“By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.”
-Benjamin Franklin
You see, growing up, we ALWAYS packed our backpacks and lunches the night before. We almost ALWAYS had our clothes picked out as well. Some of these habits followed me through high school and college but it was never very organized. I tried countless ways to be organized in college and other then my school work, everything else almost always ended up a big flop.
Starting a real career job has been a crazy adventure! There are a lot of things that I don't miss from college, like having homework to do until weeeeee hours of the morning. But, I also discovered that I hate having to take time out of my evenings to get ready for the next day, it makes that precious free time too short. I have opted for using Sunday to get organized for the week. Right now, it takes me most of the day Sunday to clean, do laundry, get organized and everything (probably because I am in no rush to do it). While I had many things I could blog about, I have had a number of people ask me how I organize myself, so here ya go!!
But first, I would like to show off a new pinterest success:
A mason jar holder to free up some bathroom counter space!!! What a cute and fun way to have easy access to the things I use everyday while not leaving it all over the counters!
Anyways.... How do I organize??????
1.Planning out my outfits in advance *Already featured on a blog*
For me, only having to iron once for the entire week is the best thing ever. So Sundays after I do all my laundry, fold it, and put it away, I plan out my work outfits for the week AND iron them. This includes: shirts, slacks/skirts, under garments, shoes, as well as workout clothes and pajamas for that night. For many this may be overkill but for me, it just works.
2. Workbag essentials.
Most days, (if you work in a field similar to most) you will need the same things every day, so pack your bag so its ready for the week! My necessities are: Spark, a blender bottle, water bottle, lunch, planner, notebook to track meals/food, notebook (you never know when you need to take notes!), chapstick, a pen, a flash-drive, wallet, my glasses, my work computer, and an emergency snack! All packed nicely in a Vera Bradley bag (thanks Doud family- this makes a GREAT graduation gift FYI).
3. The gym bag!!!
For me, I like to workout after work so its important to have my bag ready to go with me in the morning otherwise it is far to easy to say "I'll come home after work to change" because we all know, I don't go back out then. SO what is in my gym bag you ask??? Workout shoes, shorts, spandex shorts for under my shorts (I like Nike Combat Pro!), a sports bra (Target is my fav), a workout tank, socks, knee brace, a towel, I-pod, arm band for I-pod, Spark and catalyst (pre-workout), notecards for each day with my workout written down, a pen to jot down the weight used or modifications to my original plan, weight lifting gloves (classy girls do NOT have calluses on their hands!) and then an extra pair of shoes to wear on my way home (you shouldn't wear your workout/running shoes for anything BUT that)!!
4. Vitamins/Supplements
If you are like ALMOST everyone else, you fail at remembering to take your vitamins everyday. Guilty as charged. I almost ALWAYS forget. But, if you separate them out and include them on your daily plan (more on that later) then you are much more likely to remember taking them. I divide them out in a bag for each day! *I will blog more specifically about what products I use another time*
5. Tracking System
Reality is, you need a long term organization system to meet goals, regardless what those goals may be. Mine so happen to revolve around fitness and healthy eating. SO if you read through this blog so far, you may have noticed I mentioned that I write my workouts down on a notecard and that I mentioned a daily plan. You read correct, I have a notecard for each day that I write down my workout. That notecard goes with me and I jot down the amount of weight I used or any modifications I made during my workout. Then it gets filed into my workout binder. My workout binder has dividers where I put notes for different workouts for arms, legs, back, etc. Then in the back, I have a plain white sheet of paper for every week and I tape the notecards to that sheet when I am done with my workout. Then I have logged what my plan was, what actually happened, and helps track progress!!
The daily plan refers to exactly that, I plan out for the week what I intend on eating when. Like my workouts, it doesn't always follow so I have a notebook that I carry with me where I write down what exactly I ate, when I ate it and if I don't feel well. The binder contains recipes and healthy eating guidelines! Similarly to the back of the workout binder, I put my weekly plans in the back of my healthy eating binder.
6. Finances
You need to watch your money. You should be watching your income (how much is being taken out in taxes etc). You should be watching how much you spend on bills, clothes, food, entertainment etc. I personally use an excel spreadsheet to track all of this information. But you need to workout a system for you. I have seen premade notebooks for this exact thing!
Bottom line is, you must plan to succeed. Or maybe you don't. But for me, my week goes much much much smoother when I have things planned out and ready for Monday-Friday when I go to bed on Sunday. It allows me time to workout, hang out with my family, and get snuggle time in with my favorite nephew during the week!!
Have a SPARKLING week!!
As always, if you have questions, need advice, or tips, email me at: thebloomingace@gmail.com
“If you don't know where you are going,
you'll end up someplace else.”
-Yogi Berra
