How to Get Organised as a Busy Person
Our house is hectic with 4 kids, ADHD, autism, my kids being at elite levels for robotics and wrestling, running a business, blending cultures etc.
Being organised is essential and it has not been one of my strengths, it is something I had to learn and cultivate more when I had my toddlers.
Juggling the needs of teenagers at the same time as family overseas and having a newborn while being pregnant then later all of that with toddlers and teens has been stressful.
These are the tips that helped me.
1. Create a Daily Routine (But Don’t Expect it to Always go Well!
Establishing a daily routine can help you stay organized and on track.
However, please go easy on yourself if the routine doesn’t work because the pressure to be perfect makes things worse.
I know that sounds like I am contradicting myself but hear me out.
Create a schedule that works for you and your family, including specific times for meals, activities, and household tasks.
Check out 11 changes we made to make life easier as a neurodiverse, mixed-race blended family. Along with my ideal morning routine and evening routine.
Have your plan for an ideal day, aim for it and teach your kids the routine but allow for things to go wrong.
For example, people get sick (with 4 kids, it feels as though the rotate sickness from school at times!) which can throw the whole house and routine out.
People wake up late, go away for specific things, plans change etc.
By having a routine and still being able to adapt, your life will be more organised in general without too much stress.
The routine also helps as kids get older because they know it and can do a lot of it without you if you teach them how.
My aim for raising my kids is to create strong, intelligent, compassionate, capable adults.
As such, I teach them as I do things so they know how to do it and it makes the household more organised and routines easy to follow.
2. Use a Planner or Calendar
A digital family calendar has been a lifesaver for our household as we know what it happening, anyone can add to it and there is less back and forth when it comes to planning.
By using a planner or calendar to keep track of important dates, appointments, and deadlines, everyone can be aware of it.
Set alarms or reminders for specific things you need everyone to be aware of, colour code everything to make it easy to understand at a glance and get everyone involved.
This can help you stay on top of your schedule and avoid forgetting important events.
We also have a family WhatsApp group so when something needs to be changed, someone is going to be late or needs to be picked up or got an extra shift at work or anything else, it can be discussed and known by everyone easily.
You can get my success routines and other printables emailed to you for free here:
3. Make Lists and Use Them
Make lists of tasks you need to complete, such as grocery shopping or cleaning.
This will help you stay organized and ensure that nothing is forgotten.
There are apps you can use to help you or you can add anything to your digital calendar.
A few of my siblings and I favour whiteboards and since my office has mirrored robes, I use those too.
I have a running list of things I need to do, each day has items scheduled in so the time is blocked out for them and I keep post it notes to add any extra thoughts or ideas to tend to later.
Groceries have a running list that my whole family adds to as well.
My kids and I write list messages to each other, if anyone saw the message exchanges between us, it would be so weird!
A few examples of lists I ask them to send:
– Anything that needs to be tended to for school e.g. notes signed, uniform purchased etc.
– What they wanted added to the grocery list if they didn’t get a chance to already
– Gifts for their birthday or Christmas, preferably with links. Since autism runs in the family, I ask them to put the list in order of preference too. This might sound incredibly boring to others but it has worked so well for us and enables me to get most items or experiences at a huge discount.
Teach your kids to take responsibility for different things in their lives, show them your lists and systems so they can help.
4. Use Clear Storage Containers and Labels
Use storage containers to keep items organized and easy to find.
Label containers so you know what’s inside and use them to store items such as toys, clothing, or paperwork.
Having things in clear containers that have proper labels helped everyone in my family.
We didn’t have a perfect looking pantry but it was functional.
My preference is glass containers or these Sistema ones as they are easy to stack, you can see what is in them and everything is labelled nicely.
Doing it this way also saves time because you can see at a glass what you have, what’s getting low or completely gone rather than hunting through everything.
5. Declutter Regularly
Declutter regularly to keep your home organized and free from unnecessary clutter.
Donate, sell or throw away items that are no longer needed or used.
Since I have kids who are constantly bringing more things into the home, I try to get rid of things daily, failing that, at least weekly.
When we lived in small apartments, I had the rule that for something to come in, something else must go out.
It’s not always perfect and the house can get out of control, especially with young kids but it does help.
You don’t need to spend hours decluttering. Choose a shelf or drawer and start with that.
When you have time, do another.
Often when we pull everything out with the intention of doing a full declutter, we get half way through and regret the choice.
Tackle a small area, then another and so on. Do it regularly and eventually the whole house will get seen to.
Keep repeating the process and it will be part of life instead of feeling like a massive chore.
6. Meal Plan
Plan meals in advance, based on your activities, what’s in season and the meals you like to save time and reduce stress.
Create a weekly meal plan and make a grocery list based on the ingredients needed.
Or use a service that delivers meal kits so you don’t have to plan at all.
We have rotated the different meal kits for years, accessing the various discounts so we never pay full price.
My teenagers help choose, they cook 2 meals each from the meal kit and we often add extra ingredients or our own flair.
We’ve discovered some great recipes this way too, things we never would have tried otherwise.
How do I Rotate the Meal Kits?
The main meal kits I use are QuiteLike, Marley Spoon, HelloFresh, EveryPlate and Dinnerly. We have tried a few others at times but typically come back to these ones.
Opting for the low carb/high protein options makes it easier to add our own carbs such as rice, potatoes, pasta, sourdough etc to make the meals stretch. I have 4 kids here and most meal kits are only for 4 people.
- Choose your first meal kit and use the discount e.g. upto $140 off Dinnerly.
- Cancel whenever you want but before they go full price.
- Choose another meal kit e.g. up to $230 off Marley Spoon, or up to $200 off HelloFresh and do the same process with them.
