The first step is quickly going through your pantry to throw out any expired items and set aside any usable goods that you know you won’t eat for charity. Work on one shelf at a time and wipe it down after you’ve emptied it.
If you want to take the time to organize the shelves, do it. Otherwise, just purge and wipe down!
#2 List items in pantry and freezer
Once you’ve replaced the items you’re keeping in the pantry, you’ll want to make a list of items that aren’t staples. For example, you won’t list flour, but you would list diced, canned tomatoes. I created a form for this purpose for you.
As you’re listing the items, you will have an idea of how to use them up. For example, if I saw canned tomatoes, I would write chili next to it. If you don’t know what to make to use up an item, leave that section blank across from the item.
When you’re finished with the pantry, you’ll do this with your freezer, too. You’ll write Freezer in the Location blank at the top of that form. Don’t worry. You don’t have to clean out your freezer, too, unless you have time. You’re looking for items that will help you make the meals you noted as you went through your pantry. So, if I see a package of precooked ground beef in my freezer, I will add it to the list. Across from it, I will write chili in parentheses to indicate that I have already found other items needed to make this meal.
This process sounds more time-consuming than it is. Set your timer for 15 minutes and see if you can’t knock it out!
#3 Find recipes
After you’ve done what you can, thinking of meals to use up pantry & freezer items, it’s time to use the power of AllRecipes. Before you look for recipes, open your Recipe Box. (Create an account so you can have one if you don’t already). Then add a folder called “Pantry Clean Out” or whatever you like.
When you’re done, use the ingredient search–a feature I’m crazy about! Simply add the orphaned ingredients you’ve listed and search for top-rated recipes. Let’s say you found canned artichokes in your pantry and chicken in the freezer. Search and you might find this yummy recipe I can’t wait to try:
Add the recipes you want to your Pantry Clean Out folder in your Recipe Box. This is honestly the most fun part of the challenge! Continue with all of your items until you’ve found recipes for them. You’ll want to note on your list where you found the recipe. Use AR if you find it on AllRecipes.
#4 Make shopping list & shop
One column of the form is for you to indicate whether you are planning a breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, or dessert (De) recipe. Completing this form will tell you if you need to plan any additional meals for the upcoming week or weeks.
You’ll also find a column for adding ingredients that you still need to make the recipes. This is perfect if you prefer a written shopping list. But if you want to make a shopping list directly from AllRecipes, just click on the recipes you’re shopping for and click+ Shopping List. Doing it this way will require you to check off the items that you already have on hand. If you have the All Recipes iPhone app, you can see the shopping list on your phone. If you have any items on your list that you may already have in your refrigerator, be sure to check.
I previously recommended AllRecipe’s Menu Planner that is available with their paid Pro Version. I now use Plan to Eat for this purpose. It requires the extra step of importing recipes you like into Plan to Eat, but it’s fast and well worth it. The planner and shopping list are a dream to use. The added benefit is that the site and shopping list are available on mobile, so you can be on Android with no problem. I love Plan to Eat so much that I’m an affiliate. What’s wonderful is you can give it a test drive for 30 days for free. If you love it, your subscription is as low as $3.25 a month.
Our family has been watching America’s Got Talent for the first time this season and it’s been enjoyable. But I think the most valuable aspect of watching for me is what it’s taught me about personal productivity. Whether you’ve seen the show or not, you may appreciate what you can learn from it, too.
#1 It’s okay to let a lot of tasks audition for your attention
The AGT season begins with auditions in front of the judges and a live audience for acts that have made it through the city auditions. The judges approve a high percentage of these acts; they all seem great! What’s remarkable (and sometimes wearying) is how many acts are allowed to audition.
This first round is like our task inbox. The majority of the potential tasks, projects, and opportunities presented to us should go into our inbox so we can consider them again. While the number of possibilities can be tiring, I like to keep my inbox open to them. A point of clarification: urgent tasks wouldn’t be put in the inbox (AGT is an entertainment venue, not an urgent care clinic).
