Supercharge Your Life with These Organizing Tips for Moms!

As a mom, I can tell you that life can sometimes be overwhelming. Between keeping up with the kids, managing household duties, and trying to make time for yourself, it can be hard to stay organized. But trust me, staying organized is vital to having a smoother, more productive life! That's why I'm here to share my top organizing tips for moms!

Why Staying Organized is Important for Moms

Organization is key for moms. It keeps us sane, helps us make the most of our time, and allows us to care for our families better. It's essential for our physical and mental health, as well as for our overall well-being. Not to mention, it can even help us save money in the long run!

It's no secret that moms have a lot on their plates, but knowing how to stay organized can help alleviate some stress and make life easier. I wouldn't suggest trying to organize your entire life at one time – rather, let's find the area that creates the most stress and start there. When that area is organized, we can move on to the next.

Deciding Where to Start

When deciding where to start organizing your mom-life, I suggest listing the areas you want to get in shape. This could be laundry, the kitchen, bedtime, or morning routines. Nothing is off limits – write it down so you can see what you want to work on.

After you've brain-dumped everything you want to get organized in your home and life, sort them by priority. I always consider the most stressful areas of our lives to be the highest priority. Is it the mud room where there are loose items everywhere? Is the laundry impossible to keep up with? Whatever is the most stressful is your top priority. You can download the Boot Camp Mom brain dump sheet by signing up for our email list and gaining access to our Resource Library!

Benefits of Organization

Being organized can significantly improve your family's morale! While getting your kids to become organized, and maintain the organization, can be a struggle – it is totally worth it! Here are some of my favorite benefits:

1. Organization is a Time-Saver – Imagine knowing where all of the necessary items for an event are when it's time for the event! Or – how about streamlining those morning routines with a set schedule that your kids are used to? Put in the work to organize – and see how much time you can save!
2. Organization Reduces Stress – While at the beginning of your organization journey, you might feel more stress as you try to maintain your home; once you get the routine down, your stress will reduce significantly! Your family will feel it too!
3. Organization is a Safety Thing – When our kiddos are little, we focus so much on baby-proofing our home to keep them safe. Organization later on in their lives is the same concept. Knowing where your emergency supplies are before an emergency happens, having a plan, and keeping your walkways clear are all beneficial to keeping your family safe when the unexpected happens!
4. Organization is Efficient – When you organize your life, you set yourself up to be efficient. When you know where your priority items are, you are more likely to get the task done. Getting out the door will be more efficient when you have your go-bags ready for the week. Take the time to set up a system in your home and see how much time you will save!

There are so many benefits associated with organization! Even a little progress in your home will jump-start the benefits for you and your family. Remember – progress over perfection.

Tips for Creating an Organized Home

One of the first steps in staying organized as a mom is to create an organized home. This means dedicating time to decluttering, creating storage solutions, and establishing systems that work for you and your family.

The first step is to declutter. I like to go room-by-room and start sorting through items. I keep what I need and donate, sell, or throw out the rest. This helps free up space and makes it easier to find things when needed. I do not recommend organizing an area of your home until you have decluttered first.

Next, it's time to create storage solutions. Investing in a few organizational pieces like shelving, bins, and drawers can go a long way in helping you to keep your home organized. I also like to use clear containers for items like toys, games, and craft supplies to see what I have quickly.

Finally, it's important to establish systems that work for you and your family. This could mean setting up a filing system for paperwork, using a planner to keep track of appointments, or creating a plan for organizing toys. Whatever works for you, stick with it and pivot when necessary.

Organization Advice for Keeping Up with Kids' Activities

One of the biggest challenges for moms is keeping up with their kids' activities. It can be hard to keep track of everything from sports to music lessons. Here are some of my top tips for staying organized when it comes to kids' activities:

• First, I like to keep the calendar on my phone up to date. I put all kid-related activities on my digital calendar and my husband's. This ensures that we are both on the same page and don't overlook one of the events.
• Next, you must start implementing go-bags! I have a specific bag for each activity and two bags for the activities that they share but are on separate teams. For instance, we do swim lessons year-round. So, I have a bag in the mud room that holds the clean towels, swim trunks, and goggles for each lesson.
• Finally, I like to enlist the help of my kids. I'll have them help to pack any supplies they may need for their activities and help to get them to their lessons on time. This helps to relieve some of the stress and ensures that everyone is prepared. Keep in mind – a countdown, even when your kids don't have a sense of time yet – can help stop any potential meltdowns!

