My kids and their Kindles, my work bag, lunches, snacks, water bottles, choir robes (that, frankly, we forget about every other Sunday), a change of clothes, reusable grocery bags, coffee (because "they" expect me to remember my coffee PRE-COFFEE!), an extra phone charger, a pot luck dish...the list is endless!
(What? You haven't forgotten your kids before? Not even once, in a sleep-deprived stupor?)
There are 3 simple things that you can do to make sure you never leave home missing something again.
*Create a Night Before Routine
Every night, check your planner or calendar and set out everything you need for the morning.
TIP: At first, set a timer on your phone reminding you to do your nightly prep. After about three weeks, it should become habit.
*Create a Launchpad
Designate a spot for everything that is leaving the house, including a wipe erase board for things that are elsewhere (like your lunch that is in the fridge).
Put your purse there. Put your phone charger there. List lunch and a cup of coffee on the list.
Each night during your new routine, look at your schedule and list all the things that need to leave the house with you in the morning.
(Okay, you don't have to put kids on the list. But if you have a newborn and feel the need, do NOT feel guilty one bit for writing them on that wipe erase board! You are tired, Momma! It's not your fault.)
*Put Out Physical Reminders
I prefer to keep my list on that dry erase board as short as possible. I'm more likely to check and obey it that way.
But I don't want to forget my lunch in the fridge, so I put out physical reminders of my lunch. For example, my lunch might be packed in the fridge, but the napkin and fork that I am bringing with me are sitting out in my launchpad. I can't really miss bringing my lunch if I see the fork.
TIP: Sleep-deprived parents should consider putting something important, like your purse AND cell phone AND office key, next to the car seat each time you ride in a car. That way, you never get out without checking the back seat and remembering your baby in the car. Seriously. We've all been there. Make checking the back seat your new routine.
These 3 steps have virtually eliminated my tendency to leave the house for a birthday party without the gift! I hope they help you.
If they do, remember to share on social media.
Etcetera.
10 comments:
I use sticky notes pretty much everywhere, lol! A planner would certainly be a more centralized way to remind myself!
Great tips! Thanks for sharing on My Flagstaff Home!
Jennifer
Thanks for the tips! I thought it's only me who forgets almost everything -we went to a birthday party and I forgot it's a BIRTHDAY party! We didn't bring any gifts :( That was one of the reasons I started to use a filofax and there or elsewhere to write down everything.
i'm not a parent myself yet but I have definitely been forgotten (my parents managed to get off the driveway at LEAST twice before seeing my face in my bedroom window wondering where on earth they were going) and i'm not talking new born, i'm talking 4/5 years old! maybe if they'd made a list they wouldn't have forgotten ;)
Yep - that's how it's done! Launch pads are great. I always put post-it notes to myself on my phone as reminders too.
Thanks for sharing with us at the #HomeMattersParty link party.
These are great tips.I want to apply some of these....
Great ideas. A list helps (if you remember to look at it.) Lately I've found putting things where I'm going to trip over it on the way out the door is the best way to remember.
What great tips!! Sometimes I need to remember where I put my mind at the end of the day! ha/ha
I use the launch pad idea. I also have a checklist for common items I always need to take (but sometimes forget like my camera). Town and our car is half an hour away from our home, getting there without a wallet or keys can really ruin a day. - Margy
I have left everything by my purse in the morning and then swept them aside when I leave. You have some great ways for me to remember!
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