The level of organizational acumen needed to manage a family has found me scrambling to step up my game. Luckily, I found some useful and free apps to simplify managing my busy household, and I hope some of them help relieve a little of your stress so you can shine even brighter at life.
Google Calendar – Want to sync schedules, set reminders, add maps and details to appointments, as well as assign each family member a different color? Google Calendar does it all and more. You can send schedules to email inboxes and print them out.
Pinterest – If you want to remember the brilliant thing you just found online, turn to Pinterest, your online bulletin board heaven. Organize pins and boards any way you like - some categories include recipes, organization ideas, gift ideas, a board for each family member, travel, books, holidays, seasons, projects, crafts and more.
Evernote –It’s the perfect place to park all your thoughts and reminders, including links, photos, graphics and more. Think Pinterest but with notebooks instead of boards, so you can create different notebooks for different purposes and share those notebooks with others. The search feature is a lifesaver.
Manilla – Stop searching for lost papers! Manilla is a secure online filing system that lets you minimize paper clutter. Everything is in one place: email, bills, documents, things like subscriptions and accounts. This app also allows you to set reminders.
Cozi – Ever realize you left your list at home? With Cozi, that’s not a problem anymore. Cozi keeps your store-specific lists that go along with meal plans you also have stored in the app. My favorite part of this app is the feature that lets me journal. But Cozi is no one-trick pony: it will keep your color-coded calendar and send you reminders via email or text.
Remember the Milk – Take a load off your brain by adding all your tasks to this app and prioritizing them. Set alerts so it will remind you about those tasks however you like: text message, email message, even a tweet and more! Includes a search feature and connects to Dropbox and Google Drive.
Ringya – Oh, the endless communication that comes with kids! Whether it’s school, sports, activities, playdates or birthday parties, Ringya makes it easy to create and keep in contact with groups on a regular basis … and then quickly contact them all at once without having to remember every person every time you send a message. Set up an event, reschedule, and more with Ringya.
Thrive at the household manager game instead of merely surviving. Apps are fantastic at keeping you organized and rocking life! Who knows? Maybe you’ll even get organized enough to find some time to relax in a warm tub with your favorite book or show. A parent can dream!
Kerrie McLoughlin is the writer mom of five kids and six pets. Check her out at ThePublishedParent.com.