Organize 365 Podcast

Ozempic is to food chatter as Index cards are to the invisible work of being a household manager. We write any thought down, cognitive offloading, and free up capacity to THINK. As household managers we aren't struggling so much with the housework, it's all of the invisible thoughts that interrupt what we were doing and now can't remember what we need to do. We are constantly volleying between working memory and prospective memory!  Your working memory is your primary executive function. I want your working memory to serve its actual purpose, not just remembering to put the clothes in the dryer. What does that mean? Catch the full episode!!  
New Rules
Imagine you head back to school after break and the school says that's it, no more backpacks, lockers, or computers. You must carry everything with you throughout the day.  That's a lot to carry right? But we practice this everyday when we try to remember everything with no support staff, no help. And as soon as we think of something we need to do there's a "ding", a notification, a text, an interruption. So just like they gave new rules, I have a new rule for you…write everything down. It's hard to keep trying to remember everything -that's what working memory is - your brain constantly reminding you of what needs to get done.
There is science backing the idea that writing things down helps with recall.  One study I shared confirmed yes it's better for recall and another study backed that hypothesis up with an MRI showing different blood flow when we hold a pen and write on paper than even a stylist to a screen.  May I point out that when you are pen to paper there is no notification or anything else interrupting your thought process other than other thoughts. Which if you write each one down they won't interrupt your mindfulness. You can stay focused on your current task. I explained all of this when I gave the example of something as simple as trying to input a passcode. The amount of things that can interrupt you when you are simply "sending yourself a passcode" to then enter on an app, site, or browser that you need, is comical.  
I accidentally started using this system, which has proven effective, a long time ago of just writing everything down. And in this fast paced world with notifications distracting you continuously, it's a system to record what you want to remember (Prospective Memory)…what have you got to lose? Go grab a 5 pack of index cards and let your brain's flood gates open, then start writing them down. 
Got a Full Classroom?
Now imagine that you are the professor. Your working memory (the ability to hold information in your mind and manipulate it to complete work) is the classroom. It's orientation day for over 100 freshman college students. Can you hear all that chatter of the students? Can you even think? All those students are your thoughts. Now, you can clear out that classroom by writing down each thought. You write down the thought, the student leaves the classroom, and you gain back some of your working memory. That's why we write every thought down. You need to quiet your brain so you can think, not remember simple tasks like housework. Just because you are born a girl does not mean you innate know this skill. 
Do the System
A system works best when you do the system. If you've heard me say it once, then you've heard me say it a thousand times, write down every thought!  Pen to index card. Once you start to cognitively offload your thoughts (to move from your brain to your environment) you free up capacity allowing you to tackle much bigger tasks. Now that you have everything written down, there is no magic that all the sudden everything gets completed. Tune in next week because I am going to tell you the next step and explain why it works.
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday Basket®

The Productive Home Solution

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I left you hangin' in the last episode as to what the mindset shift is that you must have so that you can be a productive person. It's Discipline. And discipline is my word for this year. "Discipline is the bridge between goals and accomplishment" - Jim Rohn
What is the definition?
-Some of you may have a negative knee jerk reaction to the word discipline. Ready for me to reframe discipline in you mind? It is…
-The act of gaining control with obedience and order (like holding yourself accountable to picking up after yourself.)
-Having behavior in accordance with rules (like the Sunday Basket®)
-Self Control - you can struggle or you can remove items from your environment that have you have effortless self control can't eat a cookie you didn't buy and bring home. 
-An activity you engage in regularly to train or inspire ones self.
-A subject taught or field of study (like the study of home management.)
-An institution
If you are listening to the podcast, odds are that you are learning discipline in the area of home management. But you do not get the results from the work you do not do. You must do the work. 

