Family Organization Systems That Work
We often start the year with a goal to be more organized, but by February or March, the systems we set up can become a bit unraveled. The good news? It doesn't have to be that way. In this blog, I'll show you a straightforward approach to set up organizational systems that actually work and can keep you on track throughout the entire year.
To make it happen, the key is to choose systems that fit into your family life. Let's face it, we're busy, and any system needs to be practical for day-to-day living. It’s also important to know that this takes work – all year around. Any system will require oversight and ongoing management. So the first step is to select systems that are realistic to manage for the entire year.
Select systems that are realistic to manage for the entire year.
I'll guide you through how to get the family on board, pick organizational systems that work for every person in your family, and manage them long-term so it won't just be a January burst of energy but will last, making your life easier all year round.
For more in-depth information about family reorganization, get a copy of my book, Project Management for Parents, for a thorough explanation of the entire framework. In the meantime, here are some highlights.
Getting the Family on Board
It’s important to get everyone in your family to agree to your new organizational systems, because they will need to use them. To do this, involve them in the process and get their input. Talk as a family about how you can be better organized this year. Ask if they have any ideas to share. Here are some sample questions to ask each member of the family:
How do you feel about how we get things done as a family (dishes, laundry, etc.)? How do you want to feel about work around the house?
How do you feel about the cleanliness and organization of the house? What would be the benefits of being more organized?
What would help us remember to do what needs to be done?
Do you have any suggestions for how to do the work more efficiently or make it more fun?
Selecting Organization Systems that work for you
Your time as a busy parent is precious, so there’s no use spending lots of time setting up complicated organization systems or over-ambitious plans and not using them. Here are some simple ideas to get more organized.
List and print out repetitive tasks for your kids on specific days of the week. This will help them remember, and over time you won’t have to remind them as much. Here is a template that you can download. It’s a weekly printable chore chart for kids and includes a extra one-page icon library to customize it for your family.
Set up a shared family calendar via an app. Some examples are Cozi, Google, FamCal, and TimeTree.
Add a chalk or white board to your kitchen and/or home office to quickly capture tasks.
Add a magnetic notepad to your fridge to capture needed grocery items.
Decide what day of the week you will do certain tasks. For example, I’ve decided to do grocery shopping on Thursday, do my son’s laundry on Friday, and go to the gym on Tuesday and Sunday. This helps me stay on track and accountable to myself.
Decide on one place to capture your more administrative tasks, like a large notepad or planner, reminder list on your phone, or an app or task list on your computer.
Keeping Organizational Systems Going throughout the year
A successful system needs to be one that you actually use, so don’t overcomplicate things. It’s also important to distribute the workload realistically. Here are some ideas to keep your systems going all year long.
Talk with your partner about who will help keep these systems in place. Determine which parent will handle oversight tasks like printing the chore chart or checking the family calendar.
Set reminders in your calendar, such as to print out or update the chore chart or accomplish certain tasks.
Set up a regular family time to talk through the upcoming week and the schedule. Use the time to also get feedback and discuss how the household organization is going and what may need to be updated. Bring cookies, and everyone will be happy! Add this family meeting to your weekly family calendar or task list. Our kids love to hold us accountable, and I’m sure would love to remind us about the family meeting!
Reward yourselves and the kids for sticking to the plan. If all the chores get done for the week, plan a special family outing or the kids get to select dinner for a night.
Remind yourselves of the benefits by talking about how it feels when your home is clean and organized. This will help motivate you to do the oversight work or get back on track.
Reward yourselves and the kids for sticking to the plan. If all the chores get done for the week, plan a special family outing or treat.
After selecting some of these tips that work for you, celebrate your successes! Remember that any systems or goals that you put in place at the beginning of the year require work to sustain them. If your organizational systems start to fall by the wayside, don’t fret too much, because it happens to everyone. Just restart your process – maybe with a few tweaks to make it more manageable – to get back on track. Happy New Year!
Hilary Kinney is the author of Project Management for Parents, a timeless book that provides resources for busy parents to streamline life at home. She is a certified Professional Project Manager with 17 years of experience at a Fortune 500 company.