#2 Give tasks a second critical audition
There are a small number of acts (eight this year) that are allowed to audition at Radio City Music Hall without a second audition, but there are none that aren’t given a second consideration. These eight fortunate acts were discussed by the judges and were given a free pass where Judgment Week was concerned. All the rest auditioned for the judges, and only the judges, again. There is something about the second look that makes the judges wonder what they were thinking when they put them through in the first place. Removed from the emotion of the crowd, the judges are able to discern which acts are most likely to achieve their goal of discovering a million-dollar act. A sizable portion of the acts are dismissed at this point.
With fresh eyes, we will also recognize immediately when an “act” in our inbox needs to end its journey with us. Time to allow emotion to cool and a quiet space can likewise help us determine if an item is a clear winner because it will help us reach our goals. I prefer to pass judgment on my tasks in the quiet of my family room the next morning.
#3 Limit the number of tasks in each genre
AGT is seeking a variety of acts for its finalists. They wouldn’t want 20 singers and 4 dance acts, because it wouldn’t be as exciting as a few singers, a few dancers, a few comedians, and a few magicians.
Variety is the goal for most of us, too. We all have life areas that are our genres. Some of mine include homeschooling, blogging, writing, relationships, and church. Blogging is an area I tend to have too many “acts” in. I have to eliminate some of them so I have more great relationship acts in my life. I can easily see how many tasks of each genre I have by assigning them a category. I do this in ToDoist, but nearly any application or paper list will work. I’m happier and healthier when I have balance.
#4 Get input from another audition
At Radio City Music Hall, each act once again has the benefit of a live audience, but is now judged by America. More than half of the acts are eliminated by this vote.
It’s easy to add tasks to a list and neatly categorize them, but that won’t mean they’ll go any further. We need to review them again and get input to trim the list . It would be interesting for me to have my readers vote each week on which tasks I should do, but not very practical. However, I can get valuable input during my weekly review. My husband’s vote carries great weight with me, because he not only cares about my life balance, but about my goals. Looking over my upcoming commitments is also a vote for certain tasks over others. The calendar can dictate which tasks go on. Finally, I consider past results to help me differentiate the winners. For example, when considering a long list of potential blog post topics, I review Google analytics for my most popular posts to decide which ideas will go forward.
#5 Choose a small number of finalists after yet another audition
AGT will continue having auditions and votes and judge input until a small pool of finalists is chosen. With time, more opportunities to see the acts, and a limited number of finalist spots, choosing often seems easier.
My week seems to have plenty of time, but my days–not so much. I plan my day each morning and often decide that the task I added to DayMap for the day isn’t going through. Like the AGT judges, I would love to keep so many of these options, but there isn’t room for them all in my life. I limit tasks using a scheduling app that I will tell you about soon. The winners are the tasks I actually do, with most of them hopefully helping me reach my goals.
#6 Let tasks audition again in the future
A number of acts that make it through in AGT were cut in previous seasons. Either the time wasn’t right, the act wasn’t, or the judging was different.
Cutting tasks from our list doesn’t mean they’ll never be winners. That’s what a Someday/Maybe list is for. I keep the tasks that didn’t make it in Evernote. There are too many of them to review every week, but I can easily add a tickler date to them so they can audition for my attention again.
Consider which of these lessons has the most potential to increase your productivity and put it into practice this week. Let me know how it goes!
Fall is here and it’s time to get bedrooms in order so the daily tidying doesn’t cut into the school day.
I am having my soon-to-be college freshman purge his room this week. I can’t wait for his two brothers (and roommates) to no longer have the excuse that the mess is his fault!
Every little bit we can do this week in the kids’ rooms will be a sanity saver this fall. So let’s get started!
#1 Declutter toys and treasures
Spend at least 15 minutes with your child’s help choosing toys and treasures (rocks, stickers, and unidentifiable items–I’m honestly afraid to identify them) that belong in the trash or giveaway pile. If your child isn’t ready to part with something, you might consider putting it in a box for evaluating later.
#2 Sort seasonal clothing
This is one of the tasks I like least, but it’s gotten better since I don’t try to hand down everything to the boys. Invariably, the styles change or my younger boys just don’t like the items I’ve saved.
