Top Strategies for Being an Organized Caregiver

Caregivers are a vital part of society. They’re responsible for supporting not just their own health, but also the health of a vulnerable family member. Many face other challenges too, like trying to raise young children, to continue to work a job, or complex health needs of their care recipient. These patterns all highlight the importance of being an organized caregiver.

Despite the critical nature of their role, caregivers are often undertrained. They’re left alone, without the necessary support, wondering how they can be an effective caregiver, or what the qualities of a good caregiver are. 

Being organized is one area that can majorly help caregivers. And, the process doesn’t require special training or skills. All you need is the willingness to put some basic systems into place.

Why Be An Organized Caregiver

Life as a caregiver can seem like a hectic whirlwind. It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the sheer number of things that need to be completed – not to mention how unpredictable life seems. 

Being an organized caregiver can help you to prioritize tasks, to jobs done in a timely manner, and to have everything at hand for any crisis that arises. Organization also means that you’re spending less time stressing or trying to cram things in at the last minute. 

To put it simply – being organized helps you to use your time more efficiently. This frees up time for other tasks. 

Top Ways To Be Organized

1. Have a Daily Routine 

Everyone has some type of daily routine, where they repeat some of the same tasks from one day to the next. However, what that looks like varies dramatically from one person to the next.  

• For example, some people start the day by getting up at 5am, doing exercise, meditation, and having a hearty breakfast. Habit apps can be helpful for getting you on the right track.
• Others begin the day in an entirely different way, perhaps with a cup of coffee being the first item on their list.  
• Likewise, some people will have their days carefully planned out, while others are more likely to wing it as they go along. 

The best approach is going to depend on your personality and your situation. 

Being too rigid, for example, can get monotonous fast, especially for people who like variation. This type of rigidity isn’t very practical in a caregiving situation anyway, as you can’t fully predict or control another person. 

On the other hand, having no routine at all can be stressful for you and your family member. 

The benefits of having a daily routine include: 

• For vulnerable seniors, a routine can create a feeling of safety and security
• For organized caregivers, structuring your day and week so that you’re repeating the same tasks, at around the same time, in the same way, helps to keep your mind rested. After all, it takes energy to make decisions, even simple ones. 
• Knowing what is next also means that you don’t need to spend time planning or wondering. 
• You can even start to look forward to the enjoyable activities – and be in a good frame of mind for the less enjoyable ones too. 

There are also important things to consider with your daily routine.

• Be realistic. Have you seen all those amazing daily routines on YouTube that are meant to energize you and get you focused? Many of them are difficult to follow in practice. You can try, but a routine will do you no good at all if you can’t follow it. 
• Focus on what works. Many of us have set ideas about what we ‘should’ be doing with our days. These ideas are useful at times, but they can also be frustrating and very limiting. It’s much better to decide for yourself. Look at what works in your situation. For example, if you have a lot to do in the morning, you might need to have a protein shake for breakfast or eat something like overnight oats that can be prepared the might before. 

2. Make a Schedule

A schedule is one of the easiest ways to make your life more organized. 

This gives you the chance to block out chunks of time for things that need to be done. We’re not just talking about doctor’s appointments either. Your schedule can also focus on when you plan to do things, like go to the grocery store each week or even take a bath. 

Here are some ways to make the process easier: 

• Add time-specific events to your schedule as soon as you know about them, like appointments and social engagements. This reduces the risk that you’ll forget about an event. 
• Schedule other tasks one week at a time. This way you don’t get overwhelmed. And honestly, you often won’t know much further ahead than one week. 
• Be flexible. Schedules are a useful tool, but they’re just a tool. Don’t follow your schedule strictly if doing so is going to stress you out. The complexity of life means that sometimes you will need to do things differently. This is completely okay. 
• You can also plan your schedule so that it is efficient, which helps you to save time. For example, if you go shopping every Thursday, you do some errands at the same time and get everything done all in one go. 

