We all want to be able to organize our schedules and have the commitment to maintain them on a day-to-day basis, but how? Creating a workable schedule is typically time-consuming and often results in a frustrating battle with your calendar.

Organization is beneficial for everyone and can be easily adapted to suit individual needs. And believe it or not, being organized in your everyday life actually saves you time and money. Here are a few of the reasons why.

Efficient and Stress-Free

If you keep your belongings organized, you don’t need to spend time looking for them when needed. This is especially handy in the case of important yet rarely used items, such as insurance or tax information.

The key to keeping things organized is to come up with a place to keep something and stick to it. If you want to keep important mail in a desk drawer, make sure you keep all of your important mail in that drawer. Don’t be afraid of sorting your things too much. The more categories of things you come up with, the easier it will be to find exactly what you need when you need it.

Saves You from Buying New

Organization keeps you from buying items you already have, but you’ve forgotten about or lost in your household or workplace. You’re more likely to forget about a pack of rubber-bands you bought several months ago and never opened, than your car keys or your wallet. Combined, these types of purchases can end up costing you a significant amount of money for items that you already have.

Fortunately, this is a very fixable problem. By cleaning and organizing the designated “junk” drawers in your home or office and making a list of all the items, you will easily find the item you’re looking for the next time you go searching. This avoids unnecessary purchases and impulsive buys at the store in the future. It's a very flexible habit that can be applied to many aspects of your daily routine.

Helps You Remember Important Details

It can be hard to keep track of every detail when you have a lot going on in your life. Sometimes, bills can get lost in the shuffle and go unpaid, or household maintenance gets overlooked. By keeping all of your activities organized, you can get them done in a more efficient manner and you make sure that every detail is taken care of.

Saves Money on Shopping

If you plan out a menu for each month, you can buy many of your groceries in bulk, saving you time and frequent trips to the store. If you prepare a list ahead of time, you can also look for coupons that offer savings on the things you plan to buy.
The same applies to non-food items, which can be bought in bulk and stored for later use. Staying organized and keeping essentials stocked up saves you the stress of running out to make a special trip for more. You can also plan out birthday or holiday gifts well ahead of time, so that you can keep an eye out for a good deal.

While it may take a bit of effort, organizing your life allows you to use your time more efficiently and to take full advantage of your finances. Not only that, but the more thought-out your budget or schedule is, the less you will worry about them. There are many tools designed to help keep you organized, including all kinds of helpful apps for mobile devices.

Are your organizational skills lacking? Are you looking for an easy way to rectify the situation? If you answered "yes" to one or both of these questions, it's time to consider one of the many mobile apps that help you get and stay organized. If money is an issue, there are many free apps to choose from. Read further, to learn more about a few of your choices.

EasilyDo

EasilyDo is the app that is said to "tell you what you need to do, before you even know you need to do it." This app is capable of doing everything, from reminding you to buy flowers for your anniversary to making dinner reservations and much more.

One of the coolest things about this app is the ability to multi-task. Instead of having to keep track of several applications at the same time, EasilyDo keeps all of your crucial information in one place.

Other features include the ability to check traffic, track packages, issue a reminder about appointments and deadlines... just to name a few. EasilyDo seamlessly connects to many online services. It is free to use.

Link - https://www.easilydo.com/

Evernote

If you're the type of person who likes to take notes in an effort to stay more organized, then Evernote is for you. In addition to writing notes which won't get lost in the shuffle, you can also record notes and email notes to several devices simultaneously. Better yet, you can organize all of your notes by placing them in "notebooks" or attaching tags to whichever ones you choose.

Link - https://evernote.com/

Mint Personal Finance

The Mint.com personal finance app does an excellent job of keeping your finances organized at the touch of a button. You can easily create a budget, keep track of your spending habits, etc.

All of your personal information is protected by a four-digit PIN, so there's no need to worry about security breaches. It's extremely straightforward to add bank accounts, credit card accounts, loans and more. If you lose your phone, it's very simple to deactivate mobile access.

Link - https://www.mint.com/

Weave

If you're a "to-do" list junkie, Weave is the app for you. This free app features things like the ability to share projects or lists with a spouse, colleague or roommate. It's easy to add additional notes to any lists and keep a record of the time each individual spends on certain projects.

If you've been using a calendar app that you're not overly fond of, why not try Weave instead? If you're involved in several projects at once, the app might just turn out to be your new best friend. It's available for both Android and iPhone users.

Link - http://www.seedcode.com/weave-calendar-overlay-by-intuit/

If you've always dreamed about being more organized, there's more hope for you than ever before. One of the best things about using an app (especially a free one) is that if it doesn't work for you, simply try another one until you find the perfect fit. Why not take a few minutes to check out a few of these apps today? Your organizational skills will thank you for it.

Mind mapping is a brainstorming technique where visual diagrams are used to show how thoughts or ideas are connected. The process is commonly used in project planning and presentations. In today’s digitally-focused world, it’s easier to create and share mind maps than ever before. Here are a few cloud-based applications that let you and your team create and modify a mind map together.

Bubbl.us

Bubbl.us is a free tool that allows you to create online “trees” in order to brainstorm and map ideas. Start with a central topic, then add new topics either at the same level or one level lower. Bubbl.us will format these bubbles into a tree automatically, though you can also move the bubbles around to suit your needs. You can also change the color and size of your bubbles to bring style to your brainstorming session. Bubbl.us is free, but an account is required in order to create or edit a tree.

Link - https://bubbl.us/

SpiderScribe

SpiderScribe is an online-based brainstorming and mind mapping tool that allows you to easily share your mind map with others. You can use SpiderScribe to connect files, notes and even calendar events on maps you can design how you want. Your maps are stored in the cloud, which means that you and the people you choose to share the map with can access and edit it at any time. SpiderScribe offers a free personal account and offer upgraded “pro” and “business” options for a small fee.

Link - https://www.spiderscribe.net/

Popplet

Popplet is a versatile mind mapping tool that allows multiple users to work on the same project. Popplet allows users to add media such as images or video to their maps. Maps can also have tags or categories applied to them, which makes them easy to sort through later. Popplet can be used both on PC and iOS compatible devices, though no Android version is currently available.

Link - https://popplet.com/

Coggle

Coggle is a free and easy mind mapping application that you can sign in to via your Google account. When creating a mind map with their software, Coggle will automatically randomize the color of each branch, although you may change it to whatever color you wish by clicking on the branch you want to change.

When you have completed your mind map, you can download and share it with your friends or co-workers. Not only that, but you may allow the people that you share your mind map with to edit the content too. It also gives you the option to look at what your mind map looked like before you allowed other people to make changes on it.

Link - https://coggle.it/

GroupMap

GroupMap is all about making team-based activities easier. You can create or select a map, then invite a team to comment, collaborate and even vote on the best ideas. Everyone gets to add their views to the brainstorming session and GroupMap collects these ideas and displays them all in a group view for comment and for voting. GroupMap is easy to use, offers a free account option, and gives every member of the team a voice when it comes to collaborating.

Link - http://www.groupmap.com/

These are just a few of the mind mapping tools available online. There are many other services available offering mind mapping resources and other useful brainstorming tools. It’s up to you to decide which is best to help you and your team organize your ideas.