I prefer to sort fall clothing this time of year. Starting with the oldest child makes it easier if you do want to keep hand-me-downs. I go through the items purging items that are stained or torn. Then I have each child help me determine what still fits. Finally, we limit their clothing items to 9-10 bottoms and tops each. That may sound like a lot, but it allows for the inevitable destruction that occurs and a wide range of temperatures we have in the fall and winter. I have about three church outfits for each boy for the same reason. My daughter gets hand-me-downs from a friend and has her own closet, so I allow her more items. (The boys don’t complain!)
Put clothing that is in good enough condition to give away in a location that will remind you to drop it off ASAP.
#3 Organize a reading or study space
I don’t have a study space in my kids’ rooms, but if you do, this is the time to organize it. Purge broken or excess items. Make sure it’s well lit and basic school supplies are accessible to encourage learning.
It’s really important to me that my kids read. It’s THE most important thing our kids can do to grow academically. If it’s comfortable to read in their rooms, they’re very likely to grab a book.
Make sure the lighting is excellent. A book light like this one may be just the thing. Using a book rest like this one may also make reading in bed more comfortable.
The kids may like a bed pillow to help them read sitting up or a comfy chair if they don’t like to lie down to read.
Finally, make sure books are accessible in your children’s rooms. Each of our bedrooms has an ample bookshelf and our oldest son had a shelf on the wall parallel to his bunk. Featuring books in your child’s room (as opposed to toys) encourages reading. But I’m not knocking audio books! Put a good sound system in the kids room and teach them how to use it, whether they are playing CDs or accessing books from Audible.com or another application.
#4 Make a shopping list
List your children’s clothing needs and items needed to make reading accessible on your shopping or to-do list. I usually just use my Reminders (Grocery List) app on my iPhone or give myself a task on ToDoist.
I love summer so much, that I honestly get a little blue this time of year. There’s nothing like making a fall bucket list to cheer me up. After all, the fall is prime time for homeschoolers. We can enjoy all kinds of field trips that would be too busy any other time of the year. So let’s get started!
#1 Discuss last fall
Talk about what you enjoyed most last fall and what you didn’t get to do that you wanted to. Hiking is a family favorite for us and my apple crunch pie is a must, but we’ve never seemed to make time to do a giant corn maze in the area.
#2 Research ideas
See what’s available in your area this fall. Your homeschool support group is invaluable for this, but be sure to check with your municipality, too. Of course, Pinterest is also a fabulous place to do some fall research. Here’s a list of ideas. I’ve pinned some cute fall craft and recipe ideas to the Organized Homeschool board.
#3 Complete bucket list
HomeschoolShare.com provides a free printable bucket list and a nice list of activities to add to it. 3 Dinosaurs provides three forms of bucket lists that kids can complete on their own (one standard, one with handwriting lines, and one with drawing boxes). What a great way to get the kids excited about being back to homeschool.
#4 Add ideas to the calendar and shop
We can pin and even complete bucket lists full of great fall ideas, but if we don’t add events to the calendar and any materials we need to our shopping list, nothing will happen. I add fall events to my calendar, even if I’m not sure we’ll go. That way I don’t miss anything! Right now I’m going to find out when Honeycrisp apples will be ready to pick at our local orchard. I hate missing that!
One of my most popular posts is Can a Daily Weekly Monthly To Do List Help You Get More Done? Many people are looking for a to-do list that keeps their monthly and weekly goals in sight. There was just one problem with the form I linked to in my post: I didn’t like it.
I needed more room for my goals. So I embarked on a search! And I believe I have found two great options–one paper and one digital.
Before I tell you about them, I want to explain that a daily, weekly, monthly to-do list has made a world of difference in my weekly reviews. David Allen and many other productivity experts recommend a time of reviewing the past week and planning for the upcoming one. It’s advice that just makes sense. The problem is I wasn’t doing it. It seemed so dreary and time-consuming to look over all my tasks. Goals, on the other hand, are what I get excited about. If I can review my tasks for the purpose of setting weekly goals, the review doesn’t feel like drudgery. Then if you give me a beautiful form on which to record said goals, I’m in business!
A Better Paper Daily Weekly Monthly To Do List
I found a beautiful free form available in teal from Jana Laurene. But I paid a few dollars to get the forms in a number of different colors. I printed mine in gray so it wouldn’t look obnoxious on my refrigerator. I wanted it there as a constant reminder for me and also so my family could see what I was up to. The forms are two to a page, but I felt I didn’t have enough room to write that way, so I expanded mine to a full 8.5×11 in Word.
