Blog Challenge Day 11: Getting Organized

When we first decided when we planned to start the IVF process, I started doing my research on the process, including tips and tricks to make the process easier.  Almost everything I read emphasized the importance of being organized.  I am not an organized person by nature (although I wish I was), so it's easier said than done for me.

There were a couple ideas on Pinterest that caught my eye, but I wasn't ambitious enough for them (which is to say I would have had to spend money, and I'm broke).  I have seen The IVF Journal pinned on nearly every infertility board I follow.  I think it sounds like a great idea - a binder/book full of useful informations and helpful forms to help keep everything organized - genius.  I'm not going to buy that though.  For my papers, I stuck to the system that has worked for me in the past - an envelope folder (from Target's Dollar Spot) with 5 sections.   It's not the most creative, but it gets the job done.

My favorite med storage solution that I came across was the use of an over the door shoe organizer.  Syringes and meds go into labeled pockets and the organizer is hung over your bathroom door - so clever.  Unfortunately, it's not the most practical for me because I frequently babysit, and I use our downstairs bathroom for injections - it probably wouldn't be the best idea to have a shoe organizer fil of syringes hanging on the door of the bathroom that children use.  For my meds, I stuck everything for each different medication into it's own separate baggie.  Honestly, the pharmacy gave me a head start on that by sending most of the meds that way, I just shuffled a few things to consolidated bags.  Then the separate bags were stuck in a clear plastic shoe box storage container thing and shoved it in the cabinet above our sink.  This is also not a unique or creative solution, and really, it doesn't even work that well.  I need to rearrange things so they fit better in the container or figure out another way to store all of my drugs and syringes.  I'm open to suggestions for better organization :).