Tips for Staying Organized and Making the Most of Your Time

By (CHA) Catholic Health Association

Tips for Staying Organized and Making the Most of Your Time  

As a working mother, most of my days and nights are spent balancing (scrambling from) one “to do”, event, chore, child, and etcetera to another. I’m thankful for my husband. Without his help, most days I would be sunk the moment I roll out of bed in the morning. That being said, neither of us are winning an award for being “Most Organized Parent.” Does this sound familiar?

I don’t know about you, but with all of this hustle, I find it hard to stay in the present moment. I tend to always think of the next thing I have to do or something I forgot to do. This way of thinking never helps my current situation. The following tips have helped me:

1. Cozi Calendar – free app that allows for a shared family calendar. Color-coded for multiple family members, and everyone can update their own events. If it isn’t in the Cozi – it doesn’t exist!
2. Weekly Menu Planning – Even if we don’t follow the plan to a “T,” it is still better than flying by the seat of our pants (and the grocery bill tends to be less).
3. Putting the Phone Down…Wherever I Am – If I am in a meeting, it is on silent and in my bag or on the floor. If I am at home, it is on silent and/or on the charger.
4. Recognizing Memories in the Making – Precious moments that I lean into and open myself up to fully experience and remember…whether it is a conversation with a child, a shared laugh with the family, or a beautiful picture of my husband dancing with my daughter.

My last tip, recognizing memories in the making, is maybe one of the most important to live life in the present. Although I don’t do this nearly enough, I would like to share two profound memories that I keep near my heart. One happened with my daughter a few months ago on one of the first semi-warm and sunny days at the end of winter. We were cleaning up the winter droppings left by our dog, Summer. Brinley (age 6) was my spotter, and I was the scooper. I was complaining about the number of “presents” Summer had left us. Our conversation went like this: Brinley (inquiringly) – “Mom, we need to be grateful for everything, right?” Me (cautious, yet emphatic) – “Yes, we do.” Brinley - “That means, we need to be thankful for dog poo, because that means we have a dog.” While I was feeling somewhat chastised for my original outlook regarding the task at hand, it was also a very proud mama moment that I will never forget. She was amazingly right. How often do we overlook hidden blessings?

When my son Kael was a similar age, he wisely stated at dinner one night, “You know, there is no tomorrow. There is only today….because when you get to tomorrow, it is today.” How true! How often do we spend our time worried about something that is in the past or something that is in the future? We could all benefit by trying to keep our minds where our feet and heart are…in the present moment.

So the next time you find yourself feeling slightly less than organized, do what you can to remedy the situation, and soak it all in. These are the days of our lives…enjoy them, look for the hidden blessings, make memories, and Carpe Diem (Seize the Day)!