Getting Organized

by Mary Ann Kelley

Homeschooling can challenge the scheduling skills of even the most organized moms. How can you keep different ages and abilities scheduled with academic work, field trips, extracurricular activities, and the usual other appointments that life requires? The best way is by having a vision that it can be done and by working with your own personality. If you are a person who abhors schedules, don’t try to implement something that will detail your life down to five minute intervals. If you cannot stand to do without your schedules and lists, then a PDA is more likely to suit you than winging it.

There are many different ways to be organized, ranging from different piles on the kitchen table to expensive and elaborate software. Find the one that makes you feel most at ease while allowing you to maintain a comfortable level of control over your home and your school.

Motivation

If you are overwhelmed, take a few moments to do some reading and let yourself rediscover the notion that it is possible to feel more in control of your life and your schedule. Maybe you have your homeschool under control but your house is beginning to take on a life of its own. Or maybe you are the opposite and your house is spotless but you can’t seem to get on top of the lesson plans for your school. Wherever you find yourself, browse through these articles and websites, letting them inspire you and motivate you to take a step forward in taking back control.

Record-Keeping & Organizing: 10 Reasons to Keep Records

A Real Mom’s Homeschool

Getting Organized, Part I: Tips and Tricks
Part 2: Store for Success
Part 3: Plastic Bins

Flylady.net
An entire website devoted to helping you to keep your house neat and clean in as little time as possible. With sayings like “Even housework done poorly blesses your family”, the Flylady will soon have you Finally Loving Yourself, too.

Homeschool Organization

Homeschool Planners
There are numerous tools for organizing your homeschool paperwork and schedule including software and printable paper organizers. Find some of the best ones in this list.

Home Organization

Because homeschooling means more time at home than if parents are working and kids are in school, home organization is a crucial part of homeschool organization.

A Place for Everything
“So, you’ve made the excellent decision to get organized, you’ve sorted through your belongings and you now have only items that you love and are usable. This may be for one small area of your home, a few areas, a drawer or two, or the whole house. However much you have done, it is an accomplishment no matter how big or small, so congratulations!”

My Top Ten To Dos
“I had a question recently as to what are my ‘Top Ten’s in Homemaking?’
So, here’s an idea of my top ten, plus a few!” from Pamela Spurling

Organized Home Household Planner Forms
If you are looking for a place to help you get started on your way to organization, Organized Home is that place. Be sure to look around the whole site and take advantage of the many free articles, but the real jewel are these household planner forms.They offer dozens of forms for just about any organizational need you may have!

Home Management Tips for Homeschool Families–
From OrganizedHome.com, this article will keep you organized using tools like a household notebook and teaching you to utilize freezer cooking.

Cleaning: Where Do I Start?
How to implement personalized regular cleaning as a part of your home organization

Keeping Organized While Traveling –
Tips for being prepared while traveling from A Christian Home

Time Management
Principles for making the most of the time you have

Keeping Meals Organized

Our sister site, Menus4Moms, can help you put dinner on the table with less stress and more savings. The Secrets of a Busy Cook, seen in pyramid format to the left, are the key to making dinner prep stress-free.