10 Tips for Busy Moms to Stay Organized at Home

The life of a mother can get really crazy because moms are expected to do so many things every single day. Sometimes, it will even test your sanity. Mothers will have to do daily tasks as a routine, because someone has to do it, right? Moms also have to be flexible enough to make accommodations for extraordinary situations. Mothers, after all, are expected to know best.

Don’t worry, we all get better with experience, and one of the best life hacks is to learn from the experience of others!

Here are some tips to help you keep it together:

1- Get a planner

You can go old school with a planner notebook (they come in different styles), or you can use an application.

A planner will force you to think of the things you have to do. This exercise will help you remember tasks. I suggest you note the top 3 tasks of the day.

Sometimes, we write so many to-do’s in our planners that we get overwhelmed by it. Make sure you have, at most, three top things you can’t miss for that day. Also, a sanity-saving tip: Limit to-do’s for weekends to just one or two. There are planners who purposely have few spaces allowed for Saturdays and Sundays.

2- Sync with phone

Synchronize your major to-do’s, such as your top 3, with your phone. You can use your calendar application and have an alarm for it if needed.Also, you can make use of your lists. You might think that you can just have it all in your phone— yes, that will work for some, but there are still many people out there who prefer having a planner notebook. If you are one of those traditional people, you will be amazed at how a notebook-application planner can do wonders!

3- Have a whiteboard

Write the important tasks for the day or even upcoming events on the whiteboard for everyone in the family to see. We discourage you from using chalkboards because chalk is made of powder that can cause allergy to your children. You also don’t have to worry about cleaning the chalk residue. Make sure that the whiteboard is not within the reach of your babies or toddlers. As for kids, you can just tell them not to change anything that’s written without your permission.

4- Download financial management applications

Budgeting is one of the most important mom-tasks. Keep track of your family finances with financial management applications. An application is better than a manual ledger or record book because accounting and budgeting can take a lot of 

time. You can also commit errors from time to time. An application will get it all sorted out for you. There are many financial management applications to choose from.

5- Pay bills on time

Always pay the bills on time. This is very basic, but, this is also usually missed.

6- Keep receipts

Have a folder or an envelope where you can keep all of your important receipts. You might not know when you will need it. Also, do not forget to include your warranty cards.

7- Buy organizers

Have trays, baskets, boxes, dividers, shelves, and other things that can help you segregate and arrange things at home. Say, have an enclosed container for dog food, a basket for toys, a separate shelf for your teen’s novels, a separate shelf for your husband’s CD collection, a shoe rack, a tray for your keys, etc.

8- Have trash bins everywhere

Of course, it’s a no-brainer that every home must have a trash bin, but, one common mistake is having not enough trash bins. Have one in the kitchen, in the bathrooms, in bedrooms, in the living room, outside your house, and even inside your car. Trash bins vary in size and design.

9- Teach kids (and husband) to be organized

Give a lecture on Home Organization 101 if there’s a need for it.

10- Set House Rules

For example, house rules like CLAYGO (Clean As You Go) are really great to keep the house clean and making the load lighter for you.

It also gives everyone a sense of responsibility. You can also have a rule that says, “Return it where you took it”.

As for the finances, you can tell your kids that whenever they need to pay for something, they should inform you ahead of time, like a week before, or on the day it was announced. Make sure that whenever you set a rule, there must be strict implementation.