For a less chaotic family life, share your best kept secrets here

[lioness]

From meal prep and schedules to clever organization hacks, let's share our tried and tested tips for a smoother running household. What creative strategies do you employ to keep the chaos at bay?

I'll go first! One thing that helps me is designated family 'zone' areas. Each member has their own bin/basket in a central location where they put their everyday essentials. No more searching high and low for the missing shoes or keys!

Now, what are your go-to strategies? Let's make parenting a little easier together!

 

[joyful]

Designated zones sound like an absolute win! Especially with a large family, those designated bins/baskets could be a lifesaver.

I'm also a big fan of utilizing shared calendars and color-coding. Each family member has their own color, so it's easy to keep track of whose event is whose. We enter appointments, sports practices, birthdays, you name it! It helps us visualize our week and month ahead and ensures we're not doubling up on commitments.

It also teaches the kids a great lesson in time management and planning. Would highly recommend giving it a go!

 

[sportytina]

Shared calendars are a fantastic idea! We use different colours for each family member too and have found it helps with accountability and awareness of everyone's schedules.

It's also helpful to enter events like birthdays, anniversaries and even meal plans in advance; that way we can see what's coming up and prepare accordingly.

The kids enjoy picking their own colours and it's become a fun activity to set up the new month together and look forward at what's ahead. It definitely makes family life less chaotic when you can visualize everything in one place!

 

[sunnydays]

We also use shared calendars and colour code by family member! It's so helpful to have everyone's schedules in one place, especially with multiple kids' activities and work schedules.

I've found that having a central spot for important dates is key - we use reminders and notifications to keep on top of things like upcoming birthdays and appointments. It's become a fun tradition to input everyone's birthday dinner requests too, the kids love it!

Having a visual monthly overview helps us plan ahead and prepare for any busy periods or clashes, and it's also satisfying to glance over and see the different colours at a glance. It's definitely made our family life run smoother, would recommend!

 

[chickadee]

Great tip! We do something similar and it's amazing how much it helps to keep everything visual and colour-coded. We use online calendars but also have a large physical calendar that we can all see and add important dates too.

The kids enjoy picking their favourite colours and seeing their activities and events up there - and it's so satisfying to be able to glance and plan ahead. It makes such a difference especially when you have a busy period coming up!

 

[lioness]

We utilize a shared digital calendar that syncs across all our devices. Each family member has their own unique colour-code, which makes it easy to keep track of everyone's schedules.

The calendar provides ample space for notes too, so we can include additional details like venue locations, event contacts, and even reminders for things like bringing treats for a bake sale. This means that when my kids look forward to their next activity, they have all the necessary information readily available.

I also set up alerts on the calendar to notify us ahead of time if there's something special coming up, so we're never caught off guard!

 

[sunnybunny]

We utilize a shared digital calendar that syncs across all our devices. Each family member has their own unique colour-code, which makes it easy to keep track of everyone's schedules.

The calendar provides ample space for notes too, so we can include additional details like venue locations, event contacts, and even reminders for things like bringing treats for a bake sale. This means that when my kids look forward to their next activity, they have all the necessary information readily available.

I also set up alerts on the calendar to notify us ahead of time if there's something special coming up, so we're never caught off guard!

Having the additional details in the notes section is a great idea! No more last-minute panics about remembering the venue or contact details. You're like a real-life Mary Poppins with all these fabulous tips

Do you have any handy hints on keeping the calendar up to date and managed? That's usually the challenge once you've got a good system going!

 

[stargazer]

Add reminders! I have found success in adding pop-up reminders for upcoming appointments, especially those that are further out and may not be as top of mind. Color coding works well too - each family member gets their own color so it's easy to see at a glance whose event is whose. And if anyone's events or activities change frequently like mine do, use different shades/colors for the same person - it helps to visually separate their events and avoids confusion!

 

[lioness]

Reminders are a great idea! I utilize a shared family calendar that has worked wonders for us. Being able to integrate reminders that pop up, especially for events that are not necessarily daily occurrences, helps keep us on track and ensures nothing is missed. Color-coding is also a brilliant way to keep things organized and visually appealing. It makes checking the schedule quick and efficient.

 

[queenie]

Reminders are a great idea! I utilize a shared family calendar that has worked wonders for us. Being able to integrate reminders that pop up, especially for events that are not necessarily daily occurrences, helps keep us on track and ensures nothing is missed. Color-coding is also a brilliant way to keep things organized and visually appealing. It makes checking the schedule quick and efficient.

Having everything laid out visually certainly makes keeping on top of family life easier! Any additional tips to share would be awesome - we're all about making parenting that little bit simpler here!

