If your life is crazy with work, kids’ activities, and household responsibilities, then the stress may be mounting. As part of managing your stress, you should strive to organize both your family and yourself. You might sniff at this and say, “yeah, right,” but it is possible to get organized with a little time and effort. Read on to learn how.
Schedule Well
Your first task on the road to organization is to set up a schedule. Buy a paper planner that has monthly and daily calendar pages, or put a planner app on your phone. Then, use it consistently. Fill in all of your family’s activities and events, and create your own to-do list every single day. With everything recorded in one place, you’ll be able to see exactly what you need to do and when. You can also set up a section for meal plans and shopping lists.
Organize Your Home
Next, take a good look at your home. Is it cluttered and more than a little dusty? Start cleaning and, as you do, decide if you need to keep everything you own. Get the kids involved, too. Set up age-appropriate chore charts, and encourage them to donate items they no longer use. When you’ve cleaned and sorted, use storage boxes or tubs to tuck away your possessions neatly. Label everything so that you can find it easily.
Moving forward, make a commitment to think carefully before you buy anything new. Consider whether you have or can make room for something new by moving things or getting rid of something else. Also, always wait a bit before you buy to avoid impulse purchases and to determine if you really need whatever is calling your name.
Manage Documents and Go Paperless
Part of your clutter may be paperwork. Documents can pile up quickly and become overwhelming. There are free resources to help you manage these documents. You can scan your documents, including kids’ school transcripts, assignments, and medical records, as PDF files and save them on your computer and other devices. You can even put a PDF reader on your Kindle for extra convenience and built-in bookmarks. Papers you must keep as hard copies should be filed away neatly and labeled logically.
Work From Home Efficiently
If you work from home, this can add another layer to your organizational needs. Be sure your workspace is neat and free of clutter, with all your paperwork and supplies organized nearby. To be more paperless, you might start sending electronic invoices. You’ll get paid more quickly, and you won’t have to store paper copies. You can use an online invoice maker to create invoices easily. Just choose one of the pre-made templates and customize it with your own text and logo for a professional result that you can download in the format that works best for you.
Get Organized Without Breaking the Bank
Getting organized might seem like a huge task. But if you start scheduling well, get your home organized, manage your documents, and work from home more efficiently — complete with electronic invoicing — then you’ll be well on your way to less stress. Visit ChildLight Education Company for more ideas to get your kids involved.
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