How to become an organised mum

Last Updated on November 18, 2024

There’s so much to do when you’re a mum, that it can feel near impossible to keep on top of it all. However, being an organised mum, or as organised as you can be, goes a long way towards feeling on top of it all.

Here are some organisation tips for mums that will make you feel like a super organised mum, and will enable you to finally feel productive at the end of a busy day.

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Create a weekly meal plan

Creating a weekly meal plan is one of the ways I stay organised as a mum of two.

Some of the many benefits of meal planning include:

• It saves you time by not having to think about what to cook every night
• It reduces the number of times you need to visit the grocery store
• It saves you money as you only buy ingredients you need

If meal planning sounds like something you’d like to do to help you become a more organised mum, here are some meal planning tips.

Use a family calendar

Using a family calendar is a great way to keep on top of everything that family life throws at you, from appointments, school admin, work commitments, and everything else.

Recording things on a family calendar and having it somewhere the whole family can see it, like using a magnetic family calendar that can be kept on the fridge, enables everyone to see what’s happening, and who needs to be where by when.

Make sure everything has a place

A great way to keep your house tidy with kids, is to have a place for everything, and make sure that everything is in its place.

If you have stairs, having a stair basket like this stair basket, which is the one I use, allows you to put items in it that need to be placed where they belong the next time you’re heading upstairs.

Utilise storage systems

I love storage, it means that I can group similar items together so I know exactly where things go, and I know where to find things when I’m looking for them.

Another type of storage I use is storage for hand me down clothing, so I don’t have to buy much clothing for my youngest son when he’s gone up a size.

How I handle hand me downs is:

• I have multiple large containers in storage for different sizes of clothing, for example one container holds clothing for 2-3 year olds, another for 4-5 year olds, and so on
• I label each container with the size of clothing it holds using a post it note
• When my oldest son grows out of a piece of clothing, and if the clothing isn’t damaged, I place it in the container that holds the clothing’s size
• When my youngest son is ready to go up a size, I rewash all the clothing in the container that holds the new size, and stock his wardrobe with it

If there are any pieces of clothing that he still needs that weren’t in the container, then I’ll purchase them for him.

Write everything down

One of my top tips for being an organised mum, and something that I do every day, is to write everything down.

I don’t trust myself to remember anything these days, so anything that I think of, anything I need to do, or anything that someone asks me to do, I write down in my phone as a note, or if I can against the date in my Google Calendar that it has to be done by.

Some examples of the types of things I write down include birthday gift ideas, school events, to do list items, and school PE kit days.

If this is something you’d like to start doing, you could write things down in a paper planner, bullet journal, family calendar, or even a combination of a paper planner and Google Calendar.

Write a daily to do list

Writing a daily to do list is another way that I stay organised as a mum.

You can write a daily to do list by listing the things you need to, and would like to do during the day, and working on each item as the day progresses.

To ensure you get your most important things done, consider highlighting 3 priorities you need to focus on, so at the end of the day you’ve at least worked on the things that you absolutely needed to do.

Writing a daily to do list helps you to be a more organised mum, because it focuses your time on what needs doing, instead of spending time on things that aren’t important.

Habit stacking

I love habit stacking as a way to stay organised, which means stacking, or adding a new habit onto an already existing habit.

For example, to be more organised when it comes to packing my son’s school lunches, I pack his lunchbox as soon as the kitchen is clean at night.

In this example, my daily habit of cleaning the kitchen at night reminds me to do my new habit of packing my son’s school lunch for the next day.

Delegate tasks

Asking for help is something that many mums aren’t good at, but it’s an essential part of keeping on top of it all, because no matter how much time you have, there never seems to be enough of it.

You can delegate tasks by giving your kids age appropriate chores, or getting your family to help with tasks such as cleaning the dishes, helping with dinner, folding laundry, or making beds.

Delegating tasks can also mean getting outside help, such as using a babysitter to help with childcare, seeking help from a cleaning service, hiring a gardener, or even finding a dog washer.

