Being organized as a parent can be very difficult. It can seem as if chaos is trying to come in from every direction that you turn. There’s a lot that you have to deal with. However, with a bit of planning and by having the right strategies you can start to transform chaos into organization. With this guide, you’re going to explore all the practical ways to stay organized as a parent.
Create a Daily Routine
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One of the best ways to stay organized as a busy parent is to establish a daily routine. A routine creates a structure to your day and it’s not only going to help you but it’s going to help your family as well. They will know what to expect and when to expect it. Life with kids can be very unpredictable. There is no doubt that having a routine can rescue your day and make it easier to stay on top of your responsibilities.
Set Morning and Evening Routines
Your morning routine is going to set the tone for your day so you have to make sure that you get it right. Be sure to establish a consistent time for waking up and preparing breakfast. You also need to get their kids ready for school at specific times of the day. Lay out their clothes and pack lunches the night before so that you can start minimizing any chaos that might happen in the morning. Similarly in the evening you need to have a routine that can help them wind down and prepare for the next day. Make sure you have designated time for homework, bath time, bedtime as well as dinner time.
Time Block Your Day
Time blocking your days is one of the most effective ways that you can manage as a parent. Make sure that you break your days into blocks of time for specific things such as meal preparation, housework, and family time as well. When you start assigning different slots to each task you are going to avoid feeling overwhelmed and it’s just going to ensure that everything on that to-do list of yours gets all the attention it needs to get done.
Declutter Regularly
When your home starts to get cluttered it can quickly lead to your mind feeling cluttered. Kids tend to accumulate a lot of clothes, toys and gadgets over time and this can overwhelm your living space in a big way. The key to making sure you’re organized is to declutter regularly and also to keep only the essential items out and available.
Sort and Purge
Start by making sure you are sorting through every room in your home. Identify items that you no longer use or need and get rid of toys that your kids may have outgrown. Always ensure that you’re donating clothes that no longer fit. Also, try to discard broken and unused items.
Create Storage Systems
The creation of storage systems is also something that you need to get right when you are trying to make things a little bit more flexible for yourself in terms of organization. Use label baskets, bins and shelves to store toys as well as books and craft supplies. Be sure that you are keeping frequently used items in little containers and put them away in storage areas. When everything is in a designated place, it’s easier for you to maintain order in your home.
Established Cleaning Habits
Cleaning a home can feel like a chore. There’s no doubt that it is one of the ongoing tasks that can be very overwhelming. Finding a way to deep clean every day is impossible. Instead what you should focus on is establishing those simple little routines that are going to help to keep the place tidy.
Pest Control
Even when you have a well-organized house taking care of the mess can be a problem. Pests such as mice and ants can become the order of the day if you are not careful. They will start to seek shelter in warm houses, especially during the colder months. An effective solution for dealing with rats is using snap traps for mice. You can deal with ants the natural way by using cornmeal. The ant’s inability to digest the cornmeal will cause them to start dying.
10 Minute Tidy
The 10 minute tidy is a strategy that you can implement very quickly in your home to get it looking clean without devoting many hours to cleaning. At the end of the day you can set a timer of 10 minute timer and get the whole family involved in putting things back to exactly where they belong. It could be tidying the living room, clearing off the kitchen counters or putting away toys. This can make a big difference to how your home looks.
Prioritize High Traffic Areas
There are certain sections of your home that are very on high traffic and you need to make sure that you are cleaning these areas as much as possible. These areas are going to get messy very quickly. The areas include the entryway, living room and the kitchen. Make sure that you are wiping down surfaces vacuuming and also organizing these species on a daily basis to stay on top of the mess.
Meal Plan
Meal planning for the week can take a lot of stress off your shoulders. You can set aside time each weekend to plan your meals for the upcoming week. Make sure you write out your grocery list based on your meal plan and do your shopping in one trip so that you don’t have to go to the store multiple times. No matter how you decide to do it, meal planning is one of the best strategies you can use to make sure that your family eats healthy at all times.
Staying organized as a busy parent is not without its challenges. However, as you can see if you try to use to use specific strategies consistently you are going to have a much more organized life.
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