What are your best organizational hacks?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I do things for Future Lauren. (I'm Lauren.)

So for example, today I was going to the office and needed to bring a few extra things. I pulled them together, put them all in a bag, and put the bag right in front of my front door so I couldn't possibly forget it.

I have a Note in my phone called Social, and I quickly jot things in there so I don't forget to reach out to someone. Today was:
1. call Dad
2. Ask Kevin how his DD's Nutcracker experience is going
3. Ask Thalia if she wants one of the green TJ's canvas bags and how her cold is
4. Do weekly check in on Eliza (on maternity leave)

At night, I write out what I'll eat the next day so I don't lose time during the day figuring it out, or make bad decisions.

I always say that “future me will thank today me.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I do things for Future Lauren. (I'm Lauren.)

So for example, today I was going to the office and needed to bring a few extra things. I pulled them together, put them all in a bag, and put the bag right in front of my front door so I couldn't possibly forget it.

I have a Note in my phone called Social, and I quickly jot things in there so I don't forget to reach out to someone. Today was:
1. call Dad
2. Ask Kevin how his DD's Nutcracker experience is going
3. Ask Thalia if she wants one of the green TJ's canvas bags and how her cold is
4. Do weekly check in on Eliza (on maternity leave)

At night, I write out what I'll eat the next day so I don't lose time during the day figuring it out, or make bad decisions.

I always say that “future me will thank today me.”

You are a thoughtful friend !

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have one style/color of socks for ages 3-5 (white), and the same exact socks but in light grey for ages 5-7. I buy them in bulk, and nobody has any others. They all match, losing them is NBD and laundry is 1000x easier.

Same with gloves. I buy these little simple gloves that fit from about age 2-5 in bulk, and all kids in that age range wear ‘em. Losing them doesn’t matter, they’re like $10 for a dozen pairs on Amazon.

How many kids do you have?

PP here. 3 all smushed together. The youngest two are in the gloves, oldest in the grey socks, younger two in the white socks. But I think this would be helpful even with one kid. All matching, all interchangeable.

[Anonymous]

Bag with toiletries already packed for work travel.
Shares grocery list app with spouse so anyone can add/shop.
Kid’s sports stuff is always in the sports backpack so no last minute hunting for stuff.
On weekends, wear work out clothes to start day so don’t lose momentum to work out.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I store sheets by folding up the flat sheet and fitted sheet and putting them inside of the pillowcase. Then the whole bundle gets stored in the linen closet. It’s impossible to pull out a mismatched set.

I love this idea and am going to try it. Right now I have 3 piles on a shelf in the closet. Pillow cases, fitted sheets and flat sheets and my daughters always just throw there clean sheets In there and never put them in the proper pile.

Next time they do laundry im going to tell them to do this.

[Anonymous]

I often grocery shop on my lunch break and store perishables in the work fridge. I leave my car keys in there with them so I cant drive off without them.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I often grocery shop on my lunch break and store perishables in the work fridge. I leave my car keys in there with them so I cant drive off without them.

You have posted this before I don't think this is such an amazing idea as you think it is. Also how can you drive off without them if they were not in the fridge? 🙄

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I store sheets by folding up the flat sheet and fitted sheet and putting them inside of the pillowcase. Then the whole bundle gets stored in the linen closet. It’s impossible to pull out a mismatched set.

I love this idea and am going to try it. Right now I have 3 piles on a shelf in the closet. Pillow cases, fitted sheets and flat sheets and my daughters always just throw there clean sheets In there and never put them in the proper pile.

Next time they do laundry im going to tell them to do this.

DP. I do this, too. It makes for easy storage on a shelf because anyone (including my kids) can grab an entire set of sheets without disrupting the stack. The shelf looks more organized, too.

[Anonymous]

Shared grocery list is huge. As a bonus we have it tied to the voice assistant, so we just say out loud the thing we've noticed is running low, and the house picks it up and puts it on the list. All members of the household are on board, which I know is its own struggle.

I glued a row of clothespins to the wall next to the dryer for single socks. Their mate usually shows up within the next few loads.

Only two sizes of food storage container lids. Containers themselves are different capacities, but they all have one of two sizes of lid. No exceptions.

Like PP, sheet sets get folded and put away inside their own pillowcase. Reach blindly into the linen closet, come out with a full sheet set.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I often grocery shop on my lunch break and store perishables in the work fridge. I leave my car keys in there with them so I cant drive off without them.

You have posted this before I don't think this is such an amazing idea as you think it is. Also how can you drive off without them if they were not in the fridge? 🙄

It's so she doesn't drive off without the groceries. Not the keys...

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I store sheets by folding up the flat sheet and fitted sheet and putting them inside of the pillowcase. Then the whole bundle gets stored in the linen closet. It’s impossible to pull out a mismatched set.

I thought I was the only one that did this!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I often grocery shop on my lunch break and store perishables in the work fridge. I leave my car keys in there with them so I cant drive off without them.

You have posted this before I don't think this is such an amazing idea as you think it is. Also how can you drive off without them if they were not in the fridge? 🙄

It's so she doesn't drive off without the groceries. Not the keys...

I’m actually glad she posted it (even if it’s “again”, because I’ve never seen it before) because I’m always forgetting things. My go-to is to set the thing(s) by the door to the garage, but even then, I’ve walked right past them and forgotten them. I feel stupid that I’ve never thought to instead leave the KEYS on/in the thing I need to remember.

Thanks, PP! I love this life hack!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Do your items belong with their cousins or their coworkers?

Example > melatonin go with other vitamins, meds, etc (cousins) or coworkers (in nightlife table with sleepmask)?

We have a zip lock bag for each family member with their ss card, birth certificate, and passport. We used to store all cards together and all passports together, etc but found that if I needed items for one person I’d have to touch and go through everyone else’s docs.Because we don’t use it often, I need to feel confident that it’s all in there. My 16yo needed her docs to sign up for a part time job this summer and afterwards I verified that their bag was put back in the safe.

Similar but multi pocket folder thing with all vital documents for the whole family. Car titles in one folder, passports in one, social security cards, birth certificates, marriage license, etc. It’s the one folder with everything organized by document not person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I store sheets by folding up the flat sheet and fitted sheet and putting them inside of the pillowcase. Then the whole bundle gets stored in the linen closet. It’s impossible to pull out a mismatched set.

I do this too!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We keep a pretty basket by the front door. The kids put their dirty socks in there, along with other dirty laundry that doesn’t make it up to their rooms (prior to that I was finding dirty socks all over the first floor).

We used to have a stair basket for that, but it broke. This is a great reminder to get another one.