Stephanie Vozza is the founder of a terrific website, chock-full of all things organizing, The Organized Parent.  And now she has written a fabulous book called The 5 Minute Mom’s Club.  Ever since I got my hands on a copy, I have been enjoying all of her insights and those of some pretty amazing contributors.  I’ve been so amazed at some of the tips in this book (there are 105, after all), that I would like to share some of my favorites.

• #1 Let Go of “Super Mom” – This is the right place to start.  Parents today have arrived at the conclusion that we should be experts at everything.  Stephanie says, “. . .organized does not mean perfect.”  I love this!
• #12 Do Some, It’s Better than None – This gem came from Aby Garvey of Simplify101.com.  She says, “. . .you can’t finish something until you start it.”  This is so true.  I know from my recent basement organizing project.  I had been collecting things to sell or give away.  However, it always seemed like such a big job that I could never bring myself to tackle it.  If I hadn’t dove in eventually, it would have sat there indefinitely.
• #14 Choose Actions over Distractions – Stephanie lists in this tip several things that prevent us from getting things done.  Most of the items are standard time-drains, but one of them really struck me.  Number 6 is “Doing something for someone else when they should be doing it themselves.”  How much time do we spend picking up after family members or doing the chores that they should be doing? We’re not doing anyone a favor when we spend time in this way.
• #18 Create a To Do List – Can you even imagine why this might be one of my favorite tips?  It is so true that a To Do List is a tremendous tool for getting things accomplished on time.  Stephanie has a wipeboard in her kitchen where she writes her most important task for that day.  Way to prioritize!  If we accomplished one major To Do each day, that would go a long way to getting things done.
• #23 Create a Plan (and Avoid Whack-a-Mole Mom Syndrome) – Have you ever seen that carnival game, Whack-A-Mole?  You don’t know how to prepare for what is coming up, so you stand guard, ready to strike.  You get little to no warning, but just attack as they come.  This is a great analogy for how we feel when we don’t have a plan (such as for meals or special occasions).
• #33 Start your Morning Routine at Night – This is a great tip, and one that can save you a lot of tension in the morning.  One thing that I learned from Stephanie here is that she says, “I pack an entire week’s lunches on Sunday night.”  Really?  Why didn’t I think of this?!  She advises against packing pb&j too far ahead, though.
• #73 Just Say No to Ironing – This little tip comes from yours truly!  When Stephanie asked me if I had any tips to contribute to busy moms, I thought of this one:  “I don’t want to iron my family’s clothes, so I fold our clothes directly out of the dryer.  This not only keeps them from getting wrinkled when they are thrown into a laundry basket to sit for a day (or two) but it saves me a step later on.”
• #98 Worth Remembering Journal – Stephanie advocates for keeping a small notebook in your purse so that you can write down the things that are “worth remembering”.  I love this tip and exercise it often, although I tend lately to add things to my Notes app in my iPhone.  However, it works the same way.  Now I’ll remember books recommendations that I hear about from friends, quick lists of things to do, things my kids say that I would like to remember, and things I want to check out on the internet when I get home.

What are the tips you have learned to “make a mom’s life easier”?  Please share with us so we can learn from you!