For a lot of people, staying organized is something of an illusion. You aspire to keep it all together, but at the end of the day when you sink into bed, you wonder what you actually accomplished.
I used to feel like that more than I would admit. Between taking care of my littles and running a household, I never felt like I could keep my life straight.
It took me years to get my schedule organized in a way that made sense for me and my family.
Life Hacks That Keep Busy People Organized
Keep a Paper Planner
For a long time I thought I was the only person on the planet who still used a paper planner. But I keep finding them in stores so I can’t be the only one who still finds value in having my days/months/years written out.
I purchase a large yearly planner from Hobby Lobby each year and I keep it on my desk. Well, sometimes it ends up on the kitchen counter. Or the table. It’s around, okay? But it’s too big to lose so no biggie.
I like that it includes pages for individual days as well as each month of the year. This allows me to see the whole month’s worth of commitments (and free time) as well as more detailed lists for each individual day of the week.
If you are thinking this is unnecessary because, hello, smartphones, let me just say this: I like that everyone in my family can view the planner any time.
Make a Meal Plan
This is a big deal.
I constantly hear people say they don’t like meal planning, but at this point in the game we have too many resources at our disposable to let this slide. Pinterest is overflowing with dinner recipes of every kind, not to mention all the dozens of blogs and websites that teach, help with, and sell meal plans for every type of diet in the modern world.
You could plan your meals out for years with all that’s available to you online right now.
I do my meal planning each week and I usually do it on Sunday afternoons when things are relatively quiet and I have some down time to prepare for the week. I strive to alternate cuisine types as well as meats so we aren’t eating chicken four nights in a row.
My meal planning is not complicated and I don’t use an app or anything. I just use a note on my phone titled “Grocery List.” It looks a little like this:
Grocery List
bananas
strawberries
almond flour….you get the idea. Then:
Dinner
Sunday- every man for himself (I don’t cook on Sundays)
Monday- Roast beef and carrots
Tuesday- with Mom and Dad
Wednesday- Chicken Curry
Thursday- Leftovers
Friday- Hamburgers
Saturday- Pork Tenderloin
Now when I’m at the grocery store and I can’t remember what we are eating on Wednesday I can simply scroll down from my grocery list, find Wednesday’s meal and double check that I have everything I need for it. Done.
So simple. Too simple to skip.
Designate Days of the Week for Housework
Learning this one trick changed my life, because it took the pressure off of feeling like I had to do a week’s worth of work in a day. Also, I really don’t like doing a load of laundry each day. I would rather knock it out and move on.
Sunday – Meal Plan Day
Monday – Grocery Day
Tuesday – Laundry Day
Wednesday – Cleaning Day
Thursday – Catch Up Day (in case any laundry or cleaning is leftover)
Friday and Saturday – Avoid Housework and Play with My Family Day
Planning my week out like this makes staying organized a cinch because it doesn’t change from week to week. I can count on this routine 98% of the time and that makes everything else run much more smoothly and efficiently.
Let the Kids Help
Letting my kids help with weekly and daily chores is like winning a pie eating contest- it’s a little messy sometimes, but it’s still a win!
I regularly ask my kids for special dinner requests. Partly because I know they won’t ask too often for total junk food, and partly because I want them to realize early on that planning is an important part of running a home.
My kids also started hanging up their own clothes when they turned 6. Is it always perfect? No way. Do I fix their work when they leave the room? No, not usually.
Can my kids fold towels like I do? Not quite, but that’s exactly why they need to.
My point in all this is that we don’t have to do all the work by ourselves. We can (and should) bring our kids into the weekly routine of caring for our home. It’s good for them.
If you are looking for incentives to motivate your kids click here to read about why we paid our son to do his chores.
I know there’s a lot going on in your world right now. One thing we all seem to be super great at is staying busy. But just because we are busy doesn’t mean our lives have to be chaotic. If we will implement these 4 life hacks starting now, we will find ourselves more organized and less stressed and that’s a win!
Remember that these hacks are meant to help you, not use a ton of your precious time, BUT give yourself a break by realizing it may take a little while for you to get in a groove with meal planning. You might forget to write 5 things in your planner before you remember to write one.
All of these tools come with a little learning curve so take some pressure off yourself right now. You will get the hang of it, and when you do your whole family will reap the benefits!
What are your best life hacks for staying organized?
SaveSave