Make the Most of Your Morning Routine

Mornings can be hectic for moms. Between getting the kids ready for school and getting yourself ready for work, it can be hard to stay organized and sane. I always try to wake up before the kiddos for quiet time. This helps me wake up peacefully and allows me time to plan the day.

In this article, I go in-depth about revamping your morning routine, but outside of waking up early, my number one tip is to implement staging zones in your home. Knowing that items in limbo have a dedicated space and what to do with the items in that space can significantly streamline your morning routine!

How to Create a Meal Plan and Grocery List

If meal planning and getting groceries are your biggest stressor, try to stay ahead! First, I like to decide on a few meals for the week. I'll look through my favorite recipes and pick a few I know my family will enjoy. This helps ensure that I'm not struggling to decide what to make for dinner each night. Join our email list and grab a copy of the Boot Camp Mom Recipe Log, and gain access to our Resource Library!

Keeping a recipe log makes it much easier to decide quickly what meals you want to make for the week. I like to sort them by the length of cooking or difficulty so I can pick appropriate recipes for the week's activities.

Tips for Time Management and Scheduling

Time can quickly get away from us moms and can be a huge stressor in our lives. My best time management tip is to find a resource that works for you! Whether it's a paper planner, your calendar on your phone, a marker board in the kitchen, or your email – find an option that works and USE IT!

I am not a pen-and-paper person, so I use my calendar on my phone and email to keep me on track. When an event comes up, I add it to my and my husband's calendars, so we both know our obligations. I even use it for those “need-to-buy” reminders for school events. I add it a couple of days before it's due so that I know I'll remember!

My other go-to is my email. When I need to grab something or research something, I email myself the task in the subject line. This way, I can leave it unread until I finish the job. This has been an enormous help lately as we are building a new house!

Ideas for Utilizing Space in Your Home

If you are running out of space in your home, it is time to declutter. Adding other storage solutions to your current storage solutions will not help create more space. The only thing that will help is decluttering and then organizing.

If you need a jump start in your decluttering journey, check out the Declutter Boot Camp course that will walk you through those commonly cluttered areas in your home. Proceed with caution, though – because once you start decluttering, I'm sure you'll catch the decluttering bug! Once you've decluttered your home, you can look at all the organization storage options you want – making sure to utilize what you have first!

Where to Start Decluttering

Honestly, you can start the process of decluttering at any time. As stated, I recommend starting in the areas that cause the most stress. The process for decluttering is quick and simple:

• Block out Time – Step 1 is always blocking out the time to get the job done. You can work 10-15 minutes at a time, but decluttering is much more efficient when you block out the time.
• Grab your Supplies – Make sure that you are prepared with a step stool, trash bags, empty boxes, and bins. I also recommend a way to listen to music and get some water.
• Take Everything Out – Wherever you start the process, you want to take everything out, everything off, and touch everything. Never assume that you know what is in the back of the cabinet.
• Sort by Type – When taking items out, sort them into dedicated piles by type. Make sure to start a trash pile, donate pile, and a maybe pile. Most of the items in the back of your storage space will no longer be necessary to keep.
• Clean the Space – Give a quick wipe down of the area you decluttered.
• Put the Keepers back Neatly – Anything that is staying in the room and in the space you just cleared, put them back neatly. You can organize them at a later time.

Take Control of Your Life Through Organization!

Organizing your life as a mom isn't easy, but it's essential for your physical and mental health. Taking the time to declutter, create storage solutions, and establish systems that work for you and your family can make all the difference. It's also important to make time for yourself, stay on top of your kids' activities, and make the most of your morning routine. Finally, don't forget to create a meal plan and grocery list, manage your time and schedule and utilize the space in your home after you have decluttered.

Check out the Declutter and Organize Facebook group fre tips and tricks to get your home back in shape. I hope these organizing tips for moms will help you – and if you have any questions, please reach out!