Life can be messy, with lots of responsibilities constantly getting in the way of all the things which you would like to do. Everyday things in life can be stressful, and even more so as a parent, so finding ways to reduce the chaos in your life is incredibly important. If you are just looking to have a morning where you don’t have to scream at the children to “Hurry up!”, or if you would like to be able to get to bed in the evenings without worrying about everything you still have to do the next day, then there are a few steps you can take to add more structure to your life. So, if you are looking to create a bit more organization within your household, here are a few tips which you may find will help you along the way.

Make the most of mornings

Mornings can be a very stressful time in any household, but with a little preplanning, you might find that you a get your morning routine working better for you. As a parent, the responsibility of getting everyone ready and to their respective destinations on time often falls on you. But if you want to get the morning run working a little more smoothly, then you might want to get everyone else involved and helping out, so that you can tick a few more items off of your to-do list. You could try making individual lists or cards for each person in the household, with a schedule which they can follow in order to keep everyone on track. Try and leave enough time so that you can leave the house with ten minutes to spare, so that you are not starting your morning having to yell at people or feel stressed.

Tidy as you go

A cleaning routine can be important for keeping on top of all of the housework which needs doing on top of everything you already have going on. You can get everyone involved in the cleaning process, and give your kids incentives to get involved in the household chores. One great way to incentivize young children is to create chore chart, and give them some sort of small reward for each task that they complete. Then, after they complete a certain amount of chores, they can get a larger reward, such as some pocket money, or a treat which they will enjoy.

Although making time for these sorts of chores are important, it is not always feasible to get housework done on particularly busy days. Therefore, to make this process easier, you should also try and tidy as you go, putting things away immediately after use, and getting the rest of your family to do the same. If you are on a busy schedule, then during the week you can just do the household tasks which take slightly less time, so that the house still feels clean and you don’t get stressed about the mess. You can then specifically organize some time on a free day to do the more time-consuming activities.

Be a list person

You may feel like making a list takes valuable time out of your day, but in actual fact, spending those few extra minutes adding a little more organization into your life, could save you more time in the long run. On a busy schedule, it is easy to become forgetful, and to not complete important tasks because you have been focused on other issues. Make sure that you keep all of your notes on one list, as it is easy to get into the habit of writing information down on lots of different bits of paper, and then misplacing them over the course of the day; Keep your lists organized, and prioritize tasks based on importance. This simple tool will help you keep track of everything which you need to do, and is one of the best steps you can take to be more of a prepared individual, as well as being organized as a family.

Manage your money

It is important for a family to have organized finances, as it is easy for new problems to arrive which require a monetary resolution. This could include anything from needing to pay for clothing and other items for your children, or having to pay for unexpected bills. Whatever the case, if you don’t have the necessary funds put by, then more problems could arise in the future, such as debt. It can be difficult to know how best to allocate your funds, especially if you are not particularly adept at accountancy or planning ahead. Therefore, you might like to consider enlisting the help of FamilyVest Financial planning for families and families with special needs: this extra help could mean that you are more financially secure, and they will be able to reevaluate your situation on a regular basis, making sure that you are on the best financial plan possible.

Fight clutter at the source

It is easy to end up with cupboards and boxes full of items which you no longer use, and you might find that getting rid of these items immediately makes your home feel more organized. Having a home which is decluttered is important, as an organized environment is the first step to an organized mind. Before you buy anything new, consider whether you have a similar item already in the home: if you do, then you can decide between keeping the old item and forfeiting the new purchase, or getting rid of the old to bring in the new.

Plan in advance

Forward planning is the essence of organization, so try not to leave things to the last minute where possible. Start with planning the simple things, such as the meals which you plan on having throughout the week; knowing this will mean you can make your grocery list as soon as possible, which will speed up the food shopping process. You can also schedule your meals for the same time each day, so that everyone in the household works on the same schedule. There are a lot of other things you can organize too, such as putting together your work bag and documents the night before work, so that you don’t have to rush around trying to organize paperwork in the mornings.

Create a family noticeboard

To keep track of everyone itineraries, and all of the tasks and chores which need to be completed, it is a good idea to cultivate a family information center, which people can consult throughout the day to see what they need to be doing. This could take the form of a noticeboard which can be added to by everyone, so that everything is kept in one place; that way, you can avoid the double booking of time slots, or people getting confused about their commitments. If you would like to go more modern, you could use a family calendar app on your mobile devices, which each member of your family can access through their phones and smart devices.

Fix the small problems

While some parts of your daily life will need more organization than others, sometimes fixing the small things will make a big difference. For example, do you keep wondering why you never receive those important emails, or why you get so much junk mail? Well, it is probably because of all of those online subscriptions you’ve made over the past five years. Often, you won’t even realize you’re giving away your personal information. For instance, when you’re in the middle of doing an online shop and you’re asked for your phone number, or are reading an interesting article and they ask you to sign up with your email address, you don’t even blink twice at typing in the information and carrying on with your day. However, over time, all of these one-off subscriptions can cause havoc in your mailbox, both by post and online.

If you’d like to get some more organization in your correspondence, then it’s time to go through your subscription list. Start off by going through every ignored email from companies you don’t even remember hearing of. Most companies are required to offer an ‘unsubscribe’ option to their sent emails, and it can normally be found at the bottom of the email page. Just two clicks, and you’ll find yourself one step closer to a clutter-free inbox.

Create time for yourself

As a busy parent, it can be difficult to find some moments for yourself in the day, or even a few spare seconds throughout the week. However, the more organized you are with your daily schedule, the more likely it is that you will be able to put aside a small amount of time which you can allocate to something which you will enjoy. Life is about more than just your responsibilities, and if you want to find some time to de-stress, make sure to schedule it into your plans.