Being a mom is hard work. It’s no secret that mothers tend to take on the majority of the work raising kids, along with most of the mental load that goes into it. I’ve tried a lot of ways to keep my family organized- everything from pen and paper to fancy apps and rounded up my favorites to share.

The best apps for busy families

1. OurHome

The app allows parents to assign and schedule tasks and chores, view personal progress and activities, add items to a shared grocery list, enter events into a family calendar, send messages and reminders and stay in sync across multiple unlimited devices.  

2. TimeTree

In addition to messaging, photo-sharing and more, TimeTree allows families to share calendars. TimeTree also lets users to have multiple shared calendars while keeping things separate. For instance, Mom can keep her hobby group calendar separate from the family calendar. Whenever an event is changed, modified or canceled, TimeTree notifies everyone in the group for you. TimeTree is free, but there’s a premium version available for $45 a year allowing you to hide ads and use additional features.

3. Google Calendar

The calendar from Google is one of the most-widely used apps because it’s free, simple and available on all platforms. All you need is a Google email address and you’re good to go.

Google’s color-coding options make it easy to divide up different types of tasks, activities and events, so that each person can filter their view by what matters to them. The ability to share calendars make it the perfect option for busy families with older children who have a lot of practices and other dates to keep track of on a weekly basis. Being able to set permissions allows you to control who sees what and who can add or delete events.

4. Evernote

If you’re looking for a way to easily create and share lists, notes and reminders with your family members, Evernote is a fantastic option. It’s available for all platforms, has a basic free plan that works well enough for most people and the app is also accessible offline. (There’s also a “personal” premium version for $130 a year.)

5. Trello

Trello is a tool that has been loved by professional project managers for years, but tons of families rely on it as well. Essentially an electronic corkboard, Trello can be as simple or as complicated as you would like. You can create a “board” for anything, from a family vacation to meal-planning. Share it with your family members and anyone can add “cards” made up of links, thoughts, dates, to-dos and more. Family members can comment on cards and easily move them around by dragging and dropping. You can also find templates for Trello created by other families that you can save to your own Trello for your family’s use.

6. Cozi

Cozi has been around for many years and is still the go-to family organizational tool for many parents. It boasts a host of features such as family calendars, to-do lists, recipe sections, shopping lists and even a space for a family journal. Because there are so many features within Cozi, some parents find it overly complicated, but it’s still a favorite for many. The ad-supported version is free, but an ad-free version is also available as a paid upgrade.

7. BusyKid

BusyKid is an app that helps parents simplify the chores and allowance aspect of family management. With BusyKid, parents can create a list of weekly chores for each child and assign an allowance that will be awarded once those chores are completed. When the child finishes a chore, he logs on to the app and marks it as completed. (Don’t worry, if the chore wasn’t completed the way you wanted it to be, it’s easy for parents to override and deny the allowance.) The BusyKid app will also give you age-appropriate suggestions for both chores and allowance amounts.

8. Greenlight

Greenlight is an app that bills itself as “the money app for families.” Another way for parents to get control over how their kids are spending (and saving) money, Greenlight makes it easy for parents to load money onto a card that their kid can use. Using settings within the app, parents are able to designate specific places where their child can use money and how much money they can use at those places. They can also specify a general breakdown of how their child can spend their money — food, ATMs or “spend anywhere.”

The takeaway for parents 

Whichever app you choose, consistency is the key to making it work for your family. The hardest part of utilizing any shared family calendar app will be the initial setup, but stick with it. If one really isn’t doing much for you even after working with it for a few weeks, try another one.