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5 Organizational Tools You Need to Try

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September 18, 2019 By Lisa Sharp 10 Comments

Are you feeling stressed and overwhelmed? These organizational tools can help you get your life organized and help you keep up with things without so much stress.

aqua clipboard, notebook and accessories on desk

I have a lot on my plate. I run a business, have a home to take care of, volunteer, have an elderly dog that needs a lot of care, and all those other things that add up.

I need a lot of organizational tools to help me keep up with it all, or at least try to keep up with it. There are those two baskets of clean clothes waiting to be folded, but everyone is alive and most things are taken care of.

There are so many things in my life that I use to help keep me on track but these five organizational tools are the biggest things and translate well into most any family.

Organizational Tools You Need to Try

Home Management Binder

How to make your own planner with free printables, DIY planner, DIY Life Planner #planner #freeprintables

This is essential and very helpful when it comes to taking care of your home. I keep so many things in this binder. It’s where I put my cleaning and meal planning printables, important papers, and so much more. 

If it’s needed in the running of my house it is likely found in this binder. I think this is something every adult needs as soon as they get their first home or apartment that they are responsible for.

Additional Resource: How to Create a Home Management Binder

Planner

My home management binder isn’t something I need every day. It’s a bit more for reference and seasonal type things. My planner is where the day to day things go.

Some weeks I’m on top of things and do pretty layouts with stickers and color code everything. Sometimes I just quickly write in the things I need to remember. Both ways work. 

Additional Resource: Popular Planners for Every Budget

Family Organizer

family organizer on desk

Since I don’t have kids my husband and I just keep our joint calendar on our phones but if you have kids and a lot of different activities a family organizer is a must. It’s also helpful in the case of an emergency and is overall just a good thing to keep on hand.

You can keep your family calendar in it, contact information for your kid’s schools, doctors, etc… Keep track of medical information and all the other things that can end up lost or forgotten.

Additional Resource: How I Set Up Our Family Organizer

Wall Command Center

This is a new one for me that I’m loving. In my office, I set up a command center on my wall. It’s a dry erase board and also magnetic. I can keep track of things, write notes, and it’s easy to use for different things as needed.

I choose the Erin Condren wall organization center because it has interchangeable boards making it really useful for me. I can either have a calendar up for those busy months or just a dry erase board that I can do whatever I need to with. This is great for if I’m working on a project and need to write notes or just want to have a daily schedule up instead of monthly.

There are other options out there as well so just find one that works for you. You can keep it in an office like I choose to do or keep it in a room that gets more family use.

Additional Resource:  Erin Condren Wall Organization Center Review

Your Phone

Desk with keyboard, phone and flowers

Last but not least our phones can be such a useful organization tool. My husband and I have a family calendar on our phones so we always can see what the other person has going on.

I also use my notes app a lot. I have notes for everything! I keep a shopping list on my phone on an app, I use the reminders a lot to have my phone remind me of important things, I have a daily alarm to remind me to take medicine and so many other useful tools.

Phones can be a distraction but they can also help us so much when we use them well. Think of the kinds of things that it’s helpful to always have at your fingertips and find an app that will help you do that.

person writing notes

More Organizational Posts

  • 5 Time Mangement Strategies You Need to Try
  • Decluttering Challenges That Will Help You Tackle Clutter
  • How to Plan Without a Planner

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Filed Under: Homemaking, Organization

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Mary Hill says

    August 17, 2015 at 2:48 pm

    Thank you for sharing This Life. I had not head of this one. I will be signing up for an account. 😉

    Reply
    • Lisa Sharp says

      August 18, 2015 at 9:40 am

      Isn’t it cool? Such a great idea.

      Reply
  2. Kayla says

    August 17, 2015 at 5:09 pm

    I’ve been using Google Drive more, and that seems to be helping me keep track of my stuff. Great post, girl! Thanks for sharing! xoxox, Kayla

    Reply
    • Lisa Sharp says

      August 18, 2015 at 9:40 am

      It’s so useful! And even better that it’s totally free.

      Reply
  3. Jessica H. says

    August 18, 2015 at 6:47 am

    When my husband and I got married, one of the first things I bought was a home organizer. It’s been one of my smartest purchases! I use Google Drive ALL the time now! Great suggestions!

    Reply
    • Lisa Sharp says

      August 18, 2015 at 9:41 am

      Good idea! Google Drive is amazing!

      Reply
  4. Jessica Cangiano says

    August 18, 2015 at 2:04 pm

    Great choices! I am an organization lover to the nth degree and of those mentioned here, use Pinterest and Google Drive in particular. Another biggie for me is Evernote. I use the pro (paid) version and have gotten rid of most other online list/reminder sites/programs thanks to it. It’s super handy and syncs with your phone (if you download the app) to boot.

    ? Jessica

    Reply
    • Lisa Sharp says

      August 19, 2015 at 11:58 am

      I haven’t spent much time using Evernote, I need to!

      Reply
  5. Gabby says

    August 25, 2015 at 1:34 pm

    I am always looking for new ways to help me rethink what I am doing and why! thank you for linking up with us at the Tips and tricks Link party!

    Reply
    • Lisa Sharp says

      August 26, 2015 at 1:18 pm

      Glad you liked the tips! Thanks for stopping by.

      Reply

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Welcome to my blog! My name is Lisa and I'm the Retro Housewife trying to live a greener life. I share my love of all things vintage, homemaking and green living here on the blog. To read more, click here.

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