How to Stay Organized (and Sane) During Busy Times

Between back to school, virtual learning, craziness at work and continuing to social distance it feels like life has been even harder than normal these days. Activities that used to be a treat or not even cross our minds are now a whole production. I got my haircut in my garage a few weeks ago and while I was am so excited for a refresh, I miss the normalcy of going to a salon. We all have drying racks for masks in our laundry rooms, our wifi is getting tested with endless Zoom meetings and don’t even get me started on the challenges of back to school online.

I say all of this not to complain, not even one bit, after everything that my family went through with our experience with COVID earlier this year (more here) we are just grateful to be alive and together! I say this to remind you that everyone is struggling. Every family has rough days and we all feel crazed at some point. When my family and I are in one of those crazy seasons we turn to organization and systems to help us rediscover the normalcy and calm in our household. I have listed below the six things that are helping me and my family stay sane during this crazy time and hopefully they can help you and yours as well.

6 Things That Help Me Stay Organized and Sane

1. We all try to remember that we can only control the things that we can control. With so much uncertainty in the world right now (both big picture and just when will the girls step foot in school again), it is easy to feel overwhelmed. As a family we try to let go of the things we can’t control and hone in on those that we can. For us that means really focusing on the systems in our household. Even though the girls are doing school online we are having very strict wake up times (my Ellie could sleep all day), breakfast looks the same each and every day and we are sticking to our schedule and routine (see tips on our family command center here). The predictability of these things we do have control over helps us feel more at ease when trying to let go the anxiety of the items we can’t control.

2. Streamline, streamline, streamline! I am taking advantage of anything and everything I can to help streamline our lives. I have said it once and you will probably hear me say it a million times more but I am obsessed with Thrive Market. Not only do I love their products but the ease of having everything delivered is so crucial right now. Whether getting a Thrive Market delivery, having our groceries delivered or doing curbside pickup for dinner once a week these conveniences are helping us stay on track and organized. Try out Thrive Market for yourself and get a free gift when you sign up here.

3. Getting tasks out of my brain and down on “paper”. I use GoogleCalendar and I couldn’t live without it! With so many moving pieces with Jon and the girls having all of our schedules in one place is key. Having multiple calendars isn’t ground breaking but there is another feature of GoogleCalendar that is less know and I can’t live without it! I use the GoogleCalendar Reminder system (see a tutorial here). The calendar reminders allow me to put little reminders on my calendar and clear up that space in my mind so I know I won’t forget. I use them for everything from “give Poppy a heart worm pill” repeating on the calendar once a month to “send check to handyman” that I think of in the middle of dinner and need to do the next morning. My favorite things about the reminders is that you can check them off so you know that you will get them done, if you don’t complete the task that day it carries over to the next and that it makes it so easy to see what you have scheduled vs. what you you need to do that day. Check it out – you will love it!

4. Making meal panning a priority! If you follow me on Instagram, you will remember that a few weeks ago I chatted about falling off the meal planning train and then frantically trying to prepare dinner one night. Since that momentary freakout I have really tried to make meal planning a priority. I find that our whole days go smoother when there is a plan for dinner and maybe even a little prep done in advance. Is use our meal planning pads (here) but there are also tons of great meal planning apps out there (like Favoreats) if you a need a more digital solution.

5. We have decided to skip our housekeeper for the time-being to cut down our on exposure to other people. Having a housekeeping is truly a luxury and this time without one has made me appreciate that even more! As a family we have been dividing up chores to ensure that everything is getting done and that the workload is being balanced. We have been a little old fashioned in our diving up but there are apps out there that we have been wanting to try out. I have heard great things about Chroma and OurHome.

6. Always having something to look forward to each week. Whether a fun takeout dinner or a movie night in the backyard, our family is ensuring that we are always having something to look forward to each week and to have a little fun. Life if heavy right now but I don’t ever want us to forget to enjoy and live life.

TELL ME: How are you feeling these days? Are there things that are helping you stay organized? An app you love or product you can’t live without right now?