What do you do to make life more organized/easier

[Katie T]

So I realize I am a dork but I got a white board that has a calendar on it to keep our family better organized/on track.

That got me to thinking, what other ways to you organize everyones schedule and make life easier?

[DTmama1]

I use Google Calendar. Each family member has their own calendar. I have Google Calendar on my phone, so its always with me. I can also share it with different people like my ex, or friends I'm trying to coordinate schedules with.

[zoebird]

we use ICal, and I have a strong rhythm, so it keeps me on track.

[mum4vr]

we FLY w FLYlady!

and she recommends a family calendar, like you use

so much I love about her nurturing advice, but one is, you don't have to have the perfect system/ calendar/ routines, but you do have to use them! ie even an imperfect calendar still lists everyone's stuff, and an imperfect vacuum job still gets most of the crumbs up, hehehe

[justmeandmybrood]

We have 3 babies - 7, 5, and 7 weeks.  Here are a few things we do:

• We use a calendar as well (I love the MomAgenda magnetic fridge  calendar - one week per page...when I tear off a week, I cut the paper in quarters and have scrap for lunchbox notes, shopping lists, scraps for the kiddos, etc.).  
• I also have a large basket for each school-aged kiddo in the kitchen, our family hub.  The kiddos come home and put their lunchboxes on the counter and bookbags in the baskets, as well as their school library books, current projects, etc.
• The main thing we have is a consistent routine - from bedtime routine to afterschool routine to morning routine, though with flexibility as needed  
• I have been working on decluttering for a few years, keeping the "stuff" down, which then makes upkeep easier.  I am not done - always a work in progress for me, but it helps keep our family more organized.

[Ruthie's momma]

1. Decluttering-I have spent this entire year decluttering our home.  Not even realizing that we had a lot of clutter, I have been amazed at the amount of stuff we had in storage.  Now, I simply maintain the decluttered environment (addressing paperwork daily, following the one-in-one-out rule and limiting the purchase of non-consumable items).
2. Meal planning-Limiting my trips to the grocery store, always having at least one meal in the freezer and simply knowing what to start preparing each morning (or the night before) has made dinner preparation much, much easier.  As added bonuses, we tend to eat much healthier and save a lot of money.
3. Routine-Following a consistent schedule helps to ensure that we are all well rested.  And, for my family, being well rested prepares us for whatever we may need to deal with. 

[rose angel]

subbing!

[Jane]

Limited my dishes to one dishwasher load.
I can't let them pile up bc there are no more!!

I'd like to do the same with clothing. That's harder, tho.
But I did pare down all the linens to two sets per bed.
Towels are next.

Routines: I always grab something garbagey out of the car when I leave it.

I put garbage cans where the garbage is made.

I stopped bring junk mail into the house. Catalog choice helped me remove a lot of catelogs, but the rest hit the recycle bin before I come in. If I don't already know I need it, I don't need it.
All the solicitations and coupons hit the recycle bin outdoors, too.

[Katie T]

Great ideas! I am loving my calendar and have been decluttering for yrs now lol. It is looking pretty good but there is always room for more work (I think that is always true when you have kids) One of my biggest things is the mess that my desk becomes. I hate filing everything so it piles up. It is a roll top so I just close the top lol. Then when stuff starts falling off I break down and file like a crazy lady. I love the look of it clean and will (for a few days) file as stuff comes in but then life happens and before I know it it is bad again.

My other thing is closets. I have a huge issue with not seeing it makes me not care it is there so I organized my coat closet (my smallest closet in the house) and have been keeping it organized. Once I can master that I will add another to the mix and go from there and maybe someday I will have organized closets.

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I love brain storming and find trying what other do helpful for finding what works for me. : )