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Staying Organized Amidst the Chaos

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STAYING ORGANIZED AMIDST THE CHAOS

By: Shannon Kaiser | April 18, 2024

My life with four kids, a dog and a husband is messy and chaotic, and, while I love these little cyclones of chaos, I’m not one that functions well amidst mayhem. My house regularly looks like wild animals have invaded. Recently we forgot to close the doggy door before going to bed, and a raccoon came in and headed straight for the pantry to feast. And do you know what? That raccoon made far less of a mess than my toddler does when he goes in and tosses everything from the pantry shelves. Over the years I have had to come to a relative peace with the mess and have worked to figure out a few strategies that help me not become too overwhelmed with the chaos and clutter:

Lowered standards
The biggest thing I have learned over the years is just to lower my standards a bit and embrace the mess. It’s ok that my house doesn’t look like a magazine spread and that legos have become a design element. I’ve learned to just close the door and walk away until I am in the right space to tackle the mess.

Throw stuff away
Regularly, when my children aren’t looking, I get a trash bag and I wander through the house and just throw stuff away. Broken toy? Good bye. Missing Sock? See ya. Half done art project on the shelf? Adios. If it’s not bringing me joy, I toss it. I try hard to sell or give away things that others can use, but sometimes that creates even more stress, and it just needs to go. Every few years we rent a dumpster and leave it in the driveway for a few weeks and we just toss everything we don’t really use. It feels good to have a bit of a reset.

Make tasks manageable
Since my day basically consists of small moments between hurry up and wait, I do most of my cleaning while I am waiting for someone or something. While I wait for my coffee to brew, I empty the dishwasher. While the baby is eating, I find something in the kitchen to tackle that can be done in the time it takes for him to eat some of his food and toss the rest to the floor for the waiting dog. While the kids are taking a bath, I wipe down the bathroom. When pumping gas, I gather all of the trash that my kids have left in their seats, even crawling into the third row. Using this time when I know that I only have a moment to complete the task makes it not so bad because I know I can move on to the next task quickly and easily. Even if it’s just for a moment, the space looks just a little bit better. But don’t stress; there is also nothing wrong with just sitting and taking a breath when you have a second to breathe. Caring for you is important too!

Choose tools that work for you
I choose tools and cleaning supplies for my house that work for me and that make my job that much easier. In the past I’ve tried to be all green and use cloth rather than paper towels and vinegar instead of 409. But if using environmentally friendly supplies is a barrier to actually cleaning then they’re not helpful. At my current state, I give myself permission to make my life easier, and, when I have more bandwidth, I will make better environmental choices.

Currently, I more or less clean my entire home with baby wipes. Huggies Natural Care wipes are the best for cleaning most everything, because they don’t leave a greasy film behind like others, and they are fairly thick. They just make wiping everything down that much easier and quicker. If they aren’t used for poop, they can even be composted. With a baby in the house, I have wipes everywhere so it’s easy just to grab one and give something a wipe down in the 30 seconds between the baby playing with his toy and then tipping over the dog’s bowl. I also vacuum daily because the handheld Dyson is easy to grab. It might not be as powerful as my Miele, but it’s easy and gets the job done without adding the extra steps of getting out the vacuum, plugging it in, tripping over the cord, and then putting it away.

Use a command center
With all four kids, my husband, and myself having crazy busy schedules, we keep a giant white board in the kitchen where each week I jot down the calendar of when and where each person needs to be. It makes it easier for everyone to see what is going on and where they need to be. We also use a google calendar, but I often forget to add my own things which drives my husband nuts. Also on the board are grocery lists which now that the big kids add to when they are out of their favorite snacks plus reminders, notes, and to do lists. We have found it invaluable in life organization.

Recently I read the book How to Keep House While Drowning: A Gentle Approach to Cleaning and Organizing by KC Davis, LPC and it really gave me some great clues, ideas and action items to help make my home function for me. First item on my list: find a good house cleaner!

Shannon lives in Tiburon with her husband, Rolf; four kids, Will, Isla, Luke and Dylan; and a crazy dog, Teddy. When Shannon is not busy volunteering (this year she is serving as the Director of Communications/Editor of the Crier) or chauffeuring her kids around, she enjoys getting out on the water sailing, reading (the same page over and over again), cooking (food that no one eats) and enjoying the beauty of life in Marin. She would love to hear from you at smmcshannon@gmail.com.