Planner and Home Management Binder Love

I love my small little planner that I can take pretty much everywhere I go.  But my planner isn't the only tool I use to try and keep things together as a mom.  I have a home management binder that I keep my home life in, i.e.. paperwork, ideas, checklists, menus, etc.  

The truth is, when I'm out and about, I don't really want to be lugging all of my "housework" around with me.  Honestly, I don't even want to think about anything to do with school work, chores, home projects, etc.   I like to keep that at home.  That's why my planner and home management binder are a great team.  They really compliment each other. One stays home and one goes out with me.   

 I have used home management binders for a few years now and I LOVE them.  What a great way to keep things together in one place that are otherwise completely annoying to have spread all over the house.  I've downsized my binder from what I used to have.  Now it's just simple and easy to manage and maintain.  Nothing fancy or complicated.  I even hand-wrote my labels in my not so cute handwriting.  Doesn't bother me at all.  It is the PERFECT solution to keeping a handle on paper clutter.

I like to keep a little section for each of my kids and their calendars and records I need to keep handy.  I like to have a section for all things housework where I have print-outs for schedules, spring, fall cleaning, more extensive list of food storage plans, home improvement projects, etc.  I also like to keep a section for school papers, like lunch slips, notes, calendars, etc.  I have another section for ideas where I like to keep articles or pictures of things that I want to remember.  I clean that pocket out often and either file, do the project, or throw it away if I'm no longer interested.  There is a section for finances that is more comprehensive and a section for bills and warranties.  A section for menu's and take-out.  A section for sports/dance flyers that I'm interested in, etc. Basically, everything I don't want to lug around with me everywhere I go, but that I still want to have reference to.

The binder is great because it is a one-stop organized power house of all things to do with household, home and school. The planner is great because it is a one-stop power house for all things mom.  It helps me focus and remember the essentials without being crowded out by the less important items screaming at me all the time.  When I'm at games, appointments, waiting in the car, any free moment really can be spent thinking, planning and writing about how I can improve as a mother, how I can teach my children essential gospel principles, how I can be a better visiting teacher, how I can strengthen my relationships with others, etc.  YET, there is still room to jot down the little day to day things that need to get done.  Kind of an all-in-one without the bulk.

 The bulk can sit nicely at home.  Look how happy it is. And I am happy not having it in my car or bag

Home Management Binder 

It can sit at home, while your cute and functional planner goes with you everywhere and supplies you with the tools you need not just to survive but to thrive at being a mother who knows the importance of prioritizing essentials from other good things.

So there you have it.  What a great team.  Awesome tools to help us keep our mind together a little bit more.  Look for some free household printables for your home management binder coming very soon on this blog.  OR look on Pinterest and you'll find a slew of them there.  My favorite.

Go here to download the binder dividers