If family life sometimes feels like juggling flaming torches while riding a unicycle, you’re not alone. Between school runs, work deadlines, after-school clubs, birthday parties, and the never-ending laundry pile, it can feel like there just aren’t enough hours in the day.
The good news? With the right tools and a few simple systems, family life doesn’t have to be a whirlwind of forgotten forms and last-minute dashes to the shops.
Here are some organising tips to help you bring a little calm to the chaos!
1.Digital Tools to Keep Everyone in Sync
The first step to family organisation is making sure everyone is on the same page (literally!).
Family Calendars
- Timetree: A lifesaver for busy families. Download the app and you can share one calendar across all devices, colour-code events (work, school, after-school clubs), and get notifications so nothing slips through the cracks
- Google Calendar: Great if you’re already using Gmail. It syncs across phones, laptops, and smart speakers. You can set recurring reminders for things like “bin day” or “swimming kit”
Shared Notes & To-Do Lists
- Google Keep or Apple Notes are perfect for shared shopping lists or quick reminders that everyone can access
- Evernote or OneNote are more structured, with notebooks for everything from holiday packing lists to household maintenance
Chores & Kids’ Tasks
- Cozi Family Organiser: Tracks everyone’s activities in one shared place, combining calendars, lists, and meal planning in one easy app
- OurHome: Makes chores fun (well, almost) by letting children earn rewards for completing tasks, with helpful calendars and lists it’s a handy tool for busy families!
2.Simple Day-to-Day Systems
Technology helps, but good old-fashioned routines make a world of difference.
- Weekly Family Meeting: Spend 10 minutes every Sunday checking the calendar together. Who has a school trip? When’s Dad working late? What’s for dinner on Thursday? It saves a lot of “I didn’t know!” moments
- A whiteboard, pinboard, or wall calendar in the kitchen where everyone can see what’s happening helps spread the responsibility, letting all family members see what’s going on. Add reminders, school letters, or even a motivational quote or joke!
- Colour Coding: Assign each family member a colour, use it on calendars, labels, even toothbrushes. It’s amazing how quickly children learn “blue is mine!”
- Prep the Night Before: It’s a time-tested habit that truly makes life easier. Set out clothes, pack school bags, and make lunches in the evening. Mornings suddenly feel 100 times smoother and longer
3.Meals & Shopping Made Easy
A little planning goes a long way.
- Meal Planning: Plan dinners for the week, and build your shopping list straight from recipes. Add it to a spreadsheet or download specific meal-planning apps to help
- Batch Cooking & Freezer Meals: Cook double portions when you can and freeze half. That way, busy nights only require a reheat, not a full cooking session
- Shared Shopping Lists: Have a list, sticky note, or even an app for all family members to use when they use the last of an item or notice when they are running low
- Check out our blog on Healthy Back to School Lunchbox Ideas
4.Taming Paperwork & 'Stuff'
Paper clutter has a sneaky way of piling up. School forms, birthday invitations, bills… it adds up fast. Create a drop zone by the front door: hooks for bags, a basket for shoes, and a tray for keys and post. It cuts down the frantic morning hunt.
5.Little Habits That Save Big Time
- Declutter regularly. Less 'stuff' means less tidying, less organising, and less stress
- Teach children small organising habits early - putting shoes away, hanging up coats, checking homework folders. These little routines add up to big sanity savers
- Why not check out the BBC’s ‘Stacey Solomon’s Sort Your Life Out' on BBC iPlayer where a team of organising fanatics challenge families up and down the UK to ‘sort their lives out’ in just seven days! Or read the top tips and tricks from the team.
Organising the family isn’t creating a perfectly run household – it’s lots of little wins, making life easier, a little calmer and giving yourself more time for what matters most, being together.
Start small. Don’t change everything at once, pick one routine, one change, one new habit. Get use to it see how it works and once that feels natural, add another, before long it will become second nature meaning less chaos and stress!
Here’s to calmer, happier, more organised family days!
Why not also check out the BBC's Eight ways to get your home organised (and keep it that way) or, as it's coming to that time of year, our blog on A family guide on getting ready for the clocks to change this October