How to Organize Your HOME and LIFE

[@geanetteandrea]

Lovely idea! I’m recently retired with grown children so my control journal has fewer tabs. One thing I’ve recently added is space for three daily gratitudes…. Things that happened that day that I am grateful for. It helps me value the wonderful free time of retirement and not take it for granted. Goals! Thank you for the reminder. I need to continue to have goals in retirement!

[@aflourishingplace]

I love this! 😊

[@Myeverydaywifelife]

@geannetteandrea I recently retired too! Well hubby retired last September I move been stay at home wife for awhile. I need to do something like this control journal. I do have a yearly list of stuff I want to accomplish each year. Then also each month. What ever doesn’t get done each month gets moved I bet to next month.

[@julesm9551]

I have one that I call my Household Management Binder, and I have sections for my schedule, a daily housework list. a weekly housework list divided by days of the week, a budget section with recurring monthly bills and a yearly budget section for anything we pay once a year (bills, birthdays, holidays, etc.), and a to-do list in the back only for one-and-done tasks/projects. I plan to make a separate meal planning binder next. The plan is to streamline our household to the point that I can have more time to do what I want to do - more family time, hobbies, start a little business, etc.

[@aflourishingplace]

This sounds amazing! 😊

[@karenlepley2432]

Thanks for the reminder of a control journal! This just might be the time for me to try that again. Thanks for sharing your journal with us.

[@aflourishingplace]

You bet, thanks for watching Karen! 😊

[@lorikorstanje2964]

Great ideas

[@MyCozyLife-Lisa]

I’ve never heard the term “control journal” and I love it! I definitely would love to start one😊

[@aflourishingplace]

It’s been so great, I love mine! 😊

[@bankomeister11]

I love your mashups! I also saw the miracle morning in there!

[@aflourishingplace]

Yep! 😁

[@leahrenea2709]

This was very helpful on many levels. As a empty nester who lives with just my Yorkie I have been thinking about doing a recipe binder. Cooking for one has been a major adjustment and I think having recipes ready for me that are appropriate for the season of life I'm in would be valuable but I hadn't thought about doing it as a control journal and I love this idea

[@aflourishingplace]

I’m so glad it gave you some ideas! 😊

[@katie7748]

May I suggest Taste of Home? I know you can filter it down to cooking for two, then save leftovers for the next day/meal...I wonder what other filters they've got. I wasn't taught to cook growing up. My mother didn't teach me and she mostly made hamburger helper and oven casseroles anyway. Never ever anything fancy and hardly anything *actually* healthy. I had to teach myself to cook and the Taste of Home magazines (later, their site) helped tremendously. There are a billion and three recipe resources out there but if you're ever wanting to spice things up, ToH is a great place to look.

[@leahrenea2709]

@@katie7748 what a wonderful idea! Blessedly my ma did teach me to cook. I actually have the very first edition of the TOH magazine. Didn't even realize they had a website. Thank you 😊

[@sistersofstyle]

I love this idea! I use a variety of things: spiral for grocery and meal list (but I refer back to a Happy Planner system where I mapped out meal idea), and two Erin Condren planners, plus random stickies! Ha! I need to rewatch this to see if I could do an all-in-one!

[@aflourishingplace]

That’s awesome! 😊

[@madelinehegedus]

It was so nice to see how you stay organised, Betsy. Loved this! 💛

[@aflourishingplace]

Thanks so much, Madeline! 😃

[@RobinSimpson723]

Love this, Betsy! I had a control journal when my kids were little. Thank you for inspiring me- I'd like to try it again for thie quasi empty nester season we're in, where our college age kids come and go. Still trying to find my footing. I'd love to hear about your routine where you review your goals. I'll bet there are also lots of moms of littles who would love to have your planner.

[@aflourishingplace]

Hey, thank you! 😊 I love that you did this when your kids were little! So helpful for this season of life. ❤️

[@mclynn1]

So much value! I appreciate your videos. I love the control journal idea. Routines are so necessary. The meal ideas…I’m gonna start that this weekend it’ll come in so handy! Thanks for sharing this! 🙏🏾🩵

[@aflourishingplace]

Hey thanks! So glad you enjoyed it, McLynn! 😊

[@roxanne4534]

when I started Flylady I used the control journal and the weekly zones. It made a big difference in how my home functioned. I don't do the control journal anymore but do the zones weekly.

[@aflourishingplace]

Nice! 😃

[@famlbk]

Oh, how nice! I have been doing the same thing for years. First on paper my daily list, weekly list, monthly list, long-term list, detailed planned of how to go about it. I used checkoffs. Now I do on the iPad notes where you can use that little circle thing that you can check it when you’re done and I have a record. I guess great minds think alike. For me it is mostly common sense. So good when you find what works for you.

[@aflourishingplace]

Absolutely true, love this idea! 😊

[@katie7748]

I didn't realize it before but I guess I already have a "control journal." It's not for the house/life - it's for our homeschool. It has multiple tabs for different subjects, topics, ideas, field trip locations, projects, etc. There's a printed out and laminated calendar I slid in the front cover that I color-coded with wet erase markers (superior to dry erase!) so I can quickly glance at it. There's a goals section, a legal section, a records section...all the sections! It's worked so well that I also made one for books. I usually keep multiple journals/planners for all the different household and "self-care" things but then I misplace one or it gets to be too much having to bounce from this one to that one to the other one throughout the day. Perhaps I should combine them into one big one. (Not the homeschool and book ones, just the others.) Hmmmmmmm, now you've got me thinking.........

[@aflourishingplace]

This sounds amazing!! 😃

[@MichelleL83]

You've put together a fantastic control journal. I love your simple, yet thorough, content. This is great inspiration. Now I just need to implement. Why is that so hard? 🥴 Also, where did you get the year at a glance pages? That would be so helpful.

[@aflourishingplace]

I’m so glad! I got the year at a glance from Ali Abdaal’s channel. Look up his trident calendar method on KZbin and he has a download for it. 😊

[@MichelleL83]

@@aflourishingplace thank you!

[@akronrats]

Thanks for sharing! I've recently discovered your channel. Do you still use the index card system?

[@ruthg822]

I’m a full time teacher and mom. I love this but I’m worried trying to start this system is going to be difficult. But I feel that’s way a need this….Cleaning a room everyday doesn’t feel possible….Any tips or ideas for full time working mamas?

[@lisazink253]

Where did you get your apron? I love it!

[@aflourishingplace]

Oh man, Etsy?? I think…sorry, it’s been awhile! 😂

[@Quade617]

I also enjoy Ali's vids- I use Notion mostly!

[@aflourishingplace]

Nice! 😊

[@MichelleL83]

I've never heard of Notion. An intro or tutorial video would be nice.

[@dazzleree]

Your control journal looks amazing and so organized! 📚✨ I’d love to discuss the possibility of working together to feature a product that’s perfect for home organization. I think it would be a great fit with what you’re sharing! Let’s connect!

[@kukustweety1]

What happens if a child falls asleep at 11:00 am or becomes in patient

[@aflourishingplace]

Flexibility is so key in our house. That’s why I call it “ideal,” because many days have adjustments in the schedule. It’s just great to have a place to start from! 😊