organization and timeliness

While I've always been an organization geek, timeliness has never been my strong suit. And yet I've found over the past year that the two really go hand in hand. Timeliness according to Webster - "the quality or habit of arriving or being ready on time".

I just can't even tell you the issues and arguments that being perpetually late has brought up in my life. And while I'd love to say I was better about being on time before I became a mother that would be a boldfaced lie. I've been on time for exactly one event in my entire life……my wedding.

One day I finally realized what a problem my lack of timeliness is, how unfair it is to my family and how inconsiderate it is in general……….and so I decided I wanted to do something about it. One thing that struck me about the definition was the word "habit"…..the habit of arriving on time. How could I make punctuality a habit rather than a once in a while occurrence?

I started by examining what it was that constantly had me running late. I figured out a few things. One in particular was that it took all together too much time for me to figure out what to wear. My make-up routine takes less than 10 minutes, and a hairstylist I am not; so most of my time spent "getting ready" was in finding an outfit to wear. One way I addressed this was in creating clothing collections (that I blabbed on about here), and another little thing I started doing that is really helping is simply laying out the next day's outfit the night before.

similar sweater, similar pants, similar boots, watch

Whether it's gym clothes or jeans and a sweatshirt, I have a designated place in my closet (I'll show you my closet soon) where I keep the next day's outfit ready to go; and I put everything together from the socks and shoes to the necklace and watch.

My fashionista daughter likes to help me with this, and according to her your coffee travel mug should coordinate with your outfit. Ha! I say Starbucks goes with everything. Starbucks is the new black. ;)

This 5 minute nightly routine is such a simple task, and yet it makes a huge difference for me when it comes to getting ready and walking out the door on time. I have no idea why, but choosing my outfit the night before takes no time at all, yet if I wait until the morning to do it I just can't figure it out in less than 20 minutes. Why is that? It's like the pressure of getting ready on time makes it hard for me to think. Am I alone on this? My brain in the morning just doesn't function as well as it does at night…..or something.

I've always done weekly outfits with my kids, but I hadn't ever committed to doing it for myself. I'd do it for a little while then I'd get lazy or busy and just stop. Doing a whole week at a time for myself just felt like such a chore, but one day ahead is much more manageable. And it really does help me to get out the door on time……and without rushing around like a crazy lady.

There's a glimpse of my new pink front door!

I hadn't ever looked at being late as an organization issue before, but I guess it's really all about organizing your time. Who knew that one small change to your routine could make such a huge impact?

Are you an outfit planner? Do you have any tips on timeliness to share? I'd love to hear them! As it's still a work in progress for me.

* Jord provided me with this gorgeous wood watch, but my struggle with timeliness is 100% authentic. Just ask my husband. He's basically living Brad Paisley's Waitin' on a Woman. ;)
FYI - Jord now offers free worldwide shipping!

Luxury Wood Watch