It is a challenge to just keep my head above water during the week as we are commuting/working for long periods each day. It is very easy to just flop in a chair and do nothing, and some nights I do just that. However, I find that if I do a little bit each day it is less onerous when the weekend comes around.
Here are some of the things I try to do to keep it simple:
Plan meals – on a good week I have the whole week planned out but otherwise I at least know what we will be eating for dinner the following night.
Plan what I will wear – as above. It saves wasting time on thinking in the morning.
Lunches planned and at least partly prepared.
Rinse/wipe the basin and vanity to keep it looking clean.
Washing/folding/ironing – make sure it is up to date. This morning I hung out the sheets, tonight I took them off the line and they are now folded and put away. I also handwashed some jumpers and hung them out.
What do you do to keep the wheels running smoothly?
organised castle 
If I think I might be delayed leaving work the following day, I usually cut up all the meat and veggies and place them in containers in the fridge, so the meal is ready to cook as soon as I get home. I sometimes pre fill a large saucepan with water if I am making pasta, or pre measure the rice and leave in the rice cooker ready for soaking. I also tak out any sauces or herbs I need for the meal and leave them next to the hot plate. I find that these things all take time to measure out, cut up etc and this saves me heaps of time, especially when there are hungry kids waiting on dinner.
As soon as I have taken out from the machine, that nights washing, I fill it ready for the following night’s washing, adding in the detergent as well. I wait till the following night to add in whatever other items can go in, before I turn it on. This saves time sorting thru the colours etc so I can quickly get the load going. This is helpful if I have the central heating on as I can peg out the washing to maximize the drying time over the heating ducts.
Mary, you have some great time-saving ideas there and with a family you would definitely need them. Well done 🙂 I have the luxury of no children at home these days but I certainly remember the chaos that often ensued as we all arrived home from work and school.
Fairy l love your ideas and think l will adopt them as my organisation has not been happening. l love your pantry. Where did you get the lovely storage containers.
Thanks for the positive feedback. Organisation and general household tasks are best done to fit with your personal circumstances which is why I have always steered away from cleaning plans and charts. I tend to do what I feel like and what is important to me at the time.
Re the containers: The smaller ones are the ones from ‘tinned fruit’. I first bought some when we were going camping as it is resealable but then made a conscious effort to purchase on a semi-regular basis until I had enough for my needs. I like the containers because they seal well and easily, are lightweight, contents are visible, stack and store easily because they are square and they hold an appropriate quantity of many of the dry goods that I buy in bulk. I use them for cocoa, coconut, potato flour, dried apricots, sultanas, almonds, flaxseed meal etc.
The larger jars came from my mother – they were 3kg coffee jars. Heavy but good for those things that I have in larger quantities – skim milk powder, sugar etc.
Fairy there is a career waiting for you down the track as a Personal Organiser.
I am not sure that I would presume to try to organise other people. Although it does sound quite appealing…………. I am sure it would be easier than doing your own stuff as there would be no emotional attachment and you could be more clinical in your approach.
You definitely live up to your blog title, talk about organized. I’m not nearly so organized, but I do have a couple of things I do. When I shower I rinse my hair with white vinegar. since it is in a spray bottle I spray down the shower walls as i finish so I only have to clean up the tub portion. Living alone I can easily forget meals, so each morning I have been filling the slow cooker so I will have something to eat for dinner that is healthy, the leftovers (of which there are plenty) go into the freezer for winter meals. Other than that I have no real tips.
I like the idea of the vinegar in the shower. 🙂 I tend to wipe it down using a squeegee thingy when I finish my shower.