How Susan Thrives
Mayra Kavan,
Keeping a family organized – “Let’s be honest, who’s going to bother if it’s a lot of effort?”
1THRIVE Centers:
- Align busy family schedules
- Are great for Kids to learn to be organized early in life
- Are customizable and fun to use
- Allow you to see the impact organization has on your daily life
Susan lives with her husband and four children in the town of Russellville, Missouri – located centrally between Kansas City and St. Louis. When asked to describe life around her home she laughs and says, “We’re the poster family for being busy!”
Susan has a full-time job as a hairstylist. Her husband works in orthotics and prosthetics, which involves frequent travel throughout the week. Their oldest son has just started high school, while the youngest – a daughter – recently celebrated her first birthday. Susan and her family keep it all together with the help of a 1THRIVE Center. Here’s her story.
Other options weren’t the right fit
“We tried and failed with a couple of alternatives before we found the 1THRIVE Center,” Susan says. “Our first attempt was one of those wall calendars you can get at a local office supply chain store.” Susan believes the idea of a calendar on the wall for everyone to see is a great idea. “The problem is that nobody ended up adding to it – let alone paying attention to it,” she says. “Aesthetically, they’re really not a good fit for your home. We ended up pretty much forgetting it was even there.”
Susan says that their next attempt was a physical book-sized planner. “That didn’t work, either. We went from big and kind of ugly to small and not very useful. We were constantly having to track it down. Most of the time, when it couldn’t be found, it was because it was in my purse with me at the salon.”
Matching family priorities
Susan and her family decided to identify the most practical elements that would bring them organization. “There were two top things,” Susan says. “The first is a calendar. My oldest son is involved in high school football. He has daily after-school events, plus weekly games that involve logistics. And now my youngest son is following in his brother’s footsteps. We’ve got even more football games and practice to keep track of. At the other end, is my daughter. Babysitters. Daycare. There’s so much to remember. We needed a way to make it easy and centralized to see what’s on the family agenda. Let’s be honest, who’s going to bother if it’s a lot of effort?”
Susan explains that the next selection is a logical complement to the calendar. “When is there never not a to-do?” she observes. “The to-do list is an important element, and we have it located right next to the calendar. For example, parent/teacher conferences are coming up. We have them down on the calendar, as well as the specific things I have to do to prepare for the conferences listed on the to-do list.”
Susan loves the idea of having a 1THRIVE Center for her kids. “My oldest is a freshman, and this would help him learn to stay organized, write down his schedule, and keep track of his homework. It would give him a place to see what’s going on in his life and keep track of any appointments he has. I think this is a great idea for all my kids to learn early on how to organize and keep track of what’s important and going on in their lives.”
What Susan and her family appreciate about the 1THRIVE Center is that it allows them to choose and arrange organizational elements that best work for them. “We get a lot of use out of the magnetic blackboard,” Susan adds. “One of the most important things I keep on it is an affirmation. People beat themselves up way too much these days. I change the affirmation weekly, and it’s selected for our whole family.”
Susan admits that while the calendar and to-do elements are key to keeping her family organized, she just might like the magnetic blackboard best of all. “Now there’s one place for all those ideas that aren’t yet tied to a specific time or task,” she explains. “For example, I jotted down a quick note to myself about painting the kitchen island, and then a few days later, I found a magazine ad that I put up on the board showing the color. What I appreciate is that there’s just enough space, but not unlimited space. It helps you decide if what you’re adding is sufficiently important in terms of what you know your family wants to accomplish.”
Seeing and improving
Susan says it’s been easy for her to see the difference the 1THRIVE Center has made for her family. “It goes beyond being organized,” she says, “which I know happens because the system makes it fun and easy. I like to call it our one-stop shop for family organization. The location is right next to the main door. It’s the last thing you see before you leave, and the first thing you see when you get home. Those two times are when you need a visual reminder of organization.
I’ve seen a noticeable improvement in the way my children approach responsibility for keeping track of what will impact the family. If you’re a parent, you learn to dread those, ‘Oh, I forgot to tell you’ responses. We don’t hear them anymore.”
When asked about an unexpected benefit her family has gained from the 1THRIVE Center, Susan has a quick answer. “It’s the mirror,” she says. “It has a built-in shelf and is one of my favorite pieces to make quick decor changes. But there’s something even more important about that mirror. Every time we go out the door, we have an opportunity to pause for a moment in front of it for a quick self-check. It’s a powerful way to help you reconnect with being in the present and reminding you of what your goals are.”
Are you looking for a fun but functional wall organizer that effortlessly adapts to your family’s personal needs and sense of style? 1THRIVE can help.
