The Sunday Basket Story
By Lisa Woodruff
“The Sunday Basket is an idea born out of a major mommy meltdown I had when my babies were babies.”
Let me start by setting the stage for you.
My two year old (later to be diagnosed with severe ADHD) was in the throes of a horrible asthmatic period of his life which involved hospital trips.
His baby sister was a dream, but wanted to be with me all the time.
I was a stay at home mom and I was spending well over 40 hours per week on my direct sales business. My business was BOOMING. I had parties, recruits, training to conduct and workshops. I was managing my home and family as well.
What I didn’t have was a plan. I was putting out fires left and right. I was afraid and overwhelmed. My brain was constantly distracted with worries. Would I miss something? Had I missed something? The answer to both of those questions was undoubtedly yes.
And to top it all off, my papers were completely disorganized. My piles had piles and I couldn’t find anything to save my soul!
I had enough. I knew nothing would change unless I did. So after my kids were in bed, I took all my papers into one room. I sorted them into 40 piles! I knew I had to keep the different kinds of paper together; but I couldn’t keep that many piles on my kitchen counter anymore.
“Let me be clear – overwhelm doesn’t just happen to moms. It doesn’t just happen to people of a certain age or life phase. Overwhelm can happen at any time and in any phase of life.”
Overwhelm can happen at any time and in any phase of life. When it does happen – it will steal your time, energy and ability to be the person you know you are and want to be. You may not even realize just how overwhelmed you were until you’re on the other side. As you free up your brain for thinking again, you will start to have ideas. Instead of pushing those ideas off to the side, you will let them flow! You will start to feel like “yourself” again.
Let’s go back to my 40 piles of papers. I developed a system using slash pockets to corral all those papers into manageable chunks then tossed them all into my favorite basket. Did you just ask yourself “what is a slash pocket?” Slash pockets are a plastic, 3-hole punched divider that typically go inside of a 3 ring binder. They have tabs along one edge that can be labeled. They are sealed on three sides, creating diagonal
pockets that securely hold notecards and papers of all sizes. They are transparent so you can see what is inside without having to remove everything.
FINALLY, I was able to pull one slash pocket out at a time and actually work instead of just pushing papers around! Having everything together, easy to access and ready to go when I had a few minutes to make a phone call or fill out a form meant I was finally getting things done.
After a few weeks, I realized that I was still overwhelmed with the thought of sorting through 40 folders. So I created a Sunday Basket routine for myself.
The Sunday Basket Routine
Every Sunday night after the kids were in bed, I took out all of the folders, papers, mail and notes I had written to myself. I laid it out on the living room floor. I evaluated each paper or slash pocket and asked myself, “Does this need to be done before next Sunday?”
If it did, then it went in my “to do this week” slash pocket. If it didn’t, I put it back in the Sunday Basket for review next Sunday. This allowed me to put current projects I was working on aside for one week, but not lose the project! Everything was together in the slash pocket and accessible if I needed it.
Sunday is the one day I use to plan my next week. For you it may be Monday or Friday, or you might not have a day. You need a day! For me, it’s Sunday.
The Sunday Basket freed up my mind from worrying that things wouldn’t get done and allowed me to focus my energy on what I needed to get done.
It’s a routine I’ve continued ever since. I no longer have a sea of paper on my countertops. My to-do list is virtually non-existent, because it’s all actionable and scheduled into my week. Gone are the days where I would forget to pay bills and get charged late fees even though the money was sitting in our account. And I know where things are – birth certificates, bank statements, you name it. I can get it in a matter of minutes!
Looking back now I’ve realized that my life’s purpose was buried underneath the paperwork, bills, lists, and scraps on my kitchen counter. I was living a reactionary life. My energy and time was completely tied up by the shackles of disorganization.
“Here’s the thing: Paper piles have no right to rule your life! The Sunday Basket system will allow you to reclaim your time, determine your priorities and pursue your passions.”
Put Yourself Back on Your To Do List
Through Organize 365 I’ve been able to share this system with others. I knew that The Sunday Basket system was giving me back my time and allowing me to live a more proactive and productive life. I’ve learned through seeing other’s outcomes that the Sunday Basket will give you back an average of 5 hours each week! When you are organized, you can inspire the world with your unique, God-given talent!
Through the Sunday Basket system I put myself back on my to-do list. I welcomed my new proactive, productive and positive approach to life. It allowed me to become the CEO of Organize 365 and share my unique gifts with the world. Believe me, I still get overwhelmed sometimes. I don’t pretend to have it all figured out. So in those moments, I lean into my Sunday Basket routine even more. It has saved me through all my phases of life. My kids aren’t babies anymore; but I need my Sunday Basket more than ever!
“You deserve a sustainable system that helps you be proactive about your life and goals.”
Hours Saved By Using The Sunday Basket
About Lisa Woodruff
Lisa Woodruff is the founder & CEO of Organize 365.
Lisa, along with 87% of America, believes organization is a learnable skill. Yet less than 18% of those same Americans feel they are organized. Through The Productive Home Solution course Lisa aims to teach American’s young and old the skill of organizing and unlocking their time for what they are uniquely created to do.
As the host of the top-rated Organize 365 Podcast (which has 17 million downloads and counting) Lisa shares strategies for reducing the overwhelm, clearing the mental clutter and living a productive and organized life. Her sensible and doable organizing tasks appeal to multiple generations. Her candor and relatable personality make you feel as though she is right there beside you; helping you get organized as you laugh and cry together.
Under Lisa’s direction, Organize 365 has conducted academic research establishing the definitions of housework, home organization and the weight of paper in the American home. This ongoing research is making the invisible work at home visible to all. The goal is to eliminate it and free people from the monotonous tasks of daily living; and unlock their time for what they are uniquely created to bring forth in the world.
She is the author of four books including: How ADHD Affects Home Organization and The Paper Solution. Lisa’s understanding of the lived female American experience has helped her to create products & courses like the Sunday Basket. These products and courses externalize the routine tasks that take up the executive functioning capacity of our brains; freeing us up to think and create again!
