My Index Card System for a Peaceful, Organized Home (Inspired by Sidetracked Home Executives)

Do you ever feel like no matter how hard you try, your home just never stays caught up?
Like you’re always putting out little fires—laundry here, dishes there, a mystery sticky spot under the table (again)? Same here.

I used to bounce between fancy checklists, apps, and systems—hoping this one would be the thing that worked. But most systems just overwhelmed me with too many moving parts or rigid expectations.

Eventually, I stumbled on something old-school and beautifully simple: the Sidetracked Home Executives Index Card System. And with a few tweaks to make it work for my modern, slightly scatterbrained brain… it has completely changed how I care for my home.

Let me walk you through it—and show you how to start your own.

📚 A Little History: What Is the Sidetracked Home Executives System?

Back in the 1970s, two sisters—Pam Young and Peggy Jones—wrote a book for women who struggled to keep up with housework. They called themselves Sidetracked Home Executives, or S.H.E.’s, and they created a simple method using index cards to stay on top of home routines.

The idea? Write down every recurring household task on a 3×5 card. Then organize those cards by daily, weekly, and monthly routines. You just pull the cards you need each day, complete them, and move on. No endless mental to-do list. No shame spiral. Just structure with grace.

✨ Why I Love This System (and Why It Works for My Brain)

I’ve always been a creative, slightly scattered person. I love beautiful order… but don’t thrive under rigid schedules. This card system gives me just enough structure—without feeling boxed in.

It’s visual, tactile, and completely customizable. I can adjust it to fit my season of life, my energy levels, or even the weather. If I’m in a busy week, I do the basics. When I have more time, I add in seasonal deep cleaning or home projects.

It works with me, not against me.

📦 What You Need to Get Started

It’s delightfully low-tech. Here’s all you need:

A box/basket/container to hold your stack of 3×5 index cards
A pack of lined 3×5 cards (with white and colors – yellow, blue, pink, or whatever you can find)
Monthly dividers (Jan–Dec)
Daily dividers (1–31)
Colored pens (optional, but fun)
A little time to set it up

I use colored cards to help me visually sort things:

Yellow for Daily routines (make bed, quick tidy, dishes)
Blue for Weekly tasks (vacuum floors, change towels)
White for Monthly chores (clean baseboards, wash windows) and Seasonal or deep cleaning (clean out pantry, flip mattresses)
Pink for Personal (Read, Mani/Pedi, Face Mask, Plan for the day)

🗓️ How It Works: My Daily Rhythm

Each evening or morning, I pull that day’s cards from in front of the daily tab.

First, I review the Daily, Weekly, Monthly, and Personal cards for that day. Then I decide what order I want to do them, grouping tasks together based on time of day and location (ex: my morning routine cards will get done first, but the tasks that need to be done at my desk will be grouped together and done in the afternoon when I’m settled in my home office).

I don’t try to do everything every day. I do the best I can, focus on what seems most important, and they key is – doing a little, consistently, that’s what adds up to peace.

🧘‍♀️ Peace Over Perfection

This card system has helped me stop trying to “catch up” and start embracing small, steady progress.

It’s taken away the guilt of forgetting things. It’s allowed me to focus more on being present with my daughter, my business, and my own wellness. And on hard days, I can just do a few of the basics and give myself grace.

It also gets me out of ‘overthinking’ and into ‘doing’ because I can quickly take action and don’t need to spend time creating a plan first.

🧼 Customizing the System for My Life

One of the best parts of this method? It’s endlessly flexible.

Here are a few ways I’ve made it my own:

Added cards for my Jordan Essentials business, like “follow up with customers” or “prep for new catalog launch”
Created a stack of self-care cards, like “read for 10 minutes,” “magnesium lotion + sleep stick,” or “devotional + journal”
Made seasonal cards for holidays, yardwork, and back-to-school prep
Added “brain dump” cards for recurring thoughts I’d otherwise forget
Created “Appointments to make” cards to keep track of when each family member has been to the dentist, doctor, etc, and remind me to schedule the next appointment.

You can use this system for anything that repeats in your life, big or small!

💌 Grab the Free Starter Pack!

Want to try this peaceful home system for yourself? I made a free printable starter pack with card prompts, setup tips, and a zone cleaning worksheet to help you get going. Just enter your email below, and I’ll send it straight to your inbox.

👉 Get my Free Index Card System Starter Pack

🎥 Watch the Video

Prefer to see the system in action? I walk you through exactly how I set up and use my cards in this cozy video on my YouTube channel:

🎬 [Watch here on YouTube →] My Index Card System

📌 Save This Post

Planning to try this later? Pin this post or share it with a friend who’s craving a little more peace and order in her daily life.

💛 Final Thoughts

Friend, if you’ve been feeling overwhelmed, distracted, or just plain tired of systems that don’t stick—this might be the breath of fresh air you need.

You don’t have to be perfect.
You just need a simple system that works with you.

Let me know in the comments:
Have you ever tried the index card method? Would you use it in your home?

Until next time,
Stay inspired & plan with purpose ✨
— Natasha