I think moms are possibly the busiest people on the planet. I mean, just today I have: fixed three meals + 3 sets of snacks for two humans, done three loads of laundry, written 5 articles for work, gone for a 2 mile run, weeded the garden, done a set of dishes, and talked to a friend on the phone who just had a baby and needs a little moral support. And my day isn’t even over yet. Busy. Very Busy. Which is why we could all use a little help, some tips for organizing life. Right?
Here’s my personal favorite tip for organizing my life:
Binders. Specifically 3-ring binders with note tabs. I have had 3-ring binders filled with plastic sleeves & cut outs from magazines since high school, at least. It’s no wonder I’m a blogger.
The trick with all the great inspiring photos I’m cutting from magazines is keeping them organized. Recipes, decorating ideas, gardening tips, they’re all great if I know where I can find them. So I use tabs to keep it all separate. Fashion needs to be set apart from recipes, which need to be in a separate place from places I want to travel before I die. It’s all about organization.
I’m also excited at the prospect of keeping my editorial calendar for Petit Elefant organized. Does that make me weird? I love thinking about articles way out in advance so I can stay on top of the chaos that can sometimes be my life.
What do you do to stay organized in your life? Sticky notes on your fridge? Mirror? Steering wheel of the car? How about keeping your kids organized?
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This post was sponsored by Avery. They gave me the awesome sticky tabs that are organizing my binders right now. And, I’ve used their clear plastic scrapbook sleeves for years. I love them. The sleeves, that is. Avery too. I came up with the idea though, it’s something I’ve been doing for a long time and it makes my life more livable.
Allison
Hello there! I'm Allison Czarnecki, founder + editor of Petit Elefant, a blog all about style on a budget for every part of your life: style / home / travel / family. I do a lot of how-to beauty + style tutorials, travel posts, easy recipes, home remodel projects, and cool DIY crafts you totally want to try. I'm super happily married (to a hot Polish immigrant) and am the mother of two kids, a daughter and son, all of whom are featured here on the regular. We live in the country but we're a little bit rock + roll. Welcome!
What a great idea! I always cut out recipes (that I never end up cooking!) but I end up losing them, or tossing them away because I don’t really know where to put them!
This system totally keeps me sane, love it!
I have been in so much need of organizing my life right now! I have my binder and calendars, now I just need to design my planner pages. Ha ha…if I were more organized already I would totally have it done! I love those sticky tabs! I just plain love any office supplies!
Alicia,
I’m always in need off organizing my life, always! Aren’t office supplies the best? I could spend hours at an office store just imagining the possibilities. And I’m sadly not even joking.
Great idea — I would love more details on how you organize. I see months listed on the binder — but do you also organize by category? And is each binder a different topic — say, gardening tips, recipes, decorating ideas?
Ivy,
The binder I showed is for my editorial calendar for Petit Elefant, and so far I just have it listed by month, and then I have a few extra tabs on the side within the month for features that are seasonal. I don’t have it in different binders, but I have an entirely separate binder for home decorating ideas.
If I had more time I’d do a binder for: kids crafts, decorating, garden, recipes.
Hope that helps!
Hey — I just spotted this and thought it was pretty cool: http://householdmanagementbinder.blogspot.com/
A girl I used to go to church with is the author. I’m totally going to do this and also have separate binders for topics. ;) Thanks for the tips!