What Does Discipline Look Like? 
Setting and achieving goals is changing your own actions and disciplining yourself to being the person who has already achieved what you want to achieve. So I gave the example of me working out. I used to want our whole family to get healthy and work out together. Not gonna happen. So I have decided to do it for myself to achieve the goals I have for myself. And along with working out, I have changed the way I eat. My husband would prefer a meal that "makes sense and 'matches.'" A lady at work introduced us all to ingredient eating. Basically you cook the protein, pull out all kinds of things from the fridge like fruits and veggies to compliment the protein and eat what you like.  This would be my preference! So I workout and eat like the person who has already accomplished my goal and support my family in other areas rather than meal preparation and working out with them. 
And the more you do those things, the easier that discipline is. If you ask a productive person how they became that way, they may not be able to tell you. Because they disciplined themselves in one area till it got easier and then moved on to another area.  And know, once you get a system in place, it will change. It will change with your family and phase of life you are in. 
Time Blocks = Confidence
So you see why you need to be disciplined in the time blocks if you want to be a productive person. Time blocks are just these guard rails to keep you on track and systematize your time and responsibilities. Discipline yourself to do the work and it will become easier. I shared some stats to help you see this is not a "you thing."  This is a field of study, a discipline, to learn how to train ourselves, bring control to, and impose order in our housework and home management. Discipline yourself to process your Sunday Basket® so that you gain confidence in this area. Discipline yourself to start watching the videos to the programs you have purchased. Do you know people who are organized are perceived as more confident? And you know what else? People feel more confident when they are organized! Dave Ramsey said "You can wander into debt but you can't wander out of it." And the same is for disorganization you can wander into but you can't wander out of it…you must discipline yourself. You must have a mindset shift. 
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday Basket®

The Productive Home Solution

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Who remembers defragging your computer to make it run more efficiently? I'm talking about defragging time confetti into time blocks today. "What is time confetti?" Yes, thank you for asking…it's all those little 2 or 5 minutes that are free and sprinkled throughout your day. How can you most effectively use your confetti time to conquer the never ending, always evolving list of essential time blocks that you must complete as the mom, wife, and/or household manager? 
4 Essential Time Blocks
Let's start with what demands our time. We have some mandatory tasks (time blocks) that our homes and lives demand from us. After surveying 1000 people, it became very clear that Americans define housework as laundry, food, and cleaning.  I explained how I like to defrag or consolidate my cleaning and laundry to the same day and time. Saturdays are great for this for me. I get my machines going and clean till about Noon. I auditioned being available for Abby and the grand kids on Saturdays. But, I have realized I like my Lisa time on Saturdays, so I'm keeping it that way to stay sane. And food, good Lord does it take a lot of time to tackle the food part of life. You gotta plan it, buy it, process it, and then prepare it!  It takes time. How can you most efficiently schedule those housework tasks into time blocks? Consolidate like tasks in one time block to efficiently and productively conquer housework. And then there's a 4th essential time block that life requires out of us. 
Block 4: Household Management
The 4th essential time block to this human experience is…household management. Thank God for the Sunday Basket® that's all I can say! On Sunday's I process all the administrative and actionable paperwork for the house including the mail. I look at all the communication for the kids, texts or DM and emails that are family related. Then, I decide where our money is going for the week. Instead of paying one bill here and one there and them each taking 3 minutes. I decide in one setting which ones need to be paid and when I'll do that. In the past, this has been a game changer. When we didn't have a lot of money, it really helped me to best manage our money. And then plan my week; my time blocks. I look at all the similar tasks and put them in one time block. Like an errand time block(s). The Sunday Basket® helps you to systematize your house management. The Sunday Basket™ allows delayed procrastination till Sunday and that allows you to productively cluster or consolidate like tasks into one time block. All those invisible tasks we do - we get to visualize them and then schedule them at the optimal time.
Time for Defragging All the Confetti
THIS is a skill set that is learned over time WITH a mindset shift. You must first make the mindset shift to start to practice time blocking. I hope after hearing all of this it makes sense why you would want to defrag your time to cluster like tasks into one time block. But you need time to learn how to do it right? Where will that time come from? Planned neglect and lowering your expectations of what clean and done means my friends. You are going to choose a suggestion or two that I offered to free up some precious time. Like how Saturdays used to be a free day and we ate fast food. You may want to consider outsourcing your cleaning or laundry. I know it costs money to do what you can technically do for free, but in really overwhelming seasons of life, it'll save your well being and sanity.  It can also free up time for you to learn and begin to practice how to consolidate all the things and place them into time blocks. Productive people habitually think in time blocks. They have made a mindset shift and appreciate the time block "rigidity" over the chaos of time confetti and inefficiency. 
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday Basket®

The Paper Solution®

The Productive Home Solution

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Looking to be more purposeful, more planned, more organized and you don't know where to begin? Good news! Join me for the Piles to Productivity Webinar on Monday Jan. 19th @ 8AM ET!! Click the link below and get registered because there will be a replay sent to those who register (if you can't make it live.)

