Trying to stay organised

How strange that I should be thinking about lists and getting organised, when that was exactly what i read on Rhonda's Down to Earth blog!  

It's nearly half-way through January (how on earth did that happen?) and I am determined to maintain the 'glass half-full' attitude - full up to the top would be great, but I am realistic ;-)

Actually, so far I feel positive.  Each day I try to set aside a little time to sort paperwork, declutter, file, gather useful info and plan ahead.  I'm forever making notes on scraps of paper - recipes, blogs of interest, craft projects I want to try, simple living ideas etc etc.  Now I know that I need a much more organised system to actually do some of these things instead of simply jotting them down randomly.

Enter the household journal (ah, should have taken photo!)  Last year I downloaded several pages of the Down to Earth journal - daily/weekly/master to-do lists; menu planners; ideas to try; green cleaning recipes - and last week I ran off one or two more that I thought might be helpful.  I have laminated the daily to-do list (so I can wipe it off each day), and have it on a clipboard.  I am trying to get into the habit of using the weekly list to form a framework of appointments, meetings, deadlines, special dates/occasions, onto which I can add projects and/or tasks that are important or need to be completed.  It works if I stay committed to it and not allow myself to become distracted with other unimportant (or time-wasting) things.  I have found I can spend literally hours browsing through blogs, for instance, so I am trying to set myself a time limit if I want to look into something on the net.  I also know, from past experience, that I must make my daily to-do list achievable; there has to be a good chance I will be able to complete at least some of the items on the list.  It is very demoralising to reach the end of the day and find only one or two items from a list of 10 have been ticked off; better to have a realistic list of 6 attainable tasks instead.  It's far more encouraging.

Checking my list for today, I have managed seven out of nine tasks - the library was shut when I went to return my books (that would have made eight ticks), and the mending I need to do is a bit more problematic that I first thought, so I need to give that more time another day.  All in all, I'm pleased that I have achieved several things today, and more importantly, I feel I have put my time to good use.

Now to other things:

We are very hopeful we have bluetits nesting in the nest-box, which is great.  This morning we watched them paying a lot of attention to the box, and were delighted to see one inside while the other was at the hole.  N has a great photo which I must get uploaded.  

We have still not heard anything back from the estate agents re the offer we put in last Monday.  It's quite frustrating and we will call in tomorrow to try to get some clarification as to the situation.

Whilst browsing (time-limited, of course!) the DTE forum recently, I came across an idea by one of the moderators, littleshinigstar, as a way of recording her 'Simple Living Progress'.  I really liked the idea, and I think I will try to use it to chart my faltering steps towards a simpler lifestyle.  So here is my first effort:

My Simple Living Progress week ending 12/1/14

I made a great meal of (this is N's really, he's the chef): whole baked trout with freshly baked malty cob - I made the bread!
I baked - fairy cakes -
I preserved/fermented -
I stockpiled - baked beans on offer!
I handmade/started - I've added 2 borders to the quilt, and I altered a pair of curtains
I repurposed -
I saved money by - using home-made laundry liquid
I sowed seeds -
I harvested -
I tried something new - I'm sure I did, but can't think what!
I read/was inspired by - (not necessarily inspired by, but did manage to read
                                        Agatha Christie - The Mystery of the Blue Train
                                        Kate Atkinson - Case Histories
                                        Simon Brett - Death Under the Dryer
I finally tackled - downloading photos onto hard-drive
I really enjoyed - my son and his fiancee being here


Good grief, what a long post!