My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style – Maya Angelou
From one busy mum to another – I can tell you from experience – being organised allows us to enjoy life, not just live it.
Let’s face it – modern families have a lot on!
We only need to start listing what we fit into a regular week – music, sports games, training sessions, appointments, social events, birthdays, ‘to-do’ lists, bills, shopping lists, meal planning – and we quickly start to feel the familiar ‘squeeze’ of overwhelm start to take hold.
We need a place to collect, organise and store all this information and, in all honesty, our brains are not the most reliable place. Human brains simply weren’t built to store the crazy amounts of information we are bombarded with every day. It’s not your fault if you forget things, you are just not wired to process and retain complex volumes of instruction, information and detail.
What tools do you use to manage your busy family schedule? If you are like me, you have probably tried most methods, from trying to keep it all in your head, to paper diaries and planners, wall or fridge planners and post it notes.
Paper diaries or planners are a popular and good option. I have used them myself and literally used to have heart palpitations if I misplaced mine. And there are so many beautiful options to choose from!
My diary was never more than arms’ length away and I referred to it multiple times a day, updating it the minute anything changed. It certainly helped me feel like I was on top of things.
If you are a planner-fan, you also know how great they are but how frustrating it to be the guardian of all the information. Having the sole responsibility for updating all family members via text, phone, emails just adds to your burden of responsibility!
Wall / fridge planners or even homemade spread sheets/documents are also good methods because you can keep them in a central space, allowing the whole family to see it. What happens though, when you’re ‘out and about’ and things change, as they do? You then need to remember to update the schedule when you get home, then draw everyone’s attentions to the changes by calling, texting, emailing or having face to face conversations.
Post-it notes are generally used in combination with other methods. I must say, I’m still a bit of a fan of the odd, strategically placed post-it note. They absolutely fulfil that ‘write it down before I forget’ role, however 20 of them filling up the space on my car’s dash? It kind of defeats the purpose of being streamlined and organised!
Digital calendars and productivity apps are great. In my quest to find a solution for my family I tried them all. In all honesty, I could not find that perfect, single app that met all my requirements.
I needed a single app that kept everything in one place (diary, birthdays, ‘to-dos’, shopping) that everyone could access, update and use on the go.
I had this little seed of an idea that if I couldn’t find it, I could create it! A single app that covered everything on my wish-list. A one-stop-solution that would organise my household once and for all. Finally, after two years of planning and development, the “Life Sorted” app is almost ready to be released.
This app will revolutionise the way your family operates. It takes organisation to the next level.
