Guest post by Janice Russell

If your home feels like chaos some days as you struggle to balance your work schedule with your kids' activities, you might wonder if you can ever get organized. In fact, you can get organized — even if on a tight budget. Read on to learn how to find some calm and balance in your life. 

Clean Up and Declutter

Start with something basic: clean up and declutter your home. If you have stuff scattered everywhere and allow surfaces to accumulate dust, this will only compound existing stresses. Take a Saturday, and focus on making your home a tidy, organized living space. Scrub floors, walls, kitchens, and bathroom surfaces. Pick up your possessions, and place them in boxes, baskets, or storage tubs. Attach labels so that you can find things easily. This will take some effort, but you'll be much more organized and comfortable when you're done.

Plan Meals

You can also increase your organization if you plan your family's meals ahead of time. Designate a meal-planning day, and work out a menu for the next week. Make a grocery list at the same time, and include everything you need for the week. This can help curb impulse purchases and save you money.

Assign Chores

If your kids are old enough, they can certainly lend a hand around the house. Create some chore charts, and assign tasks according to your kids' ages and skills. They could clean their rooms, help with meal planning and cooking, take out the trash, and even do some laundry. Be sure to show your kids exactly what you expect for each chore, and introduce a reward system to keep them motivated.

Get Your Paperwork in Order

While your kids can help you with many chores, you should be the one to get your paperwork in order. Develop a filing system for your documents, and label each folder clearly. Alternately, you might choose to scan your paper documents and save them in a computerized filing system, especially if you're short on space. Back up your files on a USB thumb drive, an external hard drive, or both for extra security.

Work Effectively From Home

If you work from home, this can add to your potential for organizational chaos, and you'll have to make an even greater effort to stay organized. For one thing, set up a dedicated workspace in your home, and don't let other activities intrude upon it. Strive to keep it orderly and calm. Also, work to smooth out your work routines. If you send invoices by mail, for instance, consider switching to electronic invoices to avoid an accumulation of paper. Look into customized invoices. You can use a convenient online invoice generator that provides you with free templates and allows you to customize them with your text, logo, and more. You can then download invoices in a suitable format and send them to your customers so that you can get paid on time.

Get Organized

Your life doesn't have to be chaos. Get organized by cleaning and decluttering, planning meals, assigning chores to your kids, putting your paperwork in order, and working effectively from home with tools such as electronic invoicing. Check out the White Loft website for products to help you get organized.

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