Let’s just start with the truth: staying organized on a homestead is like trying to alphabetize a tornado. Every time I think I have a system down, a chicken escapes, the goats eat the labels, or I find a rogue jar of fermented something that’s now sentient.
But somehow, through trial, error, tears, and a lot of coffee-fuelled planning sessions, I’ve found a few things that actually help me stay on top of the chaos—or at least look like I have it together when someone’s filming for Instagram.
If you’re wondering how I juggle planting schedules, livestock care, preserving, harvesting, and trying to be a functioning adult human who occasionally remembers to eat lunch, here’s how I (mostly) stay organized on the homestead.
1. The Binder™
Yes. I have a binder. Actually… I have several.
There’s something about printing off charts, labelling tabs, and highlighting like I’m prepping for finals that soothes my anxious farmer brain.
Each binder has its own vibe:
- The Garden Binder holds my crop rotation plans, planting dates, frost calendars, and that one overly detailed sketch I made during a January snowstorm when I had too much time and a new set of coloured pens.
- The Livestock Binder tracks vet visits, egg counts, feed inventory, and any goat incidents (there are many).
- The Pantry Binder is where I log what I’ve canned, how many jars I’ve got left of each thing, and notes like “Pickled carrots: amazing” or “Do not attempt cherry chutney again. It betrayed us.”
I keep them in the kitchen, where I can spill coffee and hay bits on them in peace.
2. Whiteboards Are My Religion
Each season, I rewrite my entire “master plan” on a giant whiteboard that hangs in the mudroom. It’s got everything from daily to-dos (feed chickens, water greenhouse, cry a little) to weekly goals (transplant tomatoes, clean coop, finally deal with that bucket).
I also have a magnetic whiteboard on the fridge where I scribble random ideas like:
- “Try planting purple carrots?”
- “Check root cellar humidity”
- “What even IS kefir???”
There is something cathartic about crossing things off with a squeaky Expo marker. Especially after a long day when the most exciting thing that happened was finally finding where the ducks were hiding their eggs (behind the lawnmower, rude).
3. Color-Coding Like My Life Depends on It
I am the type of person who owns seven different highlighters and has strong opinions about each of them.
I color-code everything:
- Yellow = garden tasks
- Blue = livestock care
- Green = food preservation
- Pink = “admin stuff” (aka taxes, supply orders, and crying over spreadsheets)
It might look a little extra, but when I’m deep in July chaos, running on four hours of sleep and accidentally wearing one rubber boot and one sandal, it helps to glance at a chart and instantly know what needs attention.
4. Apps I Pretend I Use Daily
Let’s be honest—there are some amazing farm management apps out there. And I’ve downloaded most of them with full intention.
Some faves I try to use:
- Trello: I have a board titled “Homestead Overwhelm” where I drag cards around like I’m Marie Kondo-ing my soul.
- Google Calendar: All my planting and harvesting dates live here. If it’s not in Google Calendar, I forget it exists.
- Notes App: A chaotic mess of canning recipes, random chicken names, and passwords I forgot to save elsewhere.
Do I check these every day? No. But when I do? I feel unstoppable. Like a tech-savvy farm witch with a spreadsheet wand.
5. Old-School Paper Planners FTW
Every January, I treat myself to a new planner. One with thick paper, cute little veggie illustrations, and so much hope.
It starts off beautifully—detailed notes, perfect handwriting, goals like “learn to make sheep’s milk soap.”
By July? I’m scribbling in chicken scratch:
- “Harvest. Everything. Now.”
- “Buy more lids???”
- “Ask Rachel about that duck she found in her bathtub”
Still, it helps. Even just writing things down makes me feel less like I’m spinning in circles while holding a basket of rotting zucchinis.
6. Labels. So Many Labels.
Let me say this once and say it loud: Label. Everything.
Ask me how many times I’ve reached into the pantry for what I thought was applesauce and opened a jar of beet puree. Or how many jars simply say “???” on the lid because past-me swore I’d remember what was inside.
These days, I label jars, seed trays, storage bins, even fencing tools (yes, that’s “fence stapler #2, do not lose again”).
Also, pro tip: Sharpie fades. Use a paint marker. Or a label maker if you’re feeling fancy and want to flex on TikTok.
7. Sunday Night “What Is My Life” Reset
Every Sunday night, I light a candle, make tea, and sit down with all my chaos piles—notes, receipts, lists scribbled on egg cartons—and try to make sense of it.
I do a brain dump of everything I need to do, want to do, or forgot to do. Then I rewrite it into categories for the week ahead. Sometimes it’s ambitious (“Build a duck pond, learn how to graft apple trees”), and sometimes it’s just survival-mode stuff (“Do laundry. Clean something. Drink water.”).
Either way, that reset helps me walk into Monday feeling like I’ve got at least 12% of my life under control.
8. Controlled Mess Zones
Here’s the truth: no one has a perfectly organized homestead. And if they do, they either don’t have animals or they’re lying.
So I’ve started designating “mess zones.” The junk drawer in the mudroom? Free for all. The feed room? Organized chaos. The back corner of the greenhouse? My personal shame pile of broken pots and mystery seeds.
Instead of pretending I can keep everything spotless, I allow mess—but I contain it. That alone has kept me from totally losing my mind.
Final Thoughts: Organization Is an Illusion (But a Useful One)
If you walked through my homestead right now, you’d probably think, “Wow, she’s got it together.” But look closer and you’ll see Post-its stuck to the chicken coop, a planner with coffee stains, and a whiteboard that hasn’t been updated since August.
Still, the systems I do have keep me moving forward. They give me just enough structure to not completely spiral when the tomatoes explode or a raccoon breaks into the feed bin (again).
So if you’re trying to stay organized while also keeping your sanity:
- Make peace with the chaos.
- Find tools that work for you.
- And remember, half the battle is just showing up, day after day, and doing your best.
The farm will never be perfect. But you can still be the kind of person who tracks goat deworming schedules and forgets where you put the hoe in the same week. That’s the homestead dream.