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Register for Piles to Productivity Webinar

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Ok, it's another peek into my brain. I'm sharing the things I want to follow me into the new year and things that I'm leaving in 2025. I thought it would be beneficial for you to hear my thoughts behind these decisions and get you thinking about how you want 2026 to look for you. Planning provides a lens of calm. Somehow when a plan is in place, even if it changes, it is not as jarring as when you have to react to change with "emergency energy." 
What will be joining me
As I think about 2026 approaching, there are some significant changes happening in my life. Abby will have baby number two soon and the PhD is not consuming as much of my time. So, I am looking at the extra time. I want to be intentional with showing up for Abby, taking care of my body, and due to circumstances not yet resolved, looks like I will be doing a lot more housework. 
This next 120 days I'm viewing as my "grand(ma)turnity leave." I am excited for Planning Day, where I take the time to really look at my time and plug in my priorities of being a grandma and think about how I want to use all this time I am getting back. When it comes to my housework I plan to run the vacuum robot more frequently after getting some listener feedback and tips. And I will run the dishwasher daily which is more frequent than we currently do. I am looking at the time I used to give to the PhD and filling it with my new goals. I am keeping the Tovola that is in alignment with eating healthy. But will likely add in a little meal prepping to accommodate how I want to eat and Grayson's egg allergy eating regimen. So, on Thursdays, I'll be doing mid week laundry and some housekeeping. And on Saturdays you will find me at the gym with Grayson. You will find me with Grayson a lot in the next 120 days "sucking up all my time." And I wouldn't have it any other way. 
What will get left behind
Sit down. I'm leaving Culver's in 2025!!  Never did I think this day would come but I want to build a healthy body, I still have 46 years to live and I'm really looking at my food right now. Doggy Daycare is closing and the house keeper won't clean with Hunter home, so no housekeeper.  I will be home longer in the mornings so no more coffee and breakfast at the office. And I'm ditching ithe Oura ring. That thing was frustrating me. I disagreed with it too much. And I want to wear my nice jewlery! I'm ditching my gardening shorts and Organize 365® v-necks for clothes for workout clothes that better match how I identify; as a person who works out. Late night bedtimes are going away too because I want to have plenty of energy for the Abby, Grayson, and working out.
My Golden Window is Ending
I have been spoiled getting to take two luxurious hours each Sunday morning to process my Sunday Basket® upstairs and with little Grayson in tow pretty soon, I will not be able to. I have my Sunday Basket® upstairs and another in my kitchen which is basically Abby's Sunday Basket®. I plan to break my normal processing time into two different 1 hour chunks. I think I'll read all the things while Grayson is bathing which will account for about 1 hour or a little less. And I'm auditioning other time blocks for the remaining hour I will need for thinking, planning, and billpay. I will solidify this likely in Planning Day. Now is the time to go into your 2026 Sunday Basket® and grab all those ideas you wrote down and bring them to Planning Day. Those are the ideas and intentions you wanted to consider for the new year. Yes, this community is planning 2026 already. This community does not think you are weird. When you plan now, you get to execute on Jan 1. But if you want till the dust settles in the new year, it'll be the 5th - the 9th before you start planning let alone executing. 
EPISODE RESOURCES:
The Sunday Basket®

The Paper Solution®

The Productive Home Solution

Sign Up for the Organize 365® Newsletter 

Did you enjoy this episode? Please leave a rating and review in your favorite podcast app. Share this episode with a friend and be sure to tag Organize 365® when you share on social media