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Title: Mind Organization for Moms
Author: April Perry and the Power of Moms
Confession: I am a neat freak. Ask my sister why we fought so much as children. The answer: because she wouldn’t keep her side of the room clean. I used to ask my mom if I could organize her kitchen cupboards…just for fun. You get the picture…I’m weird! So when I first saw the Mind Organization for Mom (M.O.M) program and book, I thought, “Oh that looks neat, but I don’t think I really need it.” I ended up going to a Power of Moms retreat sometime later and decided to sign up for the M.O.M training session. I am so glad I did! As I tried to think of a good book to review for the Power of Organization this month, this was the first thing that came to mind.
Basic Overview:
The crux of this program is a system that organizes your emails, ideas, tasks, projects and all things paper. The system is comprised of three parts:
- Things on the brain: These are things you’re going to look at everyday, like your calendar and a task-list organized by context (phone calls, computer work, errands, etc). Can I just say that making it a habit to look at my calendar daily has been life-altering?! I would write things down before, and then never look at them until it was too late!
- Things on the brain once a week: Every week you schedule a time to review your calendar, your task list, your current projects and all the ideas, emails and papers that have accumulated in a master inbox. This sounds time-consuming but it goes faster the more you do it. It now takes me half an hour or less and is so worth it. I missed it once a few weeks ago and kept thinking, “I have no idea what I’m doing this week!”
- Off the brain: This piece of the system is a way to keep track of ideas, dreams and goals that don’t have an immediate deadline. You can review or not review them as often as you wish.
Parts I Liked Best:
The book is easy to follow and encouraging. When you first read about the system as a whole, it can seem a bit overwhelming. April, however, does a fabulous job of breaking down each component into bite-sized chunks that are manageable. I also loved all her little pep-talks throughout the book about how you can do this and how awesome you’re going to feel once it’s all set up.
Besides the concept of a weekly review, I think the next biggest thing this program really taught me was how to do project planning. I’ve always been good at making lists; what I lack sometimes is the ability to make it all happen! Growing up, whenever I’d get overwhelmed, my dad would say, “Eat the elephant one bite at a time.” Mind Organization for Moms teaches you how to do this and helps you move forward with what’s important to you.
How This Book Made an Impact In My Life, Especially as a Mother (or why I just really liked it):
The system has become a safety net for my brain. I find myself less-distracted and grouchy. Whenever I start to think or worry about what I need to do, I can say to myself: “I know when I’m going to think about that or do that and I can let it go for right now.” I can better enjoy the moment and my family.
I no longer have piles on my kitchen counter or my nightstand. Hooray! If you ask me where a certain paper, flier or whatever is, I know! I have less and less of those, “Oh no!” moments. You know, those moments where you think, “Oh no, that was today! I totally haven’t done/bought/prepared for that at all.” Best of all, I have seen more of my goals and ideas come to fruition because I have a plan to implement them.
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I’m along the same lines as you! I LOVE organizing! This would be a great idea for me since I’m super forgetful! Thanks for the info! 😀