October 1 – 7^th is “National Get Organized Week”

I don’t need a dedicated week to get organized.  Organizing is one of my favorite past times.  I’m great at getting things in order and setting up a system.  I’ll readily admit, I’m not-so-great at the maintenance of staying organized.

I’m always on the look out for tips, tricks and tools for keeping my stuff, schedule and family on track.   I’ve found some great sites and tools over the years (all FREE, of course).

I hope you find these inspiring during National Get Organized Week:

FLYLady: One of the first steps to organization is getting clutter-free. The FLYLady’s hugely popular site has a step-by-step system for doing just that.  (don’t forget to shine your sink today!)

Organized Home: This is your one-stop shop for home organization!  This site includes printable pages for a very comprehensive household notebook system.  I’ve used the household notebook system in the past (and still maintain a modified version of it).   It’s a great to have everything you need at your fingertips and in a one place so all of your family members can access it.

Organized Christmas: There’s only 12 weeks until Christmas.  This may seem way far off in the distance, but according to this Organized Home sister site, a stress-free holiday begins with early preparations.  Organized Christmas features gift & craft ideas, recipes and a printable Holiday Organizer, including week-by-week plans for holiday preparations.

I’m always on the look out for tips, tricks and tools for keeping my stuff, schedule and family on track.   I’ve found some great sites and tools over the years (all FREE, of course).

Cozi: This free online service provides more than just a family calendar.  Create one account for your family, enter each person’s email address and you can collaborate on a family calendar (even color coded by family member!!!!), shopping lists, photos, journals and more!  You can grab the Outlook toolbar, Google or Vista gadget and even access via your iPhone or smartphone, making this appealing and easy for all of your technology and computer loving family members.

Get Organized Now: The site states  that it is “overflowing with thousands of tips from our hundreds of Organizing Articles, 60,000+ current posts on our Organizing Forum, Reader Tips, Organizing Clinics, Checklists, Newsletters, Challenges, Blog, Quick Tips, Web Polls, SIide Shows, E-courses, Organizing Idea-Pak, and more! Come back a thousand times and you’ll still not see it all.” I’ve found this to be so true!  It’s a lot of information to digest, but you can subscribe to their newsletter for small doses of inspiration.

Once A Month Cooking: I’m a huge fan of once a month cooking.  The cost-savings alone have won me over.  Even if you don’t have a lot of freezer space, there’s still a lot you can do in advance to help save a lot of time during the busy week.  Get started and find great ideas by visting the Once A Month Mom blog and reading this step-by-step guide at Once  Month Cooking World.

Do you have a favorite “get organized site” or tip to share?  I’d love to learn from you.  Please leave a comment and tell me about it!

This post was written by Christina S., a LessonPathways.com Team Member and homeschool mom of 10 years.  She currently lives with her husband and two daughters in Detroit, Michigan.