I'm going to be deceptive in this post and perhaps in many of them: I'm going to sound like I'm really organized. I'm not; I have just found certain sanity-savers that help me to not go completely bonkers in the midst of my chaos! One of the things I have learned about homemaking, the first thing that comes to mind that I'd like to share, is the usefulness of binders. I have binders for many purposes:
One small binder (1/2") for each month of the year, with ideas for special holidays and birthday reminders; what to do around the house and in the garden that month; menu ideas for the month, based on what is in season; and some homeschooling ideas for that month as well, or any magazine articles that might be so seasonal. I don't use these binders continually, but they're helpful if I have a lot going on, such as Easter coming, and can just pull out a shopping list for it. For big holidays like Christmas and Thanksgiving I have a separate binder for each of them too.
One binder has menu ideas: weeks of family-liked recipes, and corresponding shopping lists; actually I think there are seventeen sets, some more favored than others. I'm actually better at using it for looking up our favorite recipes in it than following it for a week at a time, but it's nice to know I could do it. It's good to have a week of ultra-familiar ultra-easy recipes so that if you're down and sick, the family can figure out what to make without so much of your help, and without buying much fast food.
For homeschooling, some years I have found it helpful to make a binder for each student with enough dividers for each week of the school year. Then the assignments for each week go within that divider. This year I started but found that for whatever reason it wasn't working. I might still apply it next year. It's best if you can get a lot of it done before the school year starts. You can also put a list in the front of books you have that you want to use, and books and videos that you want to check out of the library--sort them by date wanted, or by author so they're easier to look up.
I also have a binder for appliance warranties, sorted alphabetically by what the appliance is called, such as under T for toaster; but you could probably sort by brand. In that binder, too, I've had a list of what things use what size batteries; also make a list of what locks have what combinations (marking each lock with a different number) and keep that in the binder.
Also a home-improvement binder with pictures and articles about improvements I would like to make, names of contractors, and advice about home improvements and working with contractors. You can make a list by room of what you need done there, and what to the house overall, and what to the outside of the house and what to the yard. Most of this is dreamland, but if we hit the big time, we're ready!
Also a plants-in-our-yard binder, with information on any plants we buy or packets from seeds we plant. I've also made a grid with information about seeds that I might plant each spring, so that I can look up specifics on that plant by column. It's on the computer so I can sort by planting date, alphabetically, or by other instructions.
I know I have some other ideas, but as they come to mind, I'll post them for you to see. Actually, any full file folder you have that gets disorderly and you want to refer to regularly might be a good candidate for a binder instead.
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