Wednesday at our home is office day - I have a small office off of my tv room so that I can watch the children and see what they are watching when the tv is on. I am not a big tv watcher so it allows me to get work done(I sell books online) or get some bills paid etc while still being able to talk to my family etc.
Cleaning my desk is the first task - and here it seems a never ending one. Personal, business, homeschool, and family papers seem to pile here. Three ring notebooks for Time (calendar, flyers of commitments etc), Money (bills, debt repayment plan etc) Family Notebook (addresses, birthdays etc) , Homeschool (plans, subjects for students etc) all help me to clear the desk.
Checking on bank account balances seems to give me a clear overview of where we are so I normally start there. Food shopping, menus, inventory lists, grocery list normally are next - You Gotta Eat! (Checkers motto that makes me laugh) Looking at what we may need and making my errand list for Thursday is next. Then back to finances - paying any bills, checking on debt repayment. Business check is next - Avon order in? Any books that need to be mailed? Family things are next - calendar filled out, birthdays, special occassions etc. A list of contacts I need to make - phone, email, Im, letter may all be acceptable ways these days - and it may take me a week to get through this list (I am terrible at using the phone).
Managing our home is work - and no manager would dare try to manage anything without a clear system. My notebooks are my system. Checking them at least weekly helps me to be able to trust that all is running smoothly. My desk is an area I am still working on - but my goal is to clear it everyday (maybe before I go to bed). I pay bills usually once a month - but while we are in debt repayment phase I am trying to get any extra payments in that we can afford. If you don't have a desk - get some area that is yours - if you don't like notebooks get a file cabinet and files. Don't try to run your home without some sort of command center. Plan time to take care of paperwork, lists, inventory schedules, bills - it will be time well spent.
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