Sometimes it happens. You come across a resource that makes a big difference in the little parts of your day, which in turn makes a big difference in your life. This is a story about that.

I wrote last year about cleaning off counter clutter and keeping it organized. And as much as I hate to admit it, there is no place on my organized kitchen counter for a pretty, printed home management binder.

The problem with the pretty binders

You’ve seen those, right? With the turn of the new year they are all over Pinterest right now, and man are they gorgeous. Flowers, fonts, checklists — be still my girlie heart.

And how I’ve tried to make it work. I have printed out more than my share of pretty calendars, birthday lists, and routines. I’ve had leather covers, printed covers, different colored covers for different seasons. Yeah, I had it bad.

But the biggest problem (other than the fact that this notebook basically became a glorified overflowing inbox within three weeks) was that whenever I needed something, there the darn thing sat on my counter and never in my hand.

A solution to get the planner off of the counter

Enter my precious.

This was my birthday gift to me last year. With Matt out of the country I got to do my own shopping. And with that purchase I became a bit obsessed with doing this digital lifestyle up right.

So when the book Paperless Home Organization came across my radar, I knew I needed to give it a read. That turned out to be a bit harder than what I expected, because I kept getting sidetracked running off to try the tips and hacks in the book.

Almost a year later I am still not 100% sure I have read every word — distraction by great tips!! — but I also keep going back for more. This is a book so rich, you need to consume it in small bites.

In Paperless Home Organization, Mystie Winckler leads you through the process of using digital applications to build your very own paperless system. She walks you step-by-step through how to use four free apps to digitally store the same information you would normally keep in a home management binder.

Which means if you have a smartphone, or an iPod Touch, or any tablet, then your binder no longer sits cluttering up your counter, but in your hand — at the doctor’s office, the bookstore, even at your school room table. (Please tell me I am not the only one who forgot two subjects in school because the routine checklist was in the other room.)

And that means instantly cleaner counters

Which, to me, is the best thing about the entire process. But just in case you needed a few more things:

Remember the feel less busy tip to turn off your digital calendars I shared a couple of weeks ago? Totally got that from Paperless Home Organization.

Never forget a birthday gift again when you program your calendar to email you a reminder a week before the big day. And besides these two tips, there are five fantastic pages on how to set-up and use your digital calendar.Tech Thursday logo | Everyday SnapshotsPin

Discover how great Evernote is for homeschooling. In fact, Evernote is great for just about anything, and if you aren’t sure what Evernote is, then Mystie will teach you how to:

  • set up a free an account
  • organize your notebooks for maximum useability
  • manage checklists
  • create a digital file cabinet (paper shredder here we come!)
  • keep booklists
  • build student portfolios
  • lots, lots more

I am making my way slowly to the finish line of this digital process. And I think that is one of the big perks of the book. I have been able to implement a part of the process, work with it, and then go back for more when the time is right for me.

And in between all the technical how-to, this book is peppered with practical advice like “Feel free to postpone tasks that just aren’t going to happen and don’t need to happen now. Make the decision up front and don’t let the task hang over your head, causing you guilt. ”

Less guilt, always available, cleaner counters. That’s my kind of home organization.

So how can you get your counters clean?

 photo pho_button_125x125_zps683d22a1.pngIf you think it might be your kind of home organization too, then don’t wait to get your copy of Paperless Home Organization. At $4.99 it is a steal for all the valuable information it contains.

And don’t forget to share this post with your closest friends — via Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter or G+, because friends want friends to have clean counters too, right?

I did not receive compensation or free products for this review — I just really like the book. This post does include affiliate links. If you order something, I will receive a small commission at no cost to you. And thank you for clicking through