You should also think about the type of tool that you’re going to use. 

• Journals can be useful, especially ones that have spreads for you to plan a week or even a month at a time. 
• A wall calendar can be used for important events, like birthdays or appointments, but it won’t help much with an hour-to-hour schedule.
• You could use a weekly or daily planner whiteboard (or something similar). This means that everyone in your household can see the schedule. There are more specialized tools out there for helping to plan for your household too. 
• Digital tools may be helpful for some situations, even something as simple as Google Calendar. You can often sync your information across multiple devices and even keep separate calendars for yourself and the rest of the family. 

We’ve highlighted some of the best tools for caregiver time management in a separate post. You can check these out for ideas about products that can help you to be an organized caregiver.

3. Make a To-Do List

Keep a notepad for your list of daily tasks and try to get done the most difficult ones first. Making a to-do list a day prior helps to prepare for the events of the day, and improves time management.

A to-do list is also good for time management, as it’s easy to see which tasks can be worked on at the same time. 

You can also get a sense of accomplishment from checking off items on the list. 

You can include a variety of task types, like those that relate to caregiving, to the household, and to your own needs. Make sure to update the list regularly so that it remains useful.

4. Use Other Lists Too

Other types of lists have their own advantages for any organized caregiver, including shopping lists and a list of required medical supplies. These lists help you 

• Try to buy more before you run out of a given item. This helps to avoid a crisis situation. 
• Focus on items that you may need too. This include maintaining a full first aid kit. After all, you can never be certain of what you’re going to need. Having ‘just in case’ items on hand could end up being essential, especially if it becomes difficult to get to a store. 

5. Keep Notes

Keep a notepad for writing questions to the doctor, name, and information of people you have to reach to, and any note or observations that are not daily tasks.

Or, if you’re more tech savvy, you might use a digital approach instead. There are many notepad apps to choose from and these can often be synced from one device to another. You could also use a caregiver-specific app, like Caring Village. Caregiving apps often make it easier to coordinate care and keep important information handy. 

6. Avoid Daily Shopping Trips

It’s tempting to simply go out to the store every time you need something, but this approach is time-consuming and isn’t helpful at all. Keeping lists of needs should make it easy to only go out once or twice a week. 

With a few simple strategies, you can also turn a shopping trip into an enjoyable outing for yourself and the person you’re caring for. And, why not? Shopping doesn’t need to be an onerous activity. 

7. Schedule in Self-Care

Planning isn’t reserved for the events that must be completed each day. You can also plan other things too, like self-care. 

Doing so is powerful, as self-care often gets pushed aside for tasks that seem more urgent. It’s much easier to take time for yourself and your own needs when doing so is literally an event in your calendar. 

8. Keep Important Details Close

Some information needs to be kept close at hand. This can include:

• Names, contact numbers, and addresses for important people and services, such as:
  • Doctors
  • Hospitals
  • Primary pharmacy and at least a couple of alternatives
  • Insurance companies
  • Lawyers
  • Family members that can respond to an emergency
  • Friends
  • Housekeepers
  • Clergy or layperson
  • Anybody that may be relevant to the care or whose services may be necessary
• A list of current medications and doses, along with information about the purpose of the medication 
• Important documentation for Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other key services. 
• Any important information to provide a doctor, such as current symptoms or questions that you want to ask. Such details can be especially important for seniors who have one or more chronic conditions.
• Some caregivers also maintain a journal in addition to personal health records with daily personal observations and notes; this is extremely helpful to take to doctor’s appointments and in case of emergency.

A physical notebook is one way to do this. Look for a notebook that has tabs to make organization easy and a sleeve to store any loose papers. 

This is another time that you could consider a digital tool. Many apps are designed to make it easy to store important information. You could even use something like Google Drive.

9. Organize Your Paperwork

You’ll also have other important pieces of paperwork that need to be stored, including key documents. 

