How can I utilize my time better and become more organized?

Stop!…deep breaths…one more time. Okay, stop buying things you don’t need, write a short little schedule of the most important things you need to get done for the week on a sticky note and stick it on your computer or somewhere you can see it. Get your kids to pitch in(if they’re old enough). Get things done as early as possible in the day (no procrastinating!), take a couple hours to go through everything in your room/office/ closet or whereever that messy pace may be and let your arms go crazy in there. Through every little thing out that you never use (c’mon you know you won’t) not matter how much sentimental value it holds. Trust me, you can’t scimp on this job. If you don’t not be lazy and really get it done then…well, you obvously don’t care enough to do it. Good luck.
p.s. I can talk, ’cause I just did this in my room and got rid of like two huge garbage bags full of junk and two small bags of clothes for good will and once I saw it all sitting there is those piles I couldn’t believe it was all stuffed inside my room. yes it was time consuming but oh well, I fell much more organized

What is most important in your life? People, or things? When we discover what is really important, we tend to make time for those things. When things and chaos around us begin to rob us of our time for the priorities, then it is time to organize our worlds. Eliminate the clutter. Have a rummage sale or get rid of the excess on craigslist.com and you will have extra cash… This is YOUR world, and it will be what YOU make it. Your Mom is not there to do for you all the things you used to depend on her to do….so plan your day. Write a list of things to be done…put the most important first. Then tackle that list…don’t be lazy…and don’t procrastinate. There is great satisfaction is accomplishing a task. Reward yourself when you accomplish your goals.

I was like this for a while and it kinda takes a big commitment to really want to change the way you do things.

Once you get the system going, it works…it is just hard to force the system in the beginning.

You need three things: A place for everything, a schedule and a budget. I would start with a place for everything and get that one going first. Take a day and just organize your house, car, garage, etc. At first it will be general (house stuff in house, car stuff in car, and garage stuff in garage) then when you get another day, make it more specific (kitchen stuff in kitchen, bathroom stuff in bathroom, kids stuff in their room) and when you get another day, get even more specific (cereal shelf, can shelf, etc.) It will take a while (I am noting your having 3 kids) but keep your eye on the prize. You can do it.

Once you develop that habit, then work on one of the others. Attack it the same way, start general and get more specific. i.e. Schedule a cleaning day, a play day, a laundry day and then it will get to a cleaning hour, a play hour and a laundry hour. Budget is same way. Cash for eating out, cash for incidentals, money for all bills, money for gifts and then it will get to $30 a week for gifts, $500 a week for bills, $100 a week for yourself.

Be very forgiving of yourself when you have a bad day and just get back on schedule the next day. (Too often these things get out of hand because we mourn the day we did badly and then we through in the towel.) Also, allow yourself at least 6 months to get the schedules to work.

It takes time, allow yourself that.

I hope that helps. Good luck!