It’s hard to be an organized working mom. Work schedules, school schedules, family commitments, and everything else that comes your way.

I’ve partnered with Boise POLARIS Premium Papers to show you how I organize my life.

How do I organize everything and keep my sanity? One word: routines.

Routines are the processes we subconsciously follow each day. They are the things we do by habit without much thought. Making coffee. Brushing our teeth.

There are six main areas of my life I focus on:

feeding my family

cleaning my house

working

taking care of myself

spending time with my family

managing the money we earn

When each of these areas has been attended to, my life runs smoothly.

Do you wish you could get your life organized? Feeding your family. Cleaning your house. Work. Making time for yourself. Spending time with your family. Managing your money.

You need a plan to pull it all together. 

I’ve learned that you CAN manage multiple schedules as a working mom. You just have to have the right tools.

Best Tools for the Organized Working Mom

I favor paper planners that allow me to organize work, home, travel schedules, hubby’s schedule, and kids’ activities, all on one page.

If you don’t have one, I offer a free monthly printable calendar for you!

BONUS TIP: I also put some appointments in my phone that sync with my Google account. I NEED the reminder features to keep me on track. Using electronic calendars that consolidate multiple schedules, such as Google Calendar, are ideal for sharing information between family members.

In order for your calendar to help you, you have to actually USE it. I print out my kids’ school calendars, note hair appointments, doctor’s appointments, birthdays, and more.

Also, consider what tasks will come with each appointment or commitment. For example, if you have a doctor’s appointment with a new doctor, you may need to arrive early to fill out paperwork. If you join the church choir, you’ll need to block off the practice times on your calendar each week.

If you don’t have one of these either, I offer a free blank printable to do list for you!

I love writing out to do lists and planning my time with a calendar. I rarely find a ready-made solution. So, I usually end up creating my own from a mishmash of products.

When I get my new calendar each year, I immediately write in all of the birthdays, appointments, and anniversaries. I also use it as a family calendar where I can note school holidays, early dismissals, doctor appointments, work schedules, and other events.

How Often to Plan to Stay Organized

I recommend weekly planning sessions. I would suggest that you set aside 1/2 hour to plan each week. Sundays would be an ideal day to get ahead for the week. This is part of my “prep the night before” routine.

What items do you need to plan for? Check your calendar, work out carpool details, decide what you’re cooking, assign weekly chores, and block off some quality time with your children.

Best Routines for Working Moms

Follow these steps to create a productive, efficient, and helpful daily routine to get you through the day.

Create a Morning Routine that includes getting kids ready and out the door for school.

Plan an Evening Routine to get ahead and avoid stressful mornings.

Break your day into four distinct phases to complete a Daily Routine.

Work together with your family to have systems that keep things running smoothly using a Weekly Routine.

Print out a Monthly Calendar for birthdays, appointments, anniversaries, school holidays, early dismissals, doctor appointments, work schedules, and other events.

Use a Weekly Meal Planning as your roadmap to getting your family fed during the week ahead. (Yes, you need one, even if you think you don’t!)

I love being able to pull up one of these printables and have it seconds later thanks to my home printer. My favorite brand is Boise POLARIS® Premium papers. Using quality papers at home provides so many benefits.

Selecting the right paper can help ensure:

• Colors pop off the page

• Black ink doesn’t bleed through the other side

• Paper doesn’t jam in the printer

• Work documents feel professional

• Printed pages look their best

• You get the most out of every paper sheet

About Boise POLARIS® Premium papers

Exceptionally bright and highly versatile, Boise POLARIS Premium paper is paper you can trust when printing important documents that need to shine at all times. Whether it’s a client proposal, an important presentation, or your children’s homework, Boise POLARIS Premium papers ensure excellent document imaging and consistent results every time.

Which Boise POLARIS® Premium paper should I use?

Boise POLARIS® Premium Multipurpose paper:

• Perfect for printing general documents

• Prints with radiant brightness for crisp images and text

• 99.99% Jam-free performance guarantee that is certified by a third party – the reputable Buyers Laboratory, Inc.

• Available in two different weights (20 lb. and 24 lb.) so that you can choose the heavier option when needed

• Features ColorLok TechnologyTM to make the color pop off the page

Boise POLARIS® Premium Laser paper

• Ideal for proposals and presentations with color charts and graphs

• This bright white paper is engineered specifically for premium performance in laser

copiers and printers

• Optimized for two-sided printing with clear definition and minimal show-through

• Great for external communications

• Features ColorLok TechnologyTM

Boise POLARIS® Inkjet paper

• Best for documents with photos or flyers, certificates, and announcements

• Essential when the printing calls for more vivid colors and bolder blacks

• Dries faster with ColorLok TechnologyTM

My Favorite Boise POLARIS Premium Paper – Premium Laser Paper

• It has excellent opacity. Opacity refers to how sheer a paper is – with a higher opacity meaning the paper is less transparent. I printed out a quote in a thick font and none of it could be seen through on the back side.

If paper is too sheer, ink with show through when you print and then you will not be able to print double sided. A paper that is too sheer can also make a document feel less sophisticated or polished.

The brightness of this paper was also excellent. Paper that is more even in tone and less creamy in color will look whiter to the eye and will provide more contrast for printed images and text, making them stand out.

A bright paper makes colors and printed text pop off the page.

• Through March 31, 2017, all Boise POLARIS Premium papers that are offered at Office Depot and OfficeDepot.com are $6 per ream

• For comparison, Hammermill Premium Multipurpose paper is $12.99 per ream and HP Multipurpose Ultra White paper is $9.99

Boise Paper does more than print you documents smoothly and consistently – it is also Paper with Purpose®. All Boise POLARIS Premium Papers include Box Tops for Education – so you can earn money for your local school while also getting a great printed document.

You can learn more about Boise’s Paper with Purpose mission here. Boise POLARIS Premium papers are also made in America and is Forest Stewardship Council® (FSC) certified – meaning it is made from wood fibers that came from a sustainably-managed forest.

Boise Paper is holding a contest through Friday, March 3. It’s the Boise Paper #ByeByeOfficeBoredom Paper Airplane Contest – you enter the contest by submitting a photo or video of your best paper airplane creation! The first place prize is $500 and reams of Boise paper.

The unique link to the contest is here: http://bit.ly/BoisePaperAirplaneContest, where you can also find more information and enter the contest.

Ready to try out this great paper for yourself? Thanks to this partnership with Boise, one lucky reader will win a $25 gift card to Office Depot!

How to Win an Office Depot $25 Gift Card

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This promotion is open until March 14, 2017, at 11:59 pm EST and is limited to US residents, 18 years or older.  The winner will be chosen randomly. Winner must respond to email within 24 hours or prize may be forfeited.  Promotional content and prize for this promotion is provided by and shipped by Boise Paper and/or its representatives.  The prize may be sent via FedEx or UPS. No P.O. Boxes, please.

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