GET ORGANIZED WITH COZI
Time to get the one of the multitasking organizer on the internet. Keeping track of a busy schedule can be overwhelming, especially if you count on the reminder cards from your dentist and vet’s office buried in the leaning tower of paperwork that constitutes your to-do list.
Add kids to the mix and chaos can quickly become pandemonium. Luckily there are some great tech tools available to help you stay in control of your life, from your calendar to your to-do, even help your kids manage their school assignments.
One of the ultimate online tools to keep your family organized is the free calendar, task and list application created by Cozi.
Cozi has a multitude of easy to use features that will automatically sync with every computer and mobile device in your busy household.
The family calendar allows you to color code appointments by family member, and then choose to see individual calendars or the whole family’s schedule at once.
The text translator feature will take “Meet with plumber next Thursday at 10,” and automatically add an appointment titled “Meet with plumber” in the right place on your calendar.
You can choose to have reminders sent to your mobile phone or email, and the calendar is easily printable for kids who aren’t yet as web-connected. Cozi syncs with Outlook while selectively adding only those appointments that fall out of normal business hours, so your husband will always know when you need to work late, without also being reminded of your lunch meeting with the boss.
The online list feature can be used to create a family to-do viewable by everyone you connect to your Cozi account, individual to-do lists for each family member, an up-to-date, accessible anywhere emergency contact list, vacation pack list… the possibilities are endless. There’s a grocery shopping list with pre-filled common items, or add your own, that can be updated by anyone in the family and then sent to you via text or email when you’re ready to head to the store.
Your calendar and lists can be viewed and modified on any mobile device by logging into the website or download the iPhone or Android app.
Now there’s no excuse for missing Sparky’s next vaccination appointment, much to his chagrin. Imagine how much easier it would have been to stay on top of your homework when you were a kid if you had a tool that automatically told you what projects to work on based on how much time they would take to complete and when they were due.
ORGANIZE HOMEWORK WITH GRADE FIX
Do your kids a favor and introduce them to GradeFix, a project planner to manage your child’s ongoing tasks and homework assignments. When your child finds out about a project, she simply enters it into GradeFix and estimates the amount of time it will take to complete.
For example, if she needs to read 50 pages, she would estimate how much time it takes to read each page, say three minutes, and enter an estimated study time of 150 minutes. If the reading is due in two days, GradeFix will automatically assign 75 minutes per day to reading to stay on track.
If your child falls short of an assignment, the update feature will allow her to carry over the incomplete portion of the task to the remaining days before the project is due. This feature will also adjust future work schedule if your child works ahead.
Tasks are color-coded by type (i.e. Homework, Reading, Exam Study, Project, etc.) and you can view a homework schedule by assignment type or as a whole.
GradeFix is free to track up to seven tasks at a time, or for $5 a month you can stay on top of an unlimited number of assignments. Where was this when I was in college?
With all of the resources available to help busy families stay on top of soccer schedules, homework assignments, even the budget for the school bake sale, it’s impossible to touch on them all.
If you or your family struggles to stay organized, drop us a note on Facebook for more great ways technology can help you all stay on track, and sane this school year.
