Things I do to save myself time

 Watching a Video, I thought of all the things I do to save myself time. 

1. I always have clothes out ready for the next day at the bottom of my bed and my wardrobe has a sliding door and so have it open to put anything else I may want to wear.

 

2. Have appliances set up in the kitchen ready to make dinner and meal plan 

3. Keep a shopping list on my Notebook APP on my phone

4. Clean in sections of the day. So whilst I am making my first coffee I will clear items on the sink draining board from breakfast, then after Lunch and whilst prepping dinner. 

5. Have all what I need when I go back to my home in Wimbledon in ruck sack which is a travel bag. as a I technically, live in two places and make sure I have all my meds, hair brush, a magazine to read and other bits I need on the go. 

6. I make sure I have two of everything I use all of the time, like skincare. I use a Nivea cream and E45 cream and use deodorants/body sprays or perfume 

7. I have my laptop fully charged and have tabs open that I use all the time already and programmes open like Word and Excel.

8. Make my bed as soon as I wake up 

9. Have a bath or shower the night before 

10. I workout as I go, like waiting for my son to come home from school so looking out of the window because he goes to and from school by taxi and do arm routines and legs.

I like a routine, doing things that save me time to do other things, like reading, cooking and watching TV. I'd love to hear what you do to save time. You can comment below and why not subscribe. This will help you to be notified of when I post a blog on this site and never miss a blog/

Many thanks for reading

Carrie X

Looking After The Home

When I see stuff put away it will feel good in my mind and wish I had a wand for it to put into place. I am no Mary Poppins. I am untidy and have been since a kid. Only I know where things are. I like to have more space but then I find it hard to let go. 

The Daily Set up of me in Epsom, make the dining table serve many purposes 

I have gotten better and today got items for my son that he needs and he has enough for his packed lunch as during the school holidays he goes to a Holiday club and so has to have a packed lunch each day. 

We live in two places and so I tend to buy double but really I can do without and so it is going through what I have is helping me to have better spending habit and use what I have got and make my money go further. Buy essentials like, Feminine products, food, a few snacks and anything I need for the home to make it more organized and clean.

Then there are bags. I feel I need a better system. Now I have written that, my mind is already started to come up in my head of what will help. 

Try out a system until you find what works.

I do have a rucksack that I have everything I need and unless I am in Wimbledon for two days, mainly the weekends, I will usually leave my laptop in Epsom and so I need a system for the holidays to still carry the things I need to carry less. 

How many of you have this problem?

What systems would you recommend?

You can leave a comment below. 

When it comes to being organized it is to admit where you have gone wrong. As a kid I would shove everything in a draw and the draws would break. It is also feels like a weight on my shoulders, to see clearer spaces and have a realistic organized setting, so I can have the items I use everyday to have easy access to them.

I always lay out my clothes for the day and I do wear the same clothes on consecutive days and that my perfume, deodorant and face cream. 

Downsizing is the key too for me and so today I saw that I had many items in draws I bought that I know I will not where so going to have sort out of my clothes again and anything that has a hole or worn then get rid of it, if he can't be fixed or sown up. 

If something is not working then it needs to be changed. 

So more blogs to come, but for now, many thanks for reading,

Carrie X  

One minute tasks I do to stay productive

My Autumn Reset starts 10th September 2024 
This printable will be free to download check out my blogsite 
Everyone can Build a Castle 

It is September 2024 and I got to say it is good to have school back and have some time to myself. 

I just been out and to be more organised I do each day One Minute tasks, like before I pop out and before bed time, check that the back door is locked, along with the front door, and the door to the kitchen and living room are closed. I do a quick tidy up like sort my bed out, get my sons bag ready for school and clean up anything left to on the draining board in the kitchen are dried and put away and then do my skincare, make sure my son and I brush our teeth and are both dressed to chill out, before my son is is picked up to go to school. 

Having a good daily routine can really make the time to have a coffee and each week I love to go to the coffee shop like I did today and draft some blogs and looking around the coffee shop this morning noticed other who I know from, go to the coffee shop too, after their kids have gone to school. 

I bumped into someone I know whose son was in the Special care unit, when my son was. They both premature babies and got to know when doing Henry's care and it is good to have that connection and meet up with our sons. 

So you can have a quick chat with someone whilst running errands, by doing a quick video call and it was good to know the parents, where my son goes to school as now he gets a taxi to school due to distance, missed that. 

