By Kristin Milner

Need help getting organized at home? Almost all of us need tips in this area, and I have several to share with you today.

My Getting Organized Story

Where is the overwhelm coming from? This was a constant question that ran through my mind. I always felt two steps behind, unable to get caught up. 

If I can be honest, staying organized is one of my greatest struggles. With all the shifts of life that 2020 brought, it also brought light to a missing piece to the puzzle for me. 

Life is constantly shifting. Our plan to stay organized during January might not look the same as it does in May.

Why had I never realized this before? 

This revelation has been life-changing for me. It’s helped me realize the importance of staying on top of my planning, scheduling, and organization systems. 

How can we stay organized with an ever-changing schedule? The best way we’ve found to do this is by being intentional about the direction we want our family to grow throughout the year. Having a clear direction helps provide a fluid roadmap to follow. 

Roadmaps provide different routes. Some paths might take longer than others, but in the end, we know our final destination.

For our family, when life takes a shift, having this intentional plan helps us know when to say yes and no. 

When thinking through our roadmap, these are the areas we focus on.

Family Organization for Kids

An important part of thinking through the year entails considering appropriate goals for each child.

For example, one of our daughters is dyslexic. One year, our goal for her was learning to read. For her age, she was very behind in school. The stress of not reading was taking its toll. 

In order for us to help her reach this goal, we rearranged some things in our schedule. We temporarily stepped back from a few commitments, and even homeschooled for a few months. This allowed us the family time and resources we needed to help her thrive. Thankfully, all our effort paid off and she is reading well and thriving in school.

Family Organization and Planning 

Intentional goal planning not only helps my husband and me. Together, it also helps us understand how to consider each child’s needs. This reveals how we can best help them in the coming year. 

Having clear goals helps the family get behind one another with support. Sometimes support means helping each other take the first leap to start. Other times, it means carrying one another across the finish line.

Want help dreaming big for your family? Below are questions to help you set family goals. Make time with your husband and dream big things for each other. Don’t forget to include your entire family. 

Finally, let everyone know you are their biggest fan, and plan to make 2021 a great year filled with intentional growth for your family.

Wife Step: Plan a fun night with your husband, and go through these questions together. Keep them in your daily planner, and reflect often on the direction where you want your family to head!