When completing the form, I found it helpful to note my appointments on various days, too. It’s much easier to plan a doable task load that way.
A Better Digital Daily Weekly Monthly To Do List
I found out about DayMap for iOS on Mark Forster’s forum. I watched the video explaining the rationale behind DayMap and loved the plain-spoken developer’s story. Then I downloaded the free version of DayMap to my Mac and HELLO! It was exactly what I’d been looking for and I didn’t even know it. (That’s kind of how it was when I met my husband, too, but I digress…).
Here’s how I use DayMap as my daily, weekly, monthly to-do list.
I listed all the main areas of my life across the top using the same titles and colors as I use in ToDoist.
I chose any tasks listed under each life area in ToDoist that I wanted to accomplish this month and added them to DayMap.
I upgraded to DayMap from DayMap Lite so that I could pull in Apple Calendar (which is synced to my Google calendar). That allowed me to see my commitments so I could plan my tasks accordingly.
I pulled monthly task goals from the upper life area to the day I wanted to achieve them.
There isn’t a weekly goal section per se, but seeing the entire week at a time gives me the same effect. It’s big and it’s beautiful. What’s more is there is a syncing iPhone app, so I can check tasks off as I go. And unlike paper, it’s easy to move tasks to a different day. I do this if I have a goal that requires daily work. I don’t check it off, but move it to do the next day as well.
Planned tasks are italicized in the area list above. Completed tasks are crossed out. It’s very possible to use DayMap as your only to-do list. But because I have so many email-associated tasks and one-offs, I will continue to use ToDoist as my catch-all list and DayMap for planning and goals.
My apologies to those without Macs, because I love this app! However, I have found that my readers prefer paper. So check out Jana’s to-do list and give it a whirl!
What do you think? Have you come across a daily, weekly, monthly to-do list that you like better than these?
If you’re anything like me, you love to find out what other homeschoolers are using for curriculum. These are my favorite picks for the year, but don’t stop here. Check out the iHomeschool Not Back to School Blog Hop for more great lists!
#1 God’s Design for Science
We use Apologia for junior and senior high, but I couldn’t be more thrilled with God’s Design for Science. Last year we did the chemistry set. This year we are using the biology set. I had an excellent science education and I am learning right along with my children. The lessons are short and fascinating. The experiments are straightforward. As I’m using this curriculum with my younger kids and a friend’s, I need to keep things simple. Looking forward to dissecting a starfish this year!
#2 Life of Fred Math
My oldest used Life of Fred Fractions in elementary school and I still have the older series of books. All of the kids will be using Life of Fred for the first time this year. I think they will all enjoy following Fred’s antics. I have an interview with the author of Life of Fred, Stanley Schmidt, coming up later this month on The Homeschool Sanity Show. You won’t want to miss it!
#3 Mystery of History
We originally used Konos for history and I missed the chronological view. When a friend told me about Mystery of History, I fell in love with it. I went all the way through graduate school without ever taking a world history course, so it’s been a gift. We are on our second time through the series, using volume II again this year. I’m looking forward to having my freshman in high school do extra reading plus the quizzes this year to take it up a notch.
#4 Teaching the Classics
This is the second time I will be using IEW’s Teaching the Classics with my own and a friend’s kids. Each of the children chose a classic title and another title they would like to read, so it should be interesting. I recently bought the younger kids a kindle to use for reading and plan to have them listen to the books via Audible as well. That’s how I plan to fit all my reading in anyway! I’m excited to have the kids do a presentation on their favorite book we read at the end of the year.
#5 Movies as Literature
This year we have a mix of students in our high school co-op. We’ll have two juniors, three freshman, and an eighth grader. It was hard to come up with a class that the olders haven’t taken that wouldn’t be too challenging for our eighth and ninth graders. Movies as Literature to the rescue. The other moms in our co-op are excited and will be sharing the teaching responsibilities. I am looking forward to having an excuse to watch a number of classic movies.
I’m a Christian psychologist turned homeschooling mother of six. My life can be a little crazy, so I look for sanity-saving ideas to use and share. I hope you’ll read my About page to learn more.
