We’re 17 days into 2013 and I’m still working on overall plans for self- and home-organization. I’ve been able to organize a few aspects of daily life, but others still need work.

Something I’ve started doing at the end of each week, is reflecting on what worked and what could have been improved upon during the past week. It’s really helped to dissuade those feelings of not having accomplished enough. When I take inventory of what the entire week involved, I quickly notice that things did get done, even if there were parts that could have gone better.

Planned Changes

In 2013, I plan to do a few things differently in an effort to not feel like there’s chaos in every single corner of my life. Some of those changes include:

Getting back to menu planning

I am not sure why I ever stopped creating a weekly menu plan. I know that it made it so much easier to know what to cook each day and have the grocery shopping done in advance.

Following a cleaning schedule

Though it seems unnecessary to have a cleaning schedule, sometimes the housework can go ignored with work, kids, and everyday responsibilities. I know that I personally tend to put off housework in favor of other tasks or for fun with the kids, etc. Because of that, an area that wasn’t in dire need of cleaning, piles up and then becomes a daunting task of catch-up cleaning. Following a cleaning schedule where the housework can be divided up into chunks throughout the week seems to help avoid a huge pile-up.

Using an editorial calendar for blog content

Amazingly, I don’t have a formal editorial calendar for my own sites, though I am used to working with one when freelance writing for other sites. I’d like to create one this year, even if just for a few months at a time, so that I can better plan upcoming content and how to fit in various requests.

Creating a self-care routine

Something else that tends to be pushed aside is caring for myself. As an example, I can easily go a week or more without properly washing my hair (and let’s not even talk about the deep conditioning treatments I should be doing). Now that I’m in my 30s, I think it’s time I have a regular beauty/self-care routine where I take care of things like my skin and hair on a regular basis. I certainly want to avoid future issues as I “get older.”

Exercising

This is always an issue for me, but I really need to get over it and just get myself used to a regular exercise routine. I don’t want to exercise just for losing weight (though I do want to lose some), but more so for my overall health and to show my kids that exercise is important.

What changes have you put into effect for 2013?

Photo: StormKatt/Flickr