Thursday, January 31, 2013

How Do You Keep Yourself Organized?

How do you keep yourself organized? I write today's post selfishly, hoping readers will take the time to comment and leave some tips. I'll also share some of the ideas and tips I've spotted out on the web for Home and Personal Organization. I seem to be great at tracking down all kinds of helpful tips and tricks, but I have yet to implement any of them or find the best one for me. It's the last day of January, so the organizing theme is still current!

Planners

Do you have a planner that works for you? 

I gravitate more towards hand-written notes and reminders, but I tend to lose or forget about my planners when I switch out purses. I've heard wonderful things about Erin Condren planners, but they are out of my price range at $50. But super-cute, right?
Erin Condren Planner

Here's a cheery one from Lilly Pulitzer, just $16:
Lilly Pulitzer Planner

Wall Calendars

Does anyone besides me still use a hanging (paper) wall calendar?

Again, I seem to work better when I write things down, so I still keep a monthly paper wall calendar on the side of our fridge, and this seems to be the only place I keep up with important dates and tasks. It's also kind of fun to look back at the end of the year and see a reminder of all the stuff we crammed into experience in a year. But it doesn't do much for me when we're on the go, does it?

The attractive cousin of the traditional wall calendar is the DIY Wall Calendar:

Chalkboard...
DIY Wall Calendar

DIY Wall Calendar


Or Framed Dry Erase...
Dry Erase Framed Wall Calendar

Dry Erase Calendar

Family Command Centers

I love this trend. Everything looks so orderly and tidy. The only spot we have to create one is the side of our fridge. No walk-in pantry. No other wall space in the kitchen that isn't "prime time." Here are a few that caught my eye:

Family Command Center


Kitchen Command Center

Family Command Center

Family Command Center

Household Notebooks

I know tons of girls who put together household notebooks and binders. I have all the printables to get started on one. Have I put it together yet? No. Big failure. Writing this post was an epic reminder to get on that!

Household Notebook Printables

Household Notebook


Household Notebook


Household Notebook


Apps

Which apps do you use for keeping yourself up-to-date?

I love me a good iPhone app. I love to download them. And then I don't do much with them after that. (Are you sensing a pattern here with follow-through on my part?)


Good Housekeeping at Home


P.D. (male readers, please look away)--this one tracks all your "lady stuff"...very handy


Motivated Moms (Lite--free trial version)--lists daily tasks

Evernote
I have this one and can't really figure out what it is or how it works.

So, do you have any good tips for me? Any of you use apps to sync between a home computer and your phone? I'm all ears!

Don't forget to bring your party hats tomorrow. Bring your best post of the week...the weekly link party is scheduled to go live at 8 am (ET). Home Decor, Crafts, DIY, Recipes, Tips and Tricks, Party Ideas, Organizing...it's all welcome. I can't wait to see what you have up your sleeve. Features will be up on Saturday and Sunday, so link up early!

Here's the code for the button in case you'd prefer to use that instead of a text link back:
Weekend Bloggy Reading

7 comments:

  1. I tried going all digital, but I need to write things down too! I have a binder that keeps everything, and then I use my phone. Love all your ideas and I've got to thinking again!

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  2. My hubby likes to say I'm all analog! I have to write things down- just that simple thing helps me track and remember. I love my Erin Condren planner, but I think the price is steep, too. I bought my daughter the Lily Pulitzer planner and she loves it. We also use a dry erase board, but just for day-to-day notes. The chalkboard idea would never be practical for me!

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  3. I love a good planner but couldn't find one that was just perfect. I decided to make my own blog planner and it's been great so far!

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  4. I have a small planner that goes in my purse for when I have to make notes on the go, other than that we use Google Calendar. Don't have a smart phone so no apps for us - booo!

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  5. I try to go electronic as much as possible. Helps reduce clutter and carbon footprint. But I still have a lot of paper that I keep filed (tax returns, medical records, auto stuff, etc). I decided to "beautify" my filing cabinet since it is an important fixture in my office closet. Check out my DIY Filing Cabinet at http://areelchick.com/2013/01/26/diy-filing-cabinet-makeover/ No more ugly gray cabinet :-)

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  6. Gosh, I need this post! Thank you for including links to so many good ideas--and for your honesty about what you actually have and haven't gotten done. I'd say you're VERY organized!!

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