If you’re an overworked parent, always struggling to complete a to-do list but still missing a thing or two, you need an ideal organization plan right away. No, the simple idea of waking up early and getting things done won’t work; we mean a detailed checklist for you and your family.
When you have a plan, you can allocate chores to other family members, keep the house clean, and meet your deadlines – all within a workable timeline.
Interested in getting your life and home together? You’re already halfway through! Here are six family organization hacks that will inspire you to bring your life back on track!
6x Family Organization Hacks
1. Weekly Meal Planning to Cut the Thinking Time
‘What to cook today?’ is perhaps the most common question a homemaker comes across. When you have to prepare multiple meals a day most days of the week, you quickly run out of ideas.
That’s why having a family menu plan is a clever idea. You can put together a weekly family menu every Sunday (or whenever the active side of your brain is up) and hang it in the kitchen.
Once you fill the sections of your magnetic meal planner, you can speed up your meal preps and cook while undertaking everyone’s food preferences.
When you don’t feel like thinking, ask your children, partner, or other family members to fill it for you, and you’re good.
2. A (Hidden) Family Command Center Where Essential Information Is Kept
Organizing weekdays is tough, especially when every member of your family has different activities going on.
Managing meals, minors, work, activities and things like transportation is tough! It’s easy to forget certain things and miss appointments when you don’t have an overview of what’s going on in everyone’s life. A (hidden) family command center is a handy solution.
Such a command center works best if it’s at a central spot in your home, like in your kitchen, in your home office, in your kids’ playroom, or at another convenient spot in your home.
You can set mealtimes, curfews, weekly allowances, and family outings according to the family members’ routines.
This smart command center should include the primary tasks you want others to follow and specified timelines to complete them. If you struggle to make other family members follow a schedule, this planner can be a good reminder for them.
At your command center, you keep everyone’s appointments, chores, activities, and other important information that affects your whole family.
For instance:
- Calendars
- Shopping Lists
- To Do Lists
- Meal Planning
- Recipe Storage
- Important Contact Information
- Appointments with doctor, dentist, and veterinarian
- Chores Charts
- Car Usage Agreements
- Bills And Receipts
- Keys
3. Keep (Healthy) Snacks, Clothes, And Toys At Eye Level
An important aspect of organized family life is giving everyone – even your little ones – responsibility in order to create independent children.
If you want your children to be more independent, you’ll have to make it easy for them to help out and do things themselves. Therefore, place items they need on a daily basis at their eye level.
This way, it’s easier to grab a healthy snack, dress, or tidy up their toys by themselves. It saves you time and effort when they can manage themselves.
4. Everything-Has-a-Home Principle
The everything-has-a-home principle is basically a rule that every item in your home should have a designated spot where it is placed or can be found. When an item is used or taken away, afterward, it should return to its designated spot.
For example: if you hang your keys on a hook near your front door, you return them to their hook after using them. This way, it is easier to tidy up your home. Just put everything back in place. Also, it’s easier for your children to help with tidying up, because eventually, they will know where an item belongs.
And last but not least: you will save so much time! By designating your keys to this particular hook near your door, you will seldom have to search long and hard to find your keys again. This goes for all items in your home.
5. Cleaning Routine for Everybody
Keeping your home clean is one heck of a task. When there are toys, books, and wrappers in every corner, you’re bound to get frustrated.
But you can simplify this task by making a team. Involving family members (even the little ones) in a cleaning routine is a rewarding organization hack. You might not see any results initially, but it will soon become a family thing.
Teaching kids the importance of cleanliness and responsibility gives them a sense of achievement. If you have multiple kids in tow, give them separate chores while making a cleaning schedule.
Their duties can be as simple as putting clothes in the laundry basket, arranging the towel rack, or clearing the countertop space, but you can always improvise.
Use a chore calendar where everyone’s roles are specified so that there’s less discussion and more work.
We recommend you involve other family members in your closet organization ideas and teach them some cabinet organization tips for the future.
6. Tidying Routine for Everybody
No matter how clean your floor is, if things are scattered, your home will look messy. That’s why following a tidying process is inevitable.
If you tidy your home a bit every day it never gets really cluttered. When you don’t let your home get cluttered, you can clean it more quickly and more efficiently.
That’s why including other family members in your tidying routine is wise. The good thing is, you can allocate plenty of work to others and not worry about them messing up. If you’re working with kids, show them the right way to fold their clothes, organize their cabinets, organize their shoes, and categorize other personal items during the organization phase.
You can start asking everyone to tidy their rooms, cabinets, and study or work desks.
If you have grown-up kids, it’s better if they organize their own stuff. But you can show them the basics.
You can start a toy organization haul for younger children and train them to put everything back after playing.
When you don’t have to deal with unnecessary clutter, your home looks calmer, and you can focus on more productive things.
Since family time should be more about comfort and less about stress, training other family members to pitch in is essential.
It’s Go Time!
An organized and stress-free life is everyone’s dream. We all wish for days when our homes are squeaky clean, and we don’t have to stress about the next meal because things are already done.
But the tricky part is, you need effective planning to enjoy a bit of that comfort. And you have to accept that there will always be another task waiting for you.
But when your chores keep piling up, and there’s very little family time because you’re always tidying up alone, there is no space to enjoy your home life.
You must teach other family members to take up different duties and follow a routine to organize your home.
Specify everyone’s duties in a calendar and make them follow a routine. Some consistency and effort can go a long way; keep at it, and you’ll love the results!
FAQs Family Organization Hacks
How Can I Be More Organized As a Family?
The answer is simple, pick a workable schedule for every chore, distribute the chores (even discuss with your children what they think are suitable chores), and stick to the plan. At least for a month or two. Re-evaluate with everyone and redistribute chores when necessary.
When you have a plan, you will be less likely to procrastinate much because your brain will persuade you to follow the timelines.
Don’t let chores pile up because doing them at once costs more time and is more chaotic. Take one small step at a time but be consistent.
How Do I Get My Toddler Organized?
Toddlers usually mirror our behavior. If you train them to put everything back in the designated drawer/cabinet from an early age, they’ll become more responsible.
You can also reward the little ones for their good behavior and include them in simple chores to develop a sense of responsibility in them.
What Are Appropriate Chores For Older Kids?
Organizing the playroom, decluttering the study table, folding their laundry, and preparing their school bags according to the upcoming activities are appropriate chores for older kids.
But always keep them away from fragile items, kitchen gadgets, and other electronic devices.
What Are Simple Chores For Toddlers?
Collecting their scattered toys in a basket and putting them in different drawers is an easy yet engaging chore for toddlers.
You can also ask them to collect dirty clothes to put in the hamper, tidy up their stuffed animals, collect and store craft supplies, collect grocery bags, or dust the lower kitchen cabinets.
MORE ABOUT DECLUTTERING:
- How To Organize A Family In A Small House With Room To Spare
- 21 Ways To Organize Kitchen Cabinets
- Playroom Organization Ideas
« Best Water Bottle Organizer Ideas
» 6 Simple Tips for Organizing an Older Adult's Home
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