Make your life a bit less crazy with these tips that help you organize your life. They will help bring a bit of order to the chaos and help you manage it all.
Weekday mornings I post a prompt asking people in the Retro Housewife Goes Green Community what’s on their to-do list for the day.
You can often feel the stress through the comments. We all seem to have a lot going on and are struggling to keep up. I totally get that feeling.
When you are a homemaker you are juggling so many responsibilities and they can change from day to day. Managing it all can be overwhelming and often homemakers have jobs outside of the home as well adding to the workload.
Two things to remember first, be sure you are dividing chores and make sure you are saying no to things that you don’t have time for and aren’t a priority.
Even after doing those things you likely still have a lot on your plate and that’s where being organized comes in. I have thought about what has made the biggest difference in my life and thought I would share those things with you.
Ways to Organize Your Life
Use a Planner
There are so many different planners out there. You can find them in all price ranges and in so many styles. The biggest thing is finding one that works for you.
You may have to try a few to find out. I still haven’t found my perfect system so I keep trying new things each year. You will know it’s working when you actually use it. If you buy one and stop using it, it’s likely not the right one for you.
Additional Resource: The Best Planners for Homemakers
Home Management Binder
This is very different than a planner though you can sometimes combine them. This is where you keep important information like emergency contacts, medical information, addresses, and anything else you want to be able to easily reference.
I have mine set up in a simple three-ring binder and used free printables. I don’t look at it a lot but it’s nice when I need it.
Additional Resource: How to Create a Home Management Binder
Start Meal Planning
This is huge for me. I hate scrambling to figure out what to cook at night and I also don’t want to run to the store all of the time for extra ingredients.
Having a meal plan makes it all so much easier. I can make sure when I get groceries that I have everything I need and I can make sure I’m actually using the ingredients I have on hand. Plus I don’t have to think about dinner I just have to make it.
Be sure to also be realistic when meal planning. It’s easy to look at Pinterest and think, “I should make all of these amazing meals.” If you are busy you will likely find that actually making those meals is too time-consuming and you end up ordering out or turning to processed foods.
Look at your calendar when meal planning and make sure your plan fits what you have going on. It’s okay to make a lot of simple meals.
And if your kitchen is one of the things stressing you out organizing kitchen cabinets can help a lot! It’s always stressful to not know where things are when you need them.
Keep Decluttering
Make decluttering a habit instead of something that is hugely time-consuming after it gets out of hand. Find time each week when you will take a quick trip through your house and get rid of things you no longer want or need.
And if you come across something randomly, don’t think “I’ll take care of that later”, put it in your car or where you put donations until you deliver them.
Additional Resource: Tips That Make Decluttering Easier
Create Routines
The routines I like to have include morning, evening, and cleaning. If I have basic routines for those things everything else runs smoothly.
You may need other routines if you are busy, work outside of the home, or have kids. It just depends on what stage of life you are in and what responsibilities you have.
This is another place that may have some trial and error involved. Take some time to figure out what routines work for you and your family and then stick to them as much as possible.
Additional Resource: Creating a Homemaking Schedule That Works for You
When you find yourself feeling overwhelmed be sure to think about these tips and look for other resources to help you. There is no reason to stay in that overwhelmed mode.
And be sure to join the free Retro Housewife Goes Green Community to get advice from other homemakers. Sometimes it’s just nice to know you aren’t alone.
GIULIA says
I’m agree with all points!!!
Sharon Heritch says
You did it again, another excellent blog post! I’m slowly starting to re-build my routines after a long period of not being well enough to keep up. I’m not at the organizer level yet, but I have hopes. 🙂