Speed clean

Another thing I do to be an organised mum is two speed cleans each day, which helps me to stay on top of any clutter and mess that builds up over the course of the day.

My first daily speed clean is in the morning, which is when I clean the breakfast dishes, wipe the table, and sweep the floors.

My second daily speed clean is before I go to bed, which is where I put the cushions back on the couch, tidy up toys, and put away anything in my stair basket.

The timing of these speed cleans means that I start and end the day with a clean and tidy house, which helps me not get frustrated about the mess during the day.

Prepare the night before

This is another one of my favourite organisation tips for mums, which is to prepare as much as I can for the next day, the night before.

Many things I prepare the night before help me to prepare for back to school, which include:

• Laying out clothes for the next day
• Storing school lunches and school snacks in the fridge
• Emptying school bags
• Packing paperwork, homework, and reading books into school bags
• Putting school bags away in the school bag storage area
• Washing PE kits the day they’re worn
• Getting breakfast items ready

Have a morning routine

Having a morning routine saves a lot of time in the morning, and having a morning routine for kids provides them with structure, predictability, and the knowledge of what’s expected of them, allowing them to start their day less anxious and stressed.

Some things you can incorporate into a morning routine include:

• Making beds
• Brushing teeth
• Brushing hair
• Getting dressed
• Eating breakfast
• Putting shoes on
• Putting lunchboxes in school bags

You may even like to start a morning routine for yourself, so you can start your day calmly.

Schedule household chores

Another organisation tip for mums is to schedule household chores, so you do them on particular days instead of every day.

For example, I do laundry on Tuesdays and Saturdays, and change beds on Sundays.

Scheduling household chores means that you’re not spending time every day doing little bits of chores, and instead finish them in one day, saving time over the week.

Declutter regularly

Decluttering regularly keeps clutter within your home at bay.

Some decluttering projects you can do on a regular basis include:

• Decluttering your kid’s room
• Decluttering your wardrobe
• Decluttering toys
• Decluttering your fridge

Another tip for decluttering regularly is to set a timer for 10 or 20 minutes each day, and then decluttering an area within that time.

You can also have a box in an area of your home, for example your bedroom, where you place items that you want to donate, so you can donate a large pile in one go.

Use small pockets of time

There are many small pockets of time that we have throughout the day that add up to quite a bit of time that you can get things done in.

Some things you can do in small pockets of time include:

• Putting things where they belong
• Emptying the dishwasher
• Tidying the kitchen
• Vacuuming the floors
• Making an appointment
• Planning the week ahead

Wake up before your kids

As long as your kids don’t get up at the crack of dawn, waking up before them is a great way to become a more organised mum, because it means you can get a jump start on the day, before you start meeting the needs of others.

Some things you can do before your kids wake up are:

• Writing a to do list
• Having a shower
• Eating breakfast
• Exercising
• Getting ready for the day
• Finishing school lunches
• Doing some work
• Tackling chores

Tidy up before bed

Lastly, tidying up before you go to bed, in particular making sure your kitchen is clean, allows you to relax once you’re in bed, and it means that you start the next day feeling more organised.

Becoming an organised mum – a recap

Some of the ways you can become an organised mum include:

• Creating a weekly meal plan, which saves you time because you’re not thinking about what to cook every night
• Using a family calendar to record appointments, school admin, work commitments, and anything else relevant to your family life
• Making sure everything in your home has a place
• Writing everything down so you don’t forget things
• Writing a daily to do list, and prioritising 3 things you need to get done
• Delegating tasks, including making sure your kids have age appropriate chores they can help with
• Doing speed cleans so you don’t waste time recleaning the same things
• Preparing as much as you can for the next day the night before
• Having morning routines for yourself and your kids, so everyone knows what’s expected of them
• Scheduling household chores so you’re not doing chores more often than needed
• Decluttering regularly so you stay on top of household clutter
• Using small pockets of time to get things done
• Waking up before your kids, so you can start the day productively
• Tidying up before bed, so you can start the next day organised

What are some things you do to help you be a more organised mum?

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