Hi Pam,

What I do is take care of anything needed immediately and do not wait for anything. As like as soon as eating is done then I wash the dishes, because if I wait then I have dirty dishes in the house. The trash needs taken out then I take it out, the phone needs charging then I plug in the phone and charge it. The same with bills, so the rent is due and I pay it a week in advance every month, because the same day is being late on the rent. Credit Card gets paid in advance because being late is not acceptable.

I use to NOT be this way as when I was younger and married then the house mortgage and all bills were paid late every month, the trash piled up, would not shovel the snow in my own driveway, and I thought it was all okay and cool to be slow and lazy and carefree. That is a big motivation for me today that I have now which is that I look back onto myself with shame and disgust as to how horrible I was before, and now I will not be that way ever again.

Your situation is far different from mine, but motivation is the key ingredient for any person to change our life.

I learned the lesson from religion which tells me that to enjoy life then we must do anything we do with all our might and energy, because what we do is our life, and in time we all die so to live our life to the fullest means to do what ever needs to be done as quick and efficiently as possible.

See Bible Ecclesiastes 9:10
Linked here = https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ecclesiastes+9%3A10&version=KJV

It is based on self discipline ( our own boundaries ) so it is hard to do at first, but in time it becomes wonderful when everything is done and taken care - until the next day.

When I had three kids under age 5, I learned a few organizing techniques from a book. They saved my sanity and allowed me to have some me time. Not a lot but enough and I felt more in control of my own life than if I was just blowing in the wind. I tend to write things down on paper and I use a paper calendar on the wall because I am visual and need reinforcing and my calendar on the phone doesn't keep me focused (I do use it). This was my motivation because I rewarded myself for getting things done, even if only to say, Great job, I rock. Some things that helped me were: making a menu and shopping in advance to purchase the food needed. Making double portions so I had left overs the next night or stuff to put in the freezer for a future meal. Certain days were for certain chores and I broke up the chores into 10-15 minute bits. I used a crock pot type cooker, or now you could use a pressure cooker, and got the meals ready the night before so I could pop them into the crockpot before work. I would clean part of one bathroom as I gave the kids a bath and then do the tub when they were drying off. I could do the adult bathroom on another day. I swept the kitchen floor after each meal and wiped the counters. I had my own washer and dryer so I did at least one load of laundry each day. I went to the grocery store with a list and I went over recipes to make sure I had all the ingredients. I did not fold or hang my kids cloth diapers or clothing for the most part. I stacked clothing and left the diapers in a laundry basket and pulled them out from the basket. When the kids got older, we all sat on the floor and folded laundry together. I made sure I was very strict about my own bedtime and I had the kids on a schedule for meals and naps and where they went to bed early enough so I got an hour of quiet time before I had to go to bed. Of course, this is when they were old enough to be on a schedule and not babies. I also timed a lot of chores and so I knew the dusting would take me 20 minutes if I hustled and then on dusting day, I would hustle and get that chore done (I hate dusting). I learned to do all chores in an efficient way and set days for doing this chore. Even today, I have a day for cleaning the bathrooms, a day for changing the sheets, etc. I simplified all tasks -- I did not mop the bathroom floors which meant getting out the mop, bucket, cleaner and putting it away again. For example, in a small bathroom, I just took wet paper towels and wiped the floors down with the wet paper towel under my shoe or on my hands and knees. Even if you have cleaning help, there are things that have to be done by us, like wiping down the table or counters or cleaning dishes. When I cooked, I cleaned cooking pots as I went along, if possible so I did not have a sink full of stuff to clean after dinner. What I do now is purchase already cut vegetables for the meals I will be cooking from the grocery store because it saves me time. I rewarded myself for getting things down and I also made time to enjoy my kids, have fun, run around the back yard, blow bubbles, read books, etc. You have got this, I know you can do it. Kiss those babies for me!