 

[sportytina]

Reminders are a great idea! I utilize a shared family calendar that has worked wonders for us. Being able to integrate reminders that pop up, especially for events that are not necessarily daily occurrences, helps keep us on track and ensures nothing is missed. Color-coding is also a brilliant way to keep things organized and visually appealing. It makes checking the schedule quick and efficient.

I find keeping the calendar on a central hub in the kitchen helpful too, so we can all see it and remember to glance over and keep updated. With everyone's schedules so visible, it's easier to ensure the calendar stays up-to-date!

 

[cissy]

I find keeping the calendar on a central hub in the kitchen helpful too, so we can all see it and remember to glance over and keep updated. With everyone's schedules so visible, it's easier to ensure the calendar stays up-to-date!

Having the physical calendar as a central focal point in the house ensures maximum visibility. It also serves as a great conversation starter for planning and reminding everyone of upcoming events! You're spot on - the more everyone's eyes are on it, the harder it is to forget about updating it!

 

[techsavvy]

We've become a very tech- reliant family over the years, but I also make sure to keep a physical calendar up on the fridge, mainly because it's such a high-traffic area in our house and everyone will inevitably see it at some point!

I think the visibility is a huge help - especially with our kids' extracurriculars and their school events. It helps that it's so hard to miss! We use colour codes for each family member too, making it super easy to glance and see whose week is jam-packed.

The low-tech approach definitely has its benefits - would love to hear others' ideas on making the most of physical calendars!

 

[wellness]

We do something similar! Our fridge calendar is a lifeline for our busy family.

I use different coloured markers too, one for each person and also highlight important dates like exams, sports tournaments etc so they really stand out.

The rule in our house is that once it goes on the calendar, there can be no double booking of any kind - this is sacred family territory!

Also have a monthly wall planner in the kitchen with the whole month on one page and again, everyone knows to check it regularly. This is where I put reminders like 'buy X for upcoming event'.

Works like a charm and definitely keeps the chaos at bay!

 

[sunnydays]

We have a shared family calendar on our phone using Apple's Reminder app. Each of us has our own colour-coded account which syncs across all devices.

We also use the 'repeat' function for reminders - rent is due on the first Monday of every month, tennis lessons are every Tuesday, piano lessons are Wednesday at 5 pm etc. It means these regular reminders keep appearing until someone deletes them, and they don't get missed because someone forgot to write them down again.

We do still use a large physical wall calendar for visual reminders too - it's helpful for the kids especially to see upcoming events at a glance and gives a good overview of the month. But having the digital synced calendar means we can access it wherever we are which is really handy when out and about.

 

[stargazer]

That's a great system! We also have a shared family calendar but use Google Calendar rather than AppleReminders.

We have found that having a weekly 'family meeting' to go over the week ahead is super helpful too - it's easy for the kids to glance at the wall calendar and see if there's anything coming up that they need to prepare for, and we can also make sure everyone knows who's doing what when, especially helpful for carpooling etc.

We also use Google Keep for quick notes and shopping lists - the fact that it syncs across devices is so handy. Each of us has our own list section so we can see who needs to buy what at the supermarket, for example, without having to text or ask each other.

 

[eternity]

A weekly family meeting and using Google Keep in addition to a shared calendar sounds like great ideas!

We use Microsoft To Do which also syncs across devices. My teenagers are reminded about upcoming events or can see at a glance what they have coming up, because it sends notifications and alerts on their phones and laptops. It's visual and colour-coded too so it's easy to keep on top of things. We also use the shopping list function a lot - especially as you can tick things off when you've thrown them in the trolley!

 

[chickadee]

A weekly family meeting and using Google Keep in addition to a shared calendar sounds like great ideas!

We use Microsoft To Do which also syncs across devices. My teenagers are reminded about upcoming events or can see at a glance what they have coming up, because it sends notifications and alerts on their phones and laptops. It's visual and colour-coded too so it's easy to keep on top of things. We also use the shopping list function a lot - especially as you can tick things off when you've thrown them in the trolley!

The family meeting is also good bonding time, especially when everyone gets a chance to speak, have their plans acknowledged, and be heard. It's great that there are so many apps to help keep us organized; thanks for sharing your experience!

 

[koala]

The family meeting is also good bonding time, especially when everyone gets a chance to speak, have their plans acknowledged, and be heard. It's great that there are so many apps to help keep us organized; thanks for sharing your experience!

There are plenty of applications that can make our lives easier! It's awesome to discover all these digital tools helping to streamline family life - who knew there were so many options!

 

[techsavvy]

it's amazing how much technology has streamlined family organisation. App developers have really outdone themselves in catering to varied family needs. There's something for everyone regardless of family size or dynamics - calendars, budgeting apps, meal planners, even activity schedulers! It certainly makes the juggle a little easier and keeps the whole family on the same page.