Organization is likely a word you hear often, and you probably hear it more frequently when you become a parent. It seems to be one of the ways that you can keep your head above the water and survive the many challenges that accompany each day. When you’re a working mom, however, it is likely that your workload as well as responsibilities increase. To avoid becoming overwhelmed, you’ll need to ensure there’s a level of organization in your home. Everyone has a different method and approach when it comes to organizing, so it’s important that you find what works for you. On those premises, this article should help you find a few ways that you can make this happen if you’ve been struggling.
Get Cabinets
Cabinets can be a saving grace when you’re a parent as they help you put things neatly. This is often necessary when your kids have a million and one items and always seem to have one missing sock as well as other lost items. You can never really have enough cabinets so if you have the space for it, you should put extra ones in the house. You could also consider plastic drawers or containers as they’ll be useful for storing items as well. You should have a drawer for different items so that things don’t get mixed and lost. This might mean having a drawer dedicated to arts and crafts items, having one for learning items, while another can be allocated to small toys that have many parts and can easily get lost such as legos, for instance. Whatever the case, look for ways to use storage boxes or cabinets to keep things in order.
Encourage Tidy up Time
Getting kids to tidy up at several periods during the day can be helpful to you as well as them. It is also a great way to spend quality time together and teach them core skills as well as values. If your child is relatively young, trying to keep the house tidy can seem near impossible when trying to get work done, preparing meals and doing the laundry. For this reason, it is imperative that you encourage them to help tidy up any time they make a mess to save yourself zooming around the house endlessly to pick things up. Some secrets to cleaning with kids include starting them young and encouraging tidying as early as possible. This helps build their confidence and makes them feel like they’re an important part of the household as they’re contributing to helping it run smoothly and neatly. It is best to stick with age-appropriate tasks, but for a two or three-year-old, you could perhaps consider getting them to put their toys away, put their dirty clothes in the laundry basket, or put their food mat back once they’re done eating.
Get a Work Desk
As a working mom; it is essential that you have a desk that you can work on. It could help you sit down and focus when it’s work time so that you can get some work done. Transitioning from mommy mode to worker mode can be a difficult transition to make, so creating a serene work-life environment may help. One of the items you may need is a work desk that you can place your laptop and documents on that you need for work. A sit stand keyboard tray may also be ideal so that you can alternate between standing and sitting when you’re working as well as move your desk around if need be. This should also help working more comfortable which hopefully will enhance your productivity so you can get enough work done in between mommy duties.
Clean Twice a Day
It can be tempting to want to clean up several times a day especially if you’re a bit of a neat freak, however, if you’re a work-from-home mom, spending all of your time cleaning won’t leave you with much time to get your work done. At the same time, the last thing you want is a big pile of mess at the end of the day, so it is advisable that you consider doing 5-10 minute cleans twice a day. When trying to keep a house clean with kids, you could opt to clean before nap time and then do a family clean before dinner time. As mentioned earlier, letting the kids help is often a good idea as it takes a little load off your back and teaches them how to keep the house tidy. However, you should try and leave serious spring cleaning to the weekend or your day off whenever you have one. Some things to stick to on a daily basis include arranging the living room, washing the dishes, organizing the kid’s toys, and putting dirty clothes away.
Organize Your Time
The importance of time-management can’t be stressed enough whether you’re a working mom or stay-at-home mom. You should begin by tracking your time to see how it’s being spent and then making a note regarding how you can make adjustments. Some key things you should consider in time-management is keeping up with the kids’ needs, how much time you need to work on a daily basis, and how long it will take you to keep your house organized. Once you’ve figured this out, you can then go on to create a schedule that works for you and enables you to get everything done. It will most likely take time for you to get the hang of it and things won’t always go according to schedule but keep working at it.
Keeping your house organized with busy and active kids can seem like an uphill battle. However, to ensure you live in a thriving environment and one that you can work from, making sure things are in order, and there’s little to do at the end of the day is crucial. The hope is that by applying a few of the tips mentioned above, you’ll be a pro at organizing with little ones in no time.