Today is a special day! Ferly from Gifts We Use and I are trading places! I recently got the chance to meet Ferly IRL (in real life) and let me tell you, she is amazing! We discussed our reasons for blogging and our desire to help others through our blogs. We shared stories of our careers and roles as a wife and mom. So, I introduce to you, (drumroll....) Ferly!
I am a planner and organizer to my core, and calendars and Day Planners used to send my heart racing! Because of that, I have tried any and all systems of organization. I used academic calendars while in school, day planners once I got a job, Palm Pilots {remember those?}, and more. The responsibility I got, the more I realized that I needed a system of organization that could keep up with me.
It wasn't until I got my smart phone that technology finally managed to bring my planning and organizing where I needed it. I will share my techy organizing must haves and hope to inspire you to take full advantage of your smart phone once and for all!
Calendars
This is an obvious must have, but I use my techy calendar to its full capacity by creating multiple calendars. I have a calendar for birthdays and holidays, one for each person in my family, our expenses and pay days, and even one for my daily "routine" at home, and each calendar has its own color code to set it apart.
Creating separate calendars allows me to filter what I want to see on a larger scale so I have a better idea of how busy we really are. Often in families, what goes on one person's schedule likely affects at least one other person's calendar as well. Seeing it all {or seeing only a few} makes for simpler planning.
Task List
Like my calendars, I create multiple task lists on my smart phone to keep track of things like shopping lists, chores, priority to dos for the day, and weekly goals. Having my shopping list on my phone is convenient because I can cross off and put items back onto my list with ease. Listing my weekly chores reminds me what needs to be done each day without cluttering my calendar.
Contacts
My hubby and I share most of the same contacts since we keep in touch with most of the same friends and family members, so I have been designated the contact keeper and have my own contact group {see a theme happening here?}, and the hubster keeps his own separate contact group for work associates and clients. The trick to keeping contacts is having one central hub of information and one keeper of information so that contacts are always up to date and never duplicated. Having them synchronized is what makes this possible.
Synchronization
We sync our information {calendars, reminders and contacts} using iCloud because we all have Apple devices. This is the techy magic that makes everything work. If I update my brother's email on my phone, my hubby gets the update and can contact him without even realizing it ever changed. If the hubby makes a change to his schedule during the week on his phone, I can see the change as soon as it happens on my phone and can plan accordingly. If you haven't taken advantage of sync or cloud technology, do it! It will change your life for the better!
If you don't have a smart phone...
Many of the apps available on smart phones are also available through websites without the need for a smart phone. Some of the more popular ones are Google Calendar {calendar only} and Cozi Family Organizer {calendar, tasks, meals and more}. Each makes these important must haves available to every member of the family when they need it.
Are You Ready to Dive In?
Have you been timid in the technology department, but desperate to get your family life in order? Are you wondering what else you can do with that fancy new smart phone you just got? Ask around, dive in, and play with technology! Find out what you've been missing!
All the must haves above are no different than any other organizers must haves, it's how I use them that makes the biggest difference. Taking the time to figure out our needs and finding creative solutions to meet those needs is what makes me and technology a winning organizing pair. Having the courage to play around and ask questions helps a ton too! Don't be afraid to ask a techy person {me!} how they do what they do. I would be more than happy to share, in fact, it's one of the reasons I blog! Visit Gifts We Use and ask me your techy questions!
Ferly is a wife, mom and blogger on a journey to a clutter free house and life. She blogs at Gifts We Use {to grow, love and serve} about organizing, technology, family life and blogging hoping to inspire you to use our gifts to grow, love and serve your loved ones.
Please join me in giving Ferly a warm, island welcome. Also, be sure to check out her blog, where I am hanging out today. Have a wonderful day!
Ferly
Happy swap day! Thanks for the opportunity to post here! This was fun and I look forward to continuing our blog journeys together!
~ Ferly
Gifts We Use {to grow, love and serve}
Tragic Sandwich
We've started using Cozi for calendars and shopping lists. It does a lot more, but we're just getting started. I wanted something that my husband could access AND that I could update from my smartphone, and I really like the way Cozi works.
Ferly
I really love how technology has been able to make family planning so much easier! ComI does so much! Glad you like it.
~ Ferly
Organizedisland
Cozi is new to me and I am going to have to chack it out.
Jamie
I'm horrible when it comes to organization. I try to keep it all in my head. With the blogging end of things, I've started to use the calendar feature through google. It's helped a ton. (Only forgot one deadline) and when i got home that evening it was written!!
As far as the other things, I've always had a pretty good sense of staying on top of things... but I have a book about organization sitting next to me that Im ready to pop open and learn.
Ferly
In the same way the calendar has helped your blogging, it can do so much more for your life. I applaud you for being able to keep everything in your head thus far! I need to spit everything out and onto something or it'll get lost in my head!
~ Ferly
Organizedisland
Sounds like you are on top of it Jamie! Yes, I love the google calendar as well. I have to write everything down so it gets done.
Barbara
Ever since my husband got the iCloud it has been so much easier to stay organized. Since our phones and home computers are always linked to each other we can always remember appointments and schedule work meetings around the other's schedule. Thanks for these tips!
Ferly
I agree! iCloud is the best thing to happen to organizing! I love having everything updated everywhere automatically! Like magic! Hope you are able to use these tips for your own family.
~ Ferly
Nic from Thriving Wives
My husband and I use the Cozi iPhone app - it has a calendar, to do list, shopping lists, journal, and more. You can share it with as many people as you want since it's just one login. We love it!
Strive to Thrive,
Nic
http://www.Thriving-Wives.com
Organizedisland
I love that you can share it! That would be so good for us too!
SprungAtLast
I use the Apple Calendar app on iCloud to keep my appointments (mostly) straight. For to-do lists, I love toodledo, which allows me to make lists by group (home/kid/volunteer), and tag things by level of urgency, set deadline dates, and so on. it's on my phone and I can log in by my computer. I forget what it cost, it's not free, but it's awesome.
Organizedisland
Oooh! Never heada of toodledo, sounds like a great app. I will check it out. I love apps. Thank you for sharing.
Barbara Charles
Nice article. Just started using my iphone tools recently to keep myself organized and to remind me of what I need to do. Great tools to help us organize in our business. Thanks for sharing.
Barbara
Organizedisland
Thanks Barbara! Glad you found the information helpful!
Cafe Pasadena
Planning & Organizing: I have a love/hate relationship with those words. So, I envy those who just love em!
"If you think about something that you are not doing every day, you need to do it” My version of this saying wood be: If u think about something everyday which u aren't doing, you probably need to do it!"
Organizedisland
Yes, I like your wording 🙂