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Raleigh Green Gables

Organize Your Life

Schedule a Meeting with Your Spouse

April 22, 2015



At work you probably have a staff meeting at least once a month, so everyone can update each other, right? In other words, your organization gets organized.

Do you do the same with your spouse?

If not, it’s time.

Look, you’ve purged; you’ve downsized the mountains of toys. Now, if you want to truly live a conscious life, it’s time to get clear with your spouse.

This year, my husband and I started a weekly meeting. It’s not easy scheduling it, and sometimes we have fallen off the wagon, but when it happens, it’s really helpful.

Here is what we do: First, we drop the kids somewhere. Next, we go to a fun coffee shop.

During the meeting, we discuss two things: the calendar and our budget. You can discuss these, too, or pick something else. But keep the agenda short and focus on just a few things.

THE CALENDAR

With two children and two parents, who are both business owners, it’s good to see where everyone needs to be each week. We limit the craziness by having a rule that each child does one activity at a time. (Stop with the six different activities for your 5-year-old. He’s 5!) So, for instance, if our daughter wants to do gymnastics, she cannot do ballet. It’s soccer or basketball. Not both.

IMG_4301

Yes, I know how to use the calendar app on my smart phone But I use this paper calendar shown above because I like to see the whole month, especially when scheduling clients. You can’t do that on the phone.

Wit a paper calendar, my husband can also write in night meetings or work trips, so I can see them. He can tell me a million times he has a dinner next Wednesday, but I never remember. If it’s on the calendar, there is no confusion.

During our meetings, we add all events and go over the week ahead.

RECEIPTS

This year, we vowed to get clear on our spending. After all, we have a house to renovate! So after we are clear about the calendar, we move on to our spending spread sheet.

We turn in the receipts we’ve gathered during the week and input them into categorizes, so we can see what we spent on going out to dinner, on groceries, etc. (There are not many receipts from me because I am sticking to my New Year’s Resolution!)

It is has been a good education seeing where our money goes and discussing if there are areas we can cut back on to invest or save even more. I can’t wait to see the whole year and then multiple years, so we can compare.

We both agree these meetings are the best thing we’ve done in our marriage. Getting clear in these meetings leaves the rest of the week for fun. And we have less stress because we know exactly what to expect.

TRY IT

Getting clear with your spouse is the next step — after getting rid of the stuff — to being totally organized. Without a bunch of junk filling up your home, you have time and space to think about the big picture.

So set up a meeting with your spouse. After all, you get clear in staff meetings at work. So why not do it with your family, the most important people in your life?

 

Filed Under: Time Management

(919) 623-1160

raleighgreengables@gmail.com

Leah Friedman
Hello!
I'm a professional organizer in Raleigh, North Carolina, helping people declutter their homes and work spaces.

Testimonials

After working with Leah Friedman, the room looked and felt calm, rather than chaotic. When I am overwhelmed again, I will certainly hire her expertise and energy. What an investment in order, calm and piece of mind!  
Lucy KeenanRaleigh
Leah Friedman turned a wretched job into fun! It’s true. She even had me laughing. She is worth every penny. We plowed through two closets. They are now nicely organized, and I know where to find my clothes. I even know what I own. Leah hauled about six bags of give-aways to Interact. I heartily recommend Leah. She gets the job done! She a combo of firm, gentle and fun. Just what I needed.
Judith TillmanRaleigh
I love the way my master closet looks, and my husband is very happy, too. Thank you so much for helping me through the whole process. I still can’t believe how much work we got done.
BeckyDurham
Leah helped me to organize several spaces in my home that have been on my “to do” list for years. She arrived on time, ready to tackle the projects, and made something I dreaded doing lots of fun! She never judges, is always encouraging and gets the job done in a reasonable amount of time. I highly recommend her!
Anne ShermanChapel Hill

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