Life can get pretty hectic. I know this for a fact. When it comes to doctor’s visits, veterinary appointments, household repairs, school, and more, it’s a lot for anyone to deal with! And one thing I’ve learned during my lifetime: I can only deal with “hectic” if I am organized.

I wasn’t always super organized. I learned it over time. I learned some things from friends, family and invented some of my own organizational methods and now it’s time I share what I’ve learned!

Read on to see the top three things I do to keep my family and myself super organized.

3 Ways to Organize Your Life + Lots of Free Organizational PrintablesPhotography and graphic by Carolyn J. Braden using CanvaPin me! carolynsbloomingcreations.com — 3 Ways to Organize Your Life + Lots of Free Organizational Printables
Photography and graphic by Carolyn J. Braden using Canva
Pin me! carolynsbloomingcreations.com

1- My Binder System

I created three binders:

One to organize our household repair/renovations
One to organize our health information
One to organize our pet’s health information

I used 3-inch binders that I found on Amazon. Use larger binders if you are organizing for a large family. I suggest using different color binders for each topic to keep you organized even more.

I added plastic page protectors to the binders and then filled them with important documents. I buy my page protectors from Amazon, 200 at a time. You’ll be surprised at how many of these you use.

Cardinal 3 Ring Binders, 2 Inch Binder with Round Rings, Holds 475-Sheets, ClearVue Covers, Non-Stick, PVC-Free, Assorted Colors, 4 Pack (29311)

TOPS Products

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Since the papers can build up and get to be too much in the pet and health binders, I try to clean them up by removing information from the binders and filing the information in our filing cabinet if it’s over three years old. You can make adjustments to your binders as you see fit.

Better Office Products Sheet Protectors, 200 Piece

Better Office Products

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To divide up the information by person or pet in the Health and Pet Binders, I used Post-It stick-on page tabs. I added names or titles for sections so it is easy and quick to access each section.

In these binders, I include receipts and health information. If given a medication, I include a note about why we received the medication and what it is for.

Post-it Flags Assorted Color Combo Pack, 320 Flags Total, 200 1-Inch Wide Flags and 120 .5-Inch Wide Flags, 4 On-The-Go Dispensers/Pack (683XL1)

3M Office Products

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You can also add paper dividers if desired. It just makes the binders a little prettier and a little bit easier to flip to sections.

I added cute binder cover pages to the front clear pockets of each binder to dress them up a bit. Scroll to the bottom of this post to print your own FREE binder cover pages that I created.

You can create as many binders as needed for your household. Three worked for my family, but you may need more or less.

Within the House Binder, I include receipts, warranty information and product information. I also included an “Important Information” document. We do lots of renovations and updates to our house, and I wanted to log them all. This is especially important if you plan on selling your house.

I created this type of list for our last house before we sold it and the realtors and the new owners loved it! I included every update and the year and month we made the update. I also included who did the update (whether it was us or another company).

I also included what services (like Internet, recycling and trash) we get at our address and when they occur. While this may seem like a lot, once you create it, it’s done! I created this list in Microsoft Word using tables with columns and rows.

While this binder system may not work for you, I do recommend you organize your important documents somehow, someway. Not to sound morbid, but when it comes to dealing with estates, having your life organized will be a huge relief to whoever is your executor.

I was the executor of my grandma’s estate and her organization helped me know exactly where everything was and what I needed to do to close her estate. She also had me meet with her and her lawyer years before her death….she was prepared!

2- My Bill Pay Checklist System

Every time a bill comes in the mail (or our e-mail), I log it to our Bill Pay Checklist. The one I am currently using attaches to our household planner but I also like some of the bill pay organizers I’ve seen on Amazon.

We keep this where we can see it and it helps both my husband and I make sure our bills always get paid on time.

Busy Family Bill Organizer

By New Seasons, Publications International Ltd.

Buy on Amazon

3- My Checklist System

Between my husband’s work and school schedule, all our house projects, my work schedule, our doctor’s appointments, hair appointments, vet appointments and more…we have a lot to keep up with. I created a document to log all of our weekly to-do’s. I write in each “to-do” and we check them off as we accomplish each task.

We also set event reminders in our phone for some things and on our Alexa (Amazon). I love how you can say “Alexa, set a reminder” and the Alexa device will guide you through setting a reminder. These reminders may seem like a lot, but with everything going on, I don’t want to forget anything and these help me stay on track.

If we don’t accomplish everything we scheduled, it’s okay! I’ve learned how to prioritize by using a list like this, so if I don’t get something done one week, I just add it to the next.