I will then do my skincare with is a Nivea day cream and Vitamin C spray. I do wear make up but not all the time, but my skin if not looked after then it goes dry. 

Anything that takes no time to do I do mainly first and anything that takes longer I make sure I have full day other nothing else planned and nothing to go out for, and actually doing a bit a day and breaking up the longer tasks, like clearing my laundry and decluttering. 

This morning I tidied up my suitcases in the Living room as I am in Epsom for the week when my son is at school and then in Wimbledon at the weekends and during the school holidays.

Getting my sons snack and water to take to school as he has his lunches at school and now I am going to wash up which will take one minute of items used for lunch and change the meal I had planned for dinner as there are leftovers and needs to be cooked. 

I like to use up what I have got first and reduce waste as much as I can. 

So what one minute tasks do you do? Please leave a comment below. 

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

Staying on Track

So today I have tidied away some clothes washed and stripped my sons bed to wash his bedding and do my sons breakfast and helped get my son ready, taking him to his holiday club and the way I get things done now, is by taking my time. 

This morning I slept up until my alarm went off, 6:35am and I do like to get up before then, to work on projects but no, I am no longer giving myself a hard time over it and still got things done. 

Time isn't the problem, it's how it is used, and that there is enough hours in the day. 

It is about setting your goals, following healthy habits and living habits and have a good look at your calendar, so you can see what you have written and planned. Example: Each Friday I will set up a weekly planner, using Notion and brain dump of what I need to do, in a notebook and workout what I plan to do and when. I also like to do unplanned things, like when my mum and step dad are off or with my husband and son, go for walks and just exploring.

Give yourself a personal day. 

I have now gone more digital when it comes to getting things done and the Good thing about digital planners is that you can set reminders and set it up so others, like family if you have children who have appointments, spouse and what their plans are each week and day. Once it is saved it is there. With Notion I have the APP (no I am not sponsored but would love to be) so I can still see what I have planned to do whilst out and about, as I like to walk and exercise. You don't have scribbles everywhere, because plans can change and makes it easier to amend using my phone and it is free to use, if you choose the personal set up. 

I do a list in a notebook, but that stays on my desk and I like to use my notes app on my phone, if I need do some food shopping, blog ideas unless I have my writing gear with me, if I think of a book idea, start my song list for my radio show (I work on Epsom Hospital Radio on Sunday's 4pm to 6pm and you can listen to it if you are in the UK) and not having to carry too much around. 

People who know me. I have not always carried light bags and stored my world in them, but it can cause back ache and so I limit now, of what I carrying, depending on where I am going and who I am with. 

I then as I go through the day I will potter around, do a bit of tidying, pop out and really enjoy that, and have a mooch around the shops, having a coffee out or not always, buy an ice cream and in the summer go to a coffee shop or park to read my book. 

Not everyone has the luxury to do that, and I don't do this every day either, but when I do, I do enjoy it. 

Soon it will be all systems go again as our kids return to school and so going to try and make the most of the good weather and summer days before we have to put our coats back on.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

The things I have changed in my life since my last post in 2022/New Organized self 2024

Oh boy where do I begin? I didn't mean to select this blog site and I am glad I did seeing the views I had on my last blog back in 2022 and so much has changed. 

My mental health took a turn for the worst, I ended up in hospital and lost contact with friends and it has been a long road to recovery. 

Now I get up at 5:30am each morning I have been editing a new book. Check my last book Mum&Me, and this is going to be a series. I have already started on book 2, but working on a book called When Mothers Are real and on my 5th edit, and to make sure I get it done been getting up early to edit it and I only began doing this when one night I couldn't sleep and was wide awake, but in the morning at 4:30am, fully awake and felt this surge of energy, and had so much more energy, that I was like "Wow where has this come from?".

Checkout my Daily blog: My Daily Thoughts and feelings (mydailythougthsandfeelings.blogspot.com) Where I have shared this and on my blog Everyone Can Be A Castle. http://everyonecanbuildacastle.com/2024/03/26/ive-become-a-early-bird-and-feel-revitalized/

This has made me stop going on my laptop in the evenings and turn my phone on silent at night and is away from my bed and no longer sleep with it next to me and would listen to music before bed, but now found this affected my sleep and would do the same in the mornings. 

I have been wanting to get into the habit of waking up earlier as I like the feeling I have a whole day ahead of me and be in PJ's whilst drinking my first cup of tea for the day and write. I failed at it and taken a while to get into this habit, but then it just happened and has been the biggest influence to me this year and is part of my New Organised self for 2024.

