Monday, July 11, 2011

When A List Isn't Enough...

I like lists.

No, I love lists.

I love writing them out.
I love checking things off.
I love rewriting the lists when they begin
to look too sloppy to be inspiring.

Most of the time,  a list works for organizing my life.
Sometimes,  I use several lists on a clipboard~
~like ~
Things To Do
Things To Buy
Things To Cook
Things To Pack

Preparing for a a Graduation Open House
sent me way past the usefulness of
Clipboard With Lists.

I went for the Big Gun I named ~

~Command Central~

.
Using a huge tray from IKEA,
I first wrote out days of the week on Post-It notes
and stuck them across the top.

You can see why the pressure was building,
I only had five days left,
and many, many, many things to do.

Each task to complete or item to buy
was written down and placed under the column of the day
I thought it should be done.

The white notes were mini-lists,
like all that needed to be cleaned in the dining room
and other things I don't remember,
and the print is too small on the picture to read.
Double-click on pic if you care what I was doing.

When a chore was completed, it was crossed off
and labeled with the name of the hero that completed the task.

At the end of the day, 
uncompleted tasks were moved over to the next column.

By the final day, only a few things had to be eliminated
from the list because we couldn't get them done.

Because the whole list was in view for the entire family,
everybody knew what needed to be done
and what they were capable of doing.

It also kept me from nagging and brought peace in the house.

Even my Type B "I'll-Do-It-Tomorrow" hubby
enjoyed completing a few tasks and  crossing them off
the first day
Command Central was established.

 I loved involving the whole family
in preparing for a special occasion,
and having a list that was flexible.

I think my family loved it because it kept me from
nagging...

...but they can't admit that in public,
because they don't blog.
So, I'll say it for them.

Anything that relieves stress for Mommy
is a success in our house.

What organizational victories have you had
while planning special events for your family this summer?

Making your home sing Mondays





7 comments:

  1. Great looking post-it note on the cute board list. Maybe that would help me.............. sigh .......or maybe I'm hopeless. =/ :) You inspire me though so maybe I'll get it some day............

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  2. I've always been a list-maker but you have taken this to a new high. I'd never thought of making separate lists with categories. Great Idea!! And, a great way to include everyone and also let them see and perhaps appreciate all that goes into having a successful event.

    Isn't it great the day after the event when you can sit back and relax in your clean-house-haven?! Just too bad it's only temporary. *smile

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  3. I always make lists. And now, to make me feel better about homeschooling, I dictate the lists to the girls and make them write them out. Writing? Check.

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  4. This is a wonderful idea! I love lists too.

    Have you ever seen ListMom (or whatever she's called)? She has tons and tons of free lists to print out.

    We are having a grad party pretty soon for the youngest. I think we'll have it at the church which will be easier (parking is lousy in front of our house).

    I wanted to have it at home but hubby reminded me of parking, and clean up will certainly be easier as it'll all be in one room, lol!

    Thanks for linking up!

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  5. Cute idea to help your time table on things to do.

    I am not a list lover. All my lists tend to be mental...not sure why I don't lean to writing them down. I have many lists running through my mind on most days, I hold them all very lightly, as I know that there is only so much time in each day and that even with my best intentions, as a mother of 8 -that many will go unattended (THE LISTS, NOT THE CHILDREN...LOL).

    Maybe someday I will grow-up enough to have a more organized list system. Knowing myself, I am thinking it might not happen.

    Your list is eye candy...which is always good for the soul, right?

    Kimmie
    mama to 8
    one homemade and 7 adopted

    ReplyDelete
  6. You are my organizational hero!!

    Good job getting through it all and keeping your family happy, too.

    ReplyDelete

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