My New Best Friend {A Home Management Binder}

From my latest posts you may have figured out that a home management binder is my new best friend. Today I’m gonna walk you through building your own.

photo source

 I know what you’re saying. I said the same things when I first heard about home management notebooks.

Then I became one of those gals.
By the third kid, I was beginning to unravel.  Although it looked like I had it all together — house was tidy, laundry got done (usually), I cooked all our meals from scratch — the truth was, my brain was wearied and confused trying to keep on top of everything. Even though I wrote copious lists and constantly worked on organization,  I was drained by the constant need to prioritize and by the fact that I felt I could never let my mind rest, for fear something would leak out.
 
Enter the Home Management Notebook. When I finally buckled down and put one together, I realized how stupid I’d been to put it off. It really wasn’t that hard, and it has made all the difference!

• All my lists are in one place. No more searching for that scrap of paper.
•  I have my priorities always before me, reducing the mental strain of constantly weighing options for my time.
•  I am more organized than ever, which is finally allowing me to relax and trust that IF I have forgotten something, it is small enough that I don’t need to worry about it.
• I feel like I have space to breathe – almost as if I DID have Cinderella visit occasionally!

So, now I have you drooling over your own Home Management Notebook, but you’re also staring at the hurdle of Building Your Own.

It’s really not that hard – Let me talk you through it.

First we shall collect our materials. I’m going to give you two options. If you’re desperate to start one and don’t have time to run to Walmart first, here’s the bare bones necessities you’ll need that you probably already have around the house…

• Binder (1 1/2 -2 inch spine)
• Lined paper with holes OR any paper and a 3-hole punch (I got mine at the thrift store!)
• Old file folders for dividers. 

There’s going to be sections in your book, and I’ve found old file folders, cut up the spine and hole punched, work good for dividers. The above is enough to get you started. – you can upgrade to a pretty binder or dividers with pockets later.

This is your shopping list if you wanna get a little fancy…

• Binder (Target has some Gorgeous ones!)
• Lined paper with re-inforced holes
• Avery Tab Dividers with Pockets
• Plastic sleeves – glossy finish
• Wet Erase fine-tip markers

That will make you a fancy-pants book, let me tell you!

Next step is to decide how you wanna order you’re binder.I recommend you wander around a bit for inspiration. Everyone’s got their different ways of setting it up and all. The power of your binder comes from having it customized to your goals and routines. My set-up is kind of unique, inspired by my friend Gretchen’s binder. But there’s lots of great stuff out there – I’ve pinned some of my favorites on Pinterest to get you started. If you’re already feeling lost and don’t want to wander further into the unknown, don’t worry, I’ll be back shortly to talk you through how I set up mine, ok?

{Many thanks to my friends Gretchen, Jessica, and Diane whose examples of pursuing organization finally prompted me to build my own binder. :)}

Not sure if a home management binder is for you? I told you – neither did I. Until I tried it! I’ll never go back. What would ‘room to breathe’ feel like in your day?