How to be a More Organized and Less Overwhelmed Mom

A mother of four boys shares her best tips and tricks of how she’s enjoying motherhood more as an organized mom – and feeling less overwhelmed.

We all agree that motherhood can be overwhelming, right? Getting through motherhood requires a certain amount of organization and planning, at least when you have four kids, two in school, three in sports and one with medical issues.

Some days I feel like I am juggling a sharp sword, a flaming hot torch – when all of a sudden someone throws at me a beautiful plate made of the finest china… and expects me to incorporate it into my juggling routine.

You know, the days when you have back-to-back appointments in the morning, one kid has an orthodontist appointment, the second one is going on a field trip and needs a special lunch, and then the third kid wakes up with 103 fever and an ear ache… Yeah – THOSE days are overwhelming, at best.

On occasion I DO manage to juggle it all… other days, well, let’s just say I either burn my hand, cut off a finger or break the plate – or do all three at the same time!

(I received free products from Erin Condren in return for my honest opinion. All opinions stated are 100% mine. I have used their products for several years – because they are awesome!)

*** You get $10 off your first order from Erin Condren when you shop through my link!***

I have over the years though, found a organizational system that works for our busy family of two adults and four boys. Between our home life, my business (this blog), the kids’ sports, school activities and countless medical appointments, I am proud to say that I stay on top of things – at least well enough to stay fairly sane.

Do I miss “PJ day”? Yes, yes I do! Do I forget to sign and return school forms? Yup – guilty as charged. Am I ever late with a blogging deadline? Uh – YES!

In spite of my great efforts to stay organized, “life happens” – and it always will. However, my current system works so well, that once I drop one ball, I am able to pick it back up and resume my juggling act – they don’t all come crashing down, (just once in a while – because I am human!)

I have been using one particular calendar (also called a Life Planner by Erin Condren) for the past four years. This planner keeps everything I need in one place, without undue clutter. My life planner has truly become my personal bible, without it our family wouldn’t be able to function.

[bctt tweet=”10 tips to be more #Organized and less overwhelmed by #Motherhood. @ErinCondren” username=”MamaintheNow”]

Erin Condren sent me a big box of their calendars, stickers, a Life Planner and desk pad when it was time for me to order my 2017 Life Planner. I totally “geeked out” when I went through everything – and I am sure you understand why.

*** You get $10 off your first order from Erin Condren when you shop through my link!***

I want YOU to feel as organized and “on top of things” as I do (or as I appear to do). It is truly a great feeling when you manage to have the right kid wearing a silly hat for “silly hat day”, the other kid dressed for picture day, the third kid brushed his teeth before the dentist and the fourth kid is dressed in both shorts AND a shirt!

Those are the days when I kiss my life planner, because without it, our lives would be chaos.

My 10 Best Tips to be an Organized Mom: 

• Keep one calendar for all aspects of your life: business, kids, home, medical information and appointments.
  • I am a “paper and pen” kind of girl. I haven’t quite been able to fully embrace an electronic calendar.
  • The Erin Condren Life Planner has enough flexibility so I can keep ALL of my appointments and “things to do and remember” in one book.
• Have a journal for separate topics: business information, medical notes, projects at home.
  • I collect journals like other people have ceramic owls or snow globes from far away places. I simply cannot get enough journals.
  • I carry one in my purse for our toddler to draw in when we are waiting somewhere.
  • There is a journal in my car for blog posts that pop into my head while we sit in car line. I have a journal for projects at home, business projects, to do lists, you name it – it has its own journal.
• When starting a journal, leave the first 2-3 pages blank.
  • Number the pages as you go along in the journal, start each page with a headline or topic.
  • Use the first few blank pages as an index, listing the page numbers and corresponding headlines.
• Write EVERYTHING in your family’s calendar.
  • PJ day, when runny noses started, fevers, when you called about the insurance claim and when you expect to hear from the doctor with the test results.
  • Don’t try to remember ANYTHING – ever, write things down as they happen.
  • If you are someplace without your life planner, make a note of what you need to add once you get home. Remember, the journal you carry in your purse is a perfect place to write things down.
• Keep important information in the back pages of the planner: membership numbers, websites, login information.
  • Obviously nothing “too personal” like bank account login and passwords, but pretty much everything else.

• When visiting a doctor, schedule the follow up appointment as you check out.
  • If the next appointment is in a year and the doctor isn’t scheduling that far in advance, write yourself a remember to call them in 11 months to schedule the appointment.
  • The important part is to have SOMETHING in your calendar as a follow up, either an appointment or a task to call to schedule one.
  • Dedicate one of the blank pages in the back of the life planner to appointments scheduled for the following year.
• Use the left margin for weekly to-do reminders. Phone calls to make, errands to run etc. Check them off as you complete the tasks.
• Review the calendar every evening.
  • Make sure you are on top of everything scheduled a day, two days and a week in advance.
  • Write a to-do list for the following day based on your scheduled appointments.
• Keep your personal social calendar lean.
  • When you receive an invitation, if your initial reaction is not a “hell yeah” then it should be a “hell no”. Save yourself the stress from having to attend a social function your heart isn’t into.
• Use every field and page of the Life Planner:
  • On the top of the weekly calendar, write daily medical notes. Keep track of the duration of common colds, fevers and other symptoms.
  • Write your daily meetings in the appropriate time slot, circling the time of the appointment so there is no confusion.
  • Use the bottom of the weekly calendar for social events.
  • The monthly calendar is used for business events and as an editorial calendar for my blog.
  • The perpetual calendar is for birthdays, anniversaries and other important dates to remember.
  • I write on the plastic divider with dry-erase markers when I have social media clients that need a certain number of Facebook posts per week, or other social media action.

  *** You get $10 off your first order from Erin Condren when you shop through my link!***

Juggling the academic and social calendars for four boys, a business, medical issues for one of our children and a busy home life is an overwhelming and rather daunting task for most. But when you have the right tools at hand, you can do anything!
(- Even keep pants AND shirts on most of the kids!)

What is your secret to keeping your family organized?