- Use a few discounts but always cancel. The companies will offer you an extra discount within weeks to get you back .
- You can do this for as long as you want.
The discounts we use, in order of my preferred meal kits:
Marley Spoon: Up to $230 off split across your first few boxes.
HelloFresh: Up to $200 off split across your first few boxes.
EveryPlate: They have the cheapest meals from $2.19 per person with this discount.
Dinnerly: Another of Australia’s cheapest meal kit options offers $140 off split across your first few boxes.
Breakfast, Lunch and School Snacks
Meal kits only cover your main meals so you still need to plan breakfast, lunch, snacks etc.
Some of the meal kits have options where you can add those.
We go for smoothies, eggs, yoghurt with granola and berries or similar for breakfast.
Lunch is leftovers, wraps, eggs, pasta dishes, soup, dhal etc.
Snacks are fruit, hummus and veggies sticks, crackers, popcorn, yoghurt and sometimes we make muffins, cakes or other treats.
7. Keep a Clean Home
Clean is different to decluttered and tidy.
Decluttering and tidying up is one thing and something everyone in the home should be part of.
Cleaning involves the actual cleaning of everything, disinfecting, wiping over, scrubbing bathrooms and floors, doing the laundry etc.
Keeping a clean home can help reduce stress and make it easier to stay organized.
Develop a cleaning schedule and stick to it or hire a cleaner.
In my home, we split the tasks, everyone chooses what they want to do from the things that need to be done and they commit to doing them.
Some things such as washing or the lawn are assigned to one person.
Other things such as cooking and cleaning up after is assigned per day. For example, an adult does Monday and Wednesday, my eldest does Tuesday and Thursday, Fridays are pizza/junk night so everyone pitches in and the weekends is my second child.
The younger two kids help whenever anyone is doing anything as they are only 3 and 4 so this is how they learn. They love that everyone involves them and assigns them specific tasks.
My older two alternate their bathroom and garden plus everyone helps with the washing.
We’ve had a cleaner a few times and will when we are settled in Perth.
I loved outsourcing the bathrooms, floors and ironing. Those were the tasks I hated most.
8. Delegate Tasks
Delegate tasks to family members to help lighten the workload.
Assign age-appropriate tasks to children to help teach responsibility and contribute to the household.
Kids are more capable than we give them credit for and the sooner you start them, the sooner they will be able to do everything.
Too many parents do everything for their kids which results in burnt out parents and kids who become adults unable to do the basics.
From as soon as my kids could walk they wanted to be involved in everything from washing the dishes to hanging the clothes.
They couldn’t do everything perfectly but they could put clothes in the washing machine or help get items out of the dishwasher or hang the clothes on a clothesline at their height etc.
Start them young, teach them how to do things, do it together and make it fun.
We also do bigger chores together or set aside a few hours on a weekend to catch up on everything.
Doing it this way and doing it together made it easier and faster.
9. Use Technology
Use technology to stay organized, such as setting reminders on your phone or using apps for grocery shopping or meal planning.
We find setting timers to get certain tasks done helps too, especially if it’s a big job because my kids know when that timer goes off, they can have a break or we are completely done.
Look at technology that can make tasks easier too, not just remind you to do stuff.
Robotic vacuum cleaners and lawnmowers are two things that come to mind.
Think of all the things you have to do and research if there is a better way to do it or any technology that might make it easier.
Technology that reduces my mental and physical load is the technology that I invest in.
10. Review Your Time and Make Changes
I shared 18 tips to save time because part of being organised is about time management.
There are great books such as Life Admin Hacks that can help you sort every area of your admin life, saving your time and mental space.
Review how you currently spend your time, check your screentime use and work out what you can change.
Most people scroll on their phones or stream movies for hours every week.
That is time wasted. Yes, we all need a break at times but how do you feel after scrolling or streaming?
Chances are you don’t feel relaxed or like you’ve had a break at all.
Find things that make you feel relaxed and rejuvenated instead.
You will probably find they take less time, make you more productive and feel more fulfilled.
11. Take Breaks and Be Gentle on Yourself
Taking breaks and prioritizing self-care is essential for staying organized and avoiding burnout.
Make sure to schedule downtime and rest when needed.
Be gentle on yourself too, we all only have so many hours in the day after doing all the things that have to be done and they are not the same 24 hours.
Work, public transport vs your own car, kids activities vs no kids, health and disability vs fully healthy and able bodied etc.
All those things vary how much time and energy we have available.
This is why I recommend reviewing what you have to do and how technology or anything else can make your life easier.
Lastly, please remember every stage of life is different and there are times when being super organised will be easier than others.
When my kids are newborn/toddler being organised feels impossible. The same when I am pregnant, I feel I forget almost everything.
As they get older and more independent, the state of the house, the number of things I have to remember and do changes.
Give yourself some grace and don’t judge your life, your home or organisational skills against anyone else.
What tips do you have for being organised?
Resources Mentioned
Here are all the articles, books and other resources mentioned in this article.
11 changes we made to make life easier as a neurodiverse, mixed-race blended family
My ideal morning routine
Evening routine
Clear Sistema Pantry Containers
18 tips to save time
Life Admin Hacks
The discounts we use, in order of my preferred meal kits:
QuiteLike: Up to $180 off with the first $80 being off your first box.
Marley Spoon: Up to $190 off split across your first few boxes.
HelloFresh: Up to $200 off split across your first few boxes.
EveryPlate: They have the cheapest meals from $2.19 per person with this discount.
Dinnerly: Another of Australia’s cheapest meal kit options offers $144 off split across your first few boxes.