The summer camp needs the six year old's immunization forms. The soccer league needs a copy of the nine year old's birth certificate. The college where I teach needs a copy of the professional development class I took. Only a few years ago these requests, all lobbed over the bow within a week, would have sent me on a crazed quest through the scattershot filing system at our house. House documents are in one place, my teaching stuff in another and the kids' stuff? Who knew? They were somewhere in the house that was the Bermuda Triangle of kid socks, water bottles and official documents.
It was no way to live. Enter what we call the "Book Of Knowledge". It is a plastic filing cabinet the size of a bread box. It is portable and it is awesome. It's filled with folders for all the important stuff in our life. There are folders for the house, the car, insurance, passports, financial documents (including lists of credit card numbers and contact info should a wallet get misplaced), the kids (which includes birth certificates, health forms and report cards), the pets and a seldom-opened file of fantasy vacation destinations.
I may not listen to NPR, watch PBS or drive a Volvo, all the things I thought I'd do as an adult (actually I do drive a Volvo but I drive it fast while listening to very inappropriate music), but I am together enough that I own a "Book Of Knowledge". And it's up to date and I know where to find it, which is more than I can say about the heirloom china my grandma gave us.
Trust me when I say these three facts put me ahead of 99 percent of parents out there. I know. I used to teach elementary school. Feel like you're an adult imposter every time an official doc is requested? Set up your own "Book Of Knowledge". It's cheaper than life insurance, more fun than a physical and it gives you the same feeling: responsible and on-top-of-it. Welcome to the 1 percent, baby.
You can also buy a kit that gives you the basic framework for this kind of system. There are several available on amazon. I picked one to show as an example.
Happy organizing, guru girls and guys!
Personal facts document book on amazon.com
No comments:
Post a Comment