Women and Organizing

Many women agree it isn't easy juggling a career and a family. Peter talks with three women who have found simple ways for women to stay organized and not become overwhelmed. Alicia Rockmore's company sells several kits and tools that help women get their lives in order, Elisa Taub is the creator of a website that helps new moms get organized, and Pat is a loyal listener who put together her daughter's wedding in just six weeks.

Alicia Rockmore says she and four other women started a company called Buttoned Up about three years ago to help other women get organized with simple-to-follow organizational kits. "Our motto is that we give busy women the ability to do more by showing them how to organize less," Alicia says. One of her top tips for busy women is to delegate—take items off of your to-do list by having other members of the household take on tasks. "If your husband is going to do the dishes, the dishes may not be done exactly the way you want them," she says. "But, you know what? Somebody else is doing them, and that is the important thing."

Elisa Taube, creator of MomReady.com, says many women find organizing to be next to impossible once they start having children. Her must-have item is an expandable file folder, which she says is inexpensive and great for organizing all areas of your life. "As I pay bills, I have them organized by vendor. So if it is a department store or utility bill, each one has a slot," she says. "You can also use them as a new mom because you have all these new tools—swings, strollers, high chairs, bottle warmers—things you have never used before. [Expandable files] are a great place to store the manuals."

Peter says a loyal listener named Pat deserves a crown for being the queen of organization. Pat says she pulled off planning her daughter's wedding at local country club within six weeks. She also says she keeps an impeccable home, organizes the ministry at her church and works at a local school. So, how does Pat do it? She says her organizational method is all about following these steps:

• Have systems in place: Pat says that everything in her home has a place. "I am very particular and very neat, I want remote controls where they belong!" she says.
• Achieve common goals: Pulling off her daughter's wedding in just 42 days wasn't the nightmare that many would expect. That is because Pat says she knew what her goals were and she followed through on them.
• Create a plan: Pat says that creating lists of what you need to accomplish and following a timeline are important elements to staying organized. "[Before my daughter's wedding], we had a budget and then we basically had to prioritize our lists," she says.
• Be committed to working the plan:. "You want to monitor the progress of your goals," she says. "I write in a planner—I make three different columns, [one] of things you have to accomplish, then emerging items and then the things you want to accomplish. You check those things off each day."