otherwise?  I'd love for you to try out this daily planner and let me know if it helps!

Savory Roasted Vegetables

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Gro-ables. All opinions are 100% mine.

I am looking forward to spring so much!  We are hoping to plant a few vegetables this year, and I cannot wait to have fresh food on hand to prepare dishes such as these savory roasted vegetables.

Preheat your oven to 350 F. Then chop up some veggies and herbs and toss them in some olive oil. Squash, peppers, onions and tomatoes are a good combination. Add some fresh herbs like basil, parsley and oregano.

Mix all your ingredients and wrap everything in foil on a baking dish. Bake at 350 F for about 40 minutes or so. Drizzle with your favorite balsamic reduction and serve over rice, quinoa or just have it by itself.

Do you want to have your own fresh veggies growing right in your backyard?  Gro-ables seed pods are a great option for beginning gardeners or those with a brown thumb!

Gro-ables is a new product from Miracle-Gro that is designed for people new to gardening.  When used as directed, they are guaranteed to grow!  And they are super-affordable at $1.29 – $1.49 per pod.

Each pod contains all you need to grow your own food:

• Specially selected non-GMO seed at just the right depth
• Growing materials to protect the seed and keep it moist
• Plant food to help it grow and build strong roots

There are 17 different varieties of vegetables and herbs that you can grow and use to create delicious recipes like the one above.

And if you are really bad about remembering to water your plants like I am, Gro-ables also work together with the Sprout It app.  Just enter the date you planted it in your app, and you will receive reminders to water your plant as well as other helpful tips.

What fresh vegetable or herb are you most looking forward to growing?

Printable Healthy Living Worksheets

Some of you may have printed these back in the fall, but I want to make them available to you again as a part of Project Simplify.

If you want to live a healthy lifestyle, you have to make it easy for yourself to do so. That takes planning, and I've put together some helpful worksheets to help you do that.

What you get:

Menu planner – plan out your meals and snacks ahead of time.  You will be amazed how much time, money, and stress this will save you.

Daily Schedule – keep track of appointments and your to-do list.  There are also places to mark off as you drink your water, exercise, and take your supplements, and a place for you to keep a food diary.

Shopping List – after you make your menu, add the ingredients you need to your shopping list.

Meal Tracker – keep track of what you eat and how you feel.  If you suspect food sensitivities or you're finding that you have low energy levels, you'll be able to narrow down what you're eating that makes you feel better or worse. (If you're needing more help overcoming fatigue, you'll want to check out my eBook, Farewell, Fatigue.)

Supplement tracker – There are several supplements I take every day, and I can feel a noticeable difference in how I feel if I forget to take them.  Remind yourself what you need to take and mark off when you've done that.

To get your printables, just enter your name and email address, and your pack will be delivered to your inbox.  (Be sure to check your spam folder if you don't see it.)

*Please note: by entering your email address, you will be subscribed to an email newsletter with (very infrequent) updates whenever I have news that I think you'll really want to hear.  Thanks for allowing me the opportunity to communicate with you!*

When the Tears Just Don’t Fall

This is somewhat of a follow-up to Laura's guest post about tears.

I really appreciated that post because Laura verbalized a lot of the thoughts I had been thinking lately.

So many times I have prayed and asked God to give me a greater burden for the lost, I've begged Him to give me those tears and a broken heart for those who are facing an eternity without Christ.

But here's the thing.  If I don't tell others the way of salvation, it's not God's fault.

I can't base what I do on how I feel.

To be honest, I often feel nothing.  Maybe you don't have that problem, but I do.

I try to look at the faces I walk past in the store and view them not just as a body, but as an eternal soul.  I try to think about whether that soul will spend eternity in heaven or in hell.  I try to let those thoughts really sink in and create a burning desire to point them to Jesus Christ before it's too late.  But still, so often, I feel absolutely nothing.  My humanity still sees that person as nothing more than a body in front of me, making my time in line last a little longer.

My lack of emotion does not excuse me from obeying Christ's command to preach the gospel to every creature.

I'm sure you've heard the phrase, “Love is an action.”

And it is.  If I love Jesus, I will do what he says. (John 14:15)

And in the case of lost souls, he has told me to give them the gospel.  If I don't do that, I am demonstrating not just my lack of love for them, but a lack of love for Jesus Christ himself.

So, the question I must ask myself is, “Do I love Him?”

If the answer is yes, I cannot wait for the tears to fall.  I must obey not as a result of my feelings, but as a choice.

Feelings are usually secondary to actions.  When we act on our love toward others, the emotions usually follow.

Perhaps my tears don't fall because I haven't acted on what I know I should be doing.  Perhaps when I make the choice to reach out to the lost, a heart that is broken over their condition will follow.

So today, just as I have asked myself “Do I love Him?”, I challenge you to ask yourself the same question.  If the answer is yes, then I simply say to you, “Prove it.”

Crockpot White Chicken Chili

The following post is from guest contributor Andrea.

I love cooking in the winter.  I can cook and bake to my heart’s content without overheating the house.  And I can make soup – a lot.  We eat a lot of soups in the winter months.  They are usually frugal to prepare.  They are very filling and healthy.  And most soup recipes make a lot, which means that I can cook once and get several meals out of the effort.  I especially love soups that can be tossed into the crock-pot in the morning and then ladled into bowls at dinner time. One of my family’s favorite “soup” recipes is White Chicken chili.  I first heard of this recipe from my friend Sarah.  I have tweaked it a little until it is just the way my family loves it.  It’s frugal, hearty, easy, and it makes a whole lot.  I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

This isn’t a true white chili because it calls for black beans instead of white beans.  You can choose to use canned ingredients and a store-bought spice mix to make it really fast, or prep the ingredients yourself.  I prefer to cook dry beans.  I cook up a whole bag and then freeze it in 2-cup portions.  For this recipe I use two of my pre-portioned bags.  You can buy a white chicken chili seasoning packet, or just mix up some spices at home (for much less money!).

White Chicken Chili

2 cans of corn (or about 4 cups of frozen corn) (do not drain)
4 cups cooked black beans (if using canned beans, do not drain.  If using cooked dry beans, add about ¼-1/3 cup water)
2 chicken breasts
1 tsp. garlic powder
Sprinkle crushed red peppers
1 tsp. cumin
½ tsp. oregano
Pinch cayenne

Combine first three ingredients in crockpot.  I often throw the chicken in straight from the freezer, but you can thaw it first.  Combine spices and sprinkle over the top.  Cook on low 6-8 hours.  Before serving, remove chicken from crockpot and shred with two forks.  Return chicken to crockpot and mix to blend all seasonings.  Serve over rice or tortilla chips, with a dollop of sour cream and shredded cheddar cheese!  (My husband likes his with a big helping of Tabasco sauce too).