Life getting to chaotic for you? A never-ending cycle of rushing out of the house to a recital or practice or feeling like you forgot about date night or someone’s birthday. Been there and lived that, mama. There is a lot to keep up with when you are dealing with kids, school, work, social life, and romantic life. Developing a balance of organizing these life moments can help you feel less chaotic and more in control.

There are different ways to improve the organization around you from creating schedules, forming daily habits, meal planning, keeping track of things in calendars or planners, etc. Here are a few of my tips and tricks to assist you in building and maintaining your life.

Develop a Routine

When we have newborns we obsess over getting them on a schedule to keep them balanced and happy. When we have grade school kids we want them to have a sense of structure and routine. But then somewhere along in adulthood, we forget to do the same for ourselves. Why is only creating balance and routine prioritized for children? It shouldn’t be. It’s extremely beneficial to establish a daily routine for ourselves to start feeling organized

A routine can simply start with waking up and making your bed, going to the gym before work, or having dinner with your family at a specific time every day. Your routine doesn’t have to be a set literary, but you want to make sure you follow through with it. Being consistent with your routine supports it becoming a habit.

Every day I have the same simple morning routine: I wake up and make the bed, brush my teeth, wash my face, and then get dressed. I don’t necessarily do them in the same order every day but they all have to be completed in order for me to feel like I’m starting my day off right.

Create A To-Do List

A to-do list should not be confused with a goals list. We do not want to create a list of things that you would like to get done, this is strictly projects or events you need to complete and usually within a specific time frame. Typically I write myself weekly To-Dos or if I know the day is jammed pack, a daily to-do. Writing out a list allows you to:

1. Visionally see what you need to complete.

2. Prioritized what projects need to be completed first and what projects are not as urgent.

You can create these lists on PostIts, reminders on your phone, and even random pieces of notebook paper if you need to. It does not make a difference how you start, but you start creating a the habit of it. To-dos are one of the most necessary steps to help you manage what you have going on as well as establish a sense of balance and control when you see yourself crossing those things off your list.

Planners & Calendars

We cannot forget about our calendars and planners. If you typically only have a few obligations to keep up with then something as simple as a wall calendar can help you keep up with things. But if you have several obligations a month a planner would be more practical.

Wall calendars are super minimalist and are great if your schedule doesn’t often change, plus, you can always find one that blends with your house’s aesthetics. It’s a way to put your monthly engagements all in one place that forces you to look at them. Letting you quickly glance up every day, even multiple times, to see what day it is, whose birthdays are coming up, if you have any major event coming up, and the best part: you only update it once a month.

As a self-proclaimed organized person, I tend to plan out my entire life and usually to the very last detail. Yearly planners works best for me because of that. A yearly planner can help you keep organized ahead of schedule and you can get planners that also allow monthly and weekly breakdowns. Planners also allow you a variety on how you can utilize them. With physical, hard copy planners you can see and touch them and keep them on your person if necessary. But if you are constantly on the go, a digital planner allows you the same access but on your phone or on your iPad/tablet.

Putting Things Where They Go

It’s very simple – Surround yourself with a clean environment. By doing so you are reducing the feeling of being overwhelmed and stressed. You can be as planned as you hear but you will not have a sense of balance if your house is a complete mess. Visual clutter, clutters the mind.

Check out my previous blog, Tips for Cleaning & Maintaining Your House, for a detailed cleaning schedule I follow as well as helpful tips on tidying up.

With the start of a new month, it’s the perfect time to start getting organized. Happy organizing mamas!

XOXO – A Busy Mama