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Get Straightened Out with Family Organizing Sites
Make the most of the time you have with the power of the 'Net.
Luanne O’Loughlin
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It's never just one thing. So many tasks, so little time. How do working women (paid and unpaid) organize a family and a household? With various meals, activities, laundry, and cleaning, is it any wonder most of us can't get it all done?
Let's face it. Well-organized women manage better. The key is to hone top-notch organizational skills, cut back on the clutter in your life, and free up quality time. All you need to do is find your home management style, assemble manageable tasks, and your reward will be a clean and tidy refuge.
Here's a great place to start—if you search for Home Organizations sites, you'll probably find that "getting organized" is a hot topic. A slew of sites have risen to the challenge for those seeking organizational guidance.
Help is available for: - meal planning
- grocery lists
- chore charts
- laundry systems
- stain cleaners
- office filing
- seasonal cleaning
- garden chores
- holiday tasks
Each site has a unique personality, so find the site that works with yours. Do you need motivational reminders in your email inbox? Checklists for major tasks and holidays? A balance between time-saving and money-saving?
Most home management sites supplement their offerings with discussion boards where you can ask others for their experience-based tips. Some of us procrastinate until we have to share our goals with a counterpart. Peer pressure plays a major role in getting those tasks done. For others, message boards can be a distraction. Time spent talking about being organized is not the same as being organized.
OrganizedHome.com's sole motivation is to help organize, declutter, simplify, and clean. This site is updated frequently to help you attack large and seasonal tasks: fall cleaning, holiday shopping and cooking, and once-a-month cooking plans. High-tech house managers will appreciate tips on using Handheld Computers for home management—and pointers to recommended software. Not fully high tech? Grab printable forms for your household notebook: phone directories, calendars, travel packing lists, and even a camping checklist. This is a site for someone who loves a plan and strives for perfection.
BlueSuitMom.com helps with the angst of daily life. Trying to cram a bit more into each day? A consult at BlueSuitMom.com will usually take you to the tools and checklists page, including a medical consent form, nanny search checklist, a birthday party planning list and several online grocery lists. It's a comprehensive site with links to family, career, money, health, food, and travel features. In Health, there's even a motivating exercise of the week! Executive working mothers, manage the busy-ness of your life here.
FamilyTime.com may be familiar as a calendar site. Beyond the excellent calendar, you'll discover great guidance on meal planning, cleaning, and organizing the entire household. FamilyTime makes each choice seem like a "quality time" enhancer. Select the links to articles to reach the handy checklists and planning tools for family reunions, vacation departures, tag sales, seasonal clothes storage, garage storage layouts, home childproofing, car safety, and summer camper needs. Don't miss the home records section for organizing warranties and service agreements. Use the recipe database to make meal selections and build a grocery list.
When all else fails, and you just can't find the time, hire an organizer and get a jump start. The National Association of Professional Organizers can refer you to a professional organizer in your area.
Family and home organization pays dividends. While it takes time to get organized, the initial accomplishment will save hours of aggravation. Climb that first mountain and the remainder will be molehills. Take some time to review these sites to find the one that works for your management personality.
Luanne O'Loughlin is an online expert and author of Free $tuff from America Online, Free $tuff from CompuServe, Microsoft Network Visual Explorer, Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0 FrontRunner, Microsoft Internet Explorer 4 FrontRunner (all Coriolis Group Books) and Online Auctions: The Internet Guide for Bargain Hunters and Collectors (McGraw-Hill).
She has spent the past 14 years working in the publishing industry, and admits to being an online addict.
If you have comments about this article, please email the editor.
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