When well organized, these documents make it easier to manage a crisis. They can help you to make decisions clearly and to avoid confusing. 

Organizing paperwork is particularly important for people who have medical problems, financial challenges, and/or cognitive issues. These things can all increase the amount of paperwork that there is and the importance of managing it. 

There are various strategies that you can take. The best technique is going to depend on the amount of paperwork that you’re managing and your situation. 

• A simple strategy is to use a sectioned binder that has categories for key documents that you’ll need to access.
• For medical and financial documents that need to be stored, you could rely on a filing cabinet.
• Manilla folders are another option. You can use one folder per topic and then store the folders in labeled boxes, one for each year (or month, if there is a lot of paperwork to worry about). 

The most important documents should also be scanned and uploaded to some type of digital storage. This prevents them from getting lost and makes it easy to share the documents when needed. 

There are now many cloud services that you can use to safely store documents. If you’re worried about security, look for a service that has extra security features. 

Some of the documents that you’ll need to store include:

• Birth certificate, ID and driver’s license
• Social Security records
• Medicare documentation
• Health and life insurance records, including your account numbers
• Advance directives 
• Any documents related to the house, car or other assets
• Taxes documentation
• Trust documents
• Will documents
• Military records
• Divorce records
• Funeral pre-arrangement
• Any other specific documentation that may relevant to the care

10. Pay Close Attention to Health Documents

Health documents are often particularly important in a caregiving situation. After all, you’re supporting someone whose health may be declining. 

Key health documents to focus on include the following:

• Laboratory’s test results
• Radiology results
• Hospital discharge summaries
• Copies of an advance directive
• Living wills
• Power of attorney for healthcare
• Health care providers information
• Health insurance information (including any related primary and secondary documents)
• Hospital bills and receipts
• A list of doctors and their phone numbers
• Recent medical history
• Any other specific documentation that may relevant to the care

You don’t need to keep all of these on hand, but it’s important to know where the information is in case you need it in a hurry. 

11. Be Ready for Emergencies

An organized caregiver is ready for emergencies. Planning for problems makes everything much easier when a problem does arise. This includes knowing what to do, who to call, where to go, and where to find important information. Having these things planned ahead of time means that if there is an emergency, you only need to focus on yourself and the person that you are caring for. 

We’re not just talking about emergencies that affect the person you’re caring for either. 

Think seriously about what happens if you get sick or are in an accident. You need to have systems in place so that your family member is still supported, even if you’re not able to be there for a while. 

Doing so may mean taking a close look at your family member’s care network. Think about who is able to provide support and what your options are. 

12. Keep The Home Organized Physically

Organization of the living space is important too. Keeping the home free from clutter has a range of advantages, including:

• Decreasing stress
• Lowering the risk of falls by removing trip hazards
• Making it easier to find things when you need them
• Making cleaning easier and faster

Taking a minimalistic approach can sometimes be helpful. This involves seriously thinking about the way you feel about objects and whether they bring joy. The process makes many people feel more free and less attached to material objects. 

You can also use containers to make being an organized caregiver much easier. Sectioned boxes and drawers can be incredibly helpful, as they give you more out-of-the-way places to put things. 

You can also designate spaces for particular things. For example, you might set an organization station near the door and gather physical items needed when going out to appointments or trips like snacks, water bottles, medication, any necessary documentation, magazines, and umbrellas. 

Some advantages of defining spaces like this include: 

• Saving you time 
• Reducing stress
• Eliminating confusion, as you know where things are likely to be

13. Avoid Postponing Secondary Tasks

Secondary tasks might not seem as important as urgent ones, so it’s easy to keep putting them off, especially if life is hectic. This includes self-care, household cleaning tasks, and many other things. 

However, postponing secondary tasks just means that they stack up over time. 

Scheduling in time for non-essential tasks is a good way to stay on top of things and helps to keep your stress levels down.