organizing goals

Every January millions of people make their New Year's resolutions. While I think this is actually a great thing (I'm all about setting goals and accomplishing them), I believe that we can set goals anytime of year. I do this often.

Our first semester at work has been horrible. I wish I could be a little more positive, but it really kicked my butt. So, from all the stress, the incredible work load, and all those sleep-deprived nights, I made the decision that I need to make some changes. I need changes that will make work a little more bearable, a little more manageable. I believe organization makes everything, even the worst of things, better. So I quickly came up with a game plan. I won't bore you with all the details. But I will share a general list of things I plan on doing a work.

• organize my desk by subject, and by grade (lucky me, I get to teach a variety this year which keeps me crazy busy)
• organize what are normally loose homework sheets into one homework booklet
• prepare a corrections schedule...example; correct HW booklets(mentioned above) for class A on Mondays, class B on Tuesdays, etc.
• stick to the syllabus...I prepare this anyway but I always catch myself trying to add, add, add...I need to realize that in doing this, I myself am adding more to my already heavy load and therefore stressing myself out more. My syllabus is great and sufficient, I need to accept that and stick with it and it only.
• always be 2 weeks ahead (plan, an organize EVERYTHING well in advance to avoid any possible surprises such as the photocopier breaking down for the millionth time)
• make things simple...things need not be complicated in order to be effective.

Another thing that has been adding stress to my life is our situation at home. We've been remodeling since the start of the school year. I've felt so unstable, so unsettled...it's a crappy feeling. It feels good to look around and see the end is in sight, but until we are 100% finished with our home, I won't feel 100% happy. But I can try and make the best of it.

One thing that is finished is our kitchen. Yay! I can cook again. :) Even though I work full time and have my hands full with little guy, I'm looking forward to this. However, I must stay organized with it. So today I sat and planned out our meals for the upcoming week. I even typed it up and printed it out. I planned for everything including the main dishes, side dishes, types of salads for each day, ingredients that will be needed, and even desserts I plan to make. It turned out so well, that I plan to do this meal plan on a weekly basis. And all I have to do is refer to this plan to write out my grocery list each week. Sounds pretty simple.

I've learned so many lessons in life and I hope to continue learning more and more. But one thing I've definitely learned is that being organized makes life a lot easier. Wish me luck. ;)