Now I get all my tasks done now and use OneNote which is a free planner programme by Microsoft, my diary, Filofax and my notebooks I use to plan and journal in. 

Everyday I wrote in my current journal of what I have been happy about, and it is good to tick things off and now I do a Life Coaching programme called "Summer Project" and blog on my site mentioned above, everyone can build a castle and to help you have a better life and better year. 

I got some real good feedback from the first time I did the programme and so continuing on in 2024 and will start 1st May to August 31st. So come and check it out.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X 

Taking ownership and making changes in my life

It is been a while since I have blogged on this site, and that is because many things have altered in the fact of my schedule since returning to write this blog. I have had a change of pace and it feels good to have that. What I mean is I not rushing into things, but taking my time. I like to reflect and see areas I can do that will further my wellbeing. 

To me Wellbeing is important because you start to see things that you love in your life and what you do not. I recently was becoming conscious of what I been eating as I kept having a bad stomach and was seeing that it is fizzy drinks. As I a kid I never could drink them, but in the last two years been drinking them everyday. Yet two days ago now I did have a bad stomach and yesterday was the first day not drinking a can of diet coke and drinking more water and only two days I feel a lot better. 

In writing this I have a can of coke on my desk, but trying to drink more water and so feel a little defeated so gonna keep trying to stir myself away and cut them down, so can have coke only for a few days. 

When I have not worked out I instantly will get up and do it, and feel good that I have done it. I don't do a long time, but enough for my energy. 

You don't have to do jam pack your day and I need to remember this too, because I do feel like right what can I do now, and stop watching videos, but these things I enjoy so I will do one task on my list and then as a reward will watch a video, or treated myself to another coffee. Rewarding myself makes me want to continue ticking off my daily to do.

I challenge myself and have been loving my monthly challenges. If you do not know what I am talking about, then check out my monthly newsletter and can find them on my blog site https://everyonecanbuildacastle.com  

This monthly challenge is to do a bit of training each day, as for me this helps as there are things I need to still learn. It fulfills me to do so, and made me take a look at myself, what new behaviour patterns can I undertake that helps me be a better person. 

I am aware of my actions, and so it good for me to work on myself to not raise my voice until I have taken a check on the situation better. Did I come across negative or positive?, Organising my mind helps me to work on my development, and helps me physically aswell. 

Have I been wrong? What happened when I took that action? and asking right question to get the right answer. Yet I kept finding that I had to answer to myself on everything I do, and questions can drive me crazy. I take a hold of myself and reflect, and spend time go through how I feel and what steps I can take to improve certain areas of myself without putting too much pressure on myself. Example: I journal and a practice I have done since a kid, and really help me to learn and be a better version of myself each time. 

You do have to take ownership on your action, like being defensive, being paranoid and avoiding situations, and be the person I know I am. I don't like confrontation, but being a parent has made me more protective. I know I have to work on my behaviour so he doesn't copy and I do see that I have to take of my actions, and take charge on myself, and relying on other people.

I do write books on 

Many thanks for reading, 

Carrie X 

 

Coffee on the go whilst travelling backward and forwards

Doing a lot of travelling I like to have a few things to take with me and grabbing a coffee on the go is one of them, and really helps the tension I can often can getting to where I need to be and so take my time.

Rushing just stresses me out so I try to take it slower and I find when I do this I know I have everything I need to take with me, I know I am going to get to where I need to be, and not being late. 

Time keeping is so important to me because I can often be panicky if there are travel issues. I have done it where I have queued when the bus stop is closed and not realised and same with the trains being cancelled or diverted like Tuesday, and so coffee is my go to when it comes to not stressing out. 

Today the transport let me down coming that is but earlier was fine got a good connection and then coming back a nightmare. Yet a coffee hits the spot all of the time to get through these sorts of days. 

I don't pick up a coffee everyday as this can be quite costly but if I am waiting and to stop me getting a dry throat I will pick one up and like drinking it whilst waiting for the bus or train, along with a hot chocolate on some days. 

Thursdays is always the day where I feel the most tired and that's due to getting up so early to do when my son gets picked up from school at the beginning of the week and then I do the drop off the rest of the week.

So grabbing a coffee on the go is my favourite thing I like to do when travelling and almost need a new jar for indoors. 

What do you like to do when travelling a lot and what drink if you could choose you'd have on the go, please leave a comment below.

Many thanks for reading, 

Carrie X