As August slowly came to an end, I held onto the hope that fall would bring order and routine along with cooler temperatures. Well, I’ve already turned my furnace on (just for a couple days! It was FREEZING!), but order and routine are a little more elusive.

Annalyn is back in preschool four mornings a week, and I’m refusing to let myself take a nap while she naps (most days, okay? Most. Days.). Yet when I try to make a to-do list or a weekly schedule? I just end up with a page full of ink and anxiety.

I have 24 hours in my day, just like everyone else. I should be able to get it all done. Exercise, quiet time, Bible study, cooking healthy meals, buying groceries within our budget, getting – and finishing well – freelance work, writing blog posts, writing an e-book, writing a real book, ACK! It’s. Just. Too. Much!!!

[Don’t remind me of my blog’s name. I know. I KNOW. It’s a work in progress, okay?]

I might be giving up on perfect, but I’m not willing to throw in the towel on organized and productive just yet. So I’m turning to some of my favorite bloggers and friends for advice. Here are the best e-books I’ve read for getting myself together organized and motivated (and, oh yeah, finally writing that e-book I keep talking about!).

For Getting Meals on the Table

1. Feast in 15 by Tiffany King of Eat at Home. No time for cooking? Fifteen minutes is all you need! In this book, you’ll find tips for speed cooking dinner as well as two weekly menus with complete shopping lists.

2. Survive Before 5: Toddler Meals for Your Busy Days by Tricia of Once a Month Mom. A 30+ page e-cookbook that includes an OAMM meal plan for breakfast/lunch/snacks for an entire month. Includes resources for cooking for 1 child, 2 children, 4 children or 6 children.

For Getting My House Clean

3. How to Create Your Perfect Cleaning Schedule by Christine of I Dream of Clean. This short, easy-to-read e-book is a step-by-step guide to create a plan tailor made for you. It has a master list of every possible cleaning task that came to mind and many of them link back to “how to” posts so you can complete them better and faster, and it includes calendar templates available for you to use when creating your schedule.

For Blogging Better (in Less Time, Even!)

4. Simple Blogging by Rachel of Small Notebook. This e-book teaches you how to focus on your core message, stand out from the rest, and make smart use of your blogging time. If you’ve ever wondered how other people seem to manage a blog, but you’re struggling to find time to do it all, this e-book is for you.

For Organizing My Entire World

5. How to Have Your Cake and Eat It, Too by Mandi Ehman of Life Your Way. This one is for every mother who’s ever wondered if it’s possible to pursue her own passions while investing in her family and managing a home. It’s not easy, and there will be plenty of challenges and sacrifices along the way, but if you’re willing to work hard, you can have the best of both worlds!

6. One Bite at a Time: 52 Projects for Making Life Simpler by Tsh Oxenreider of Simple Mom. This is an e-book that brings you 52 ideas for simplifying your life. You can do them in any order, at your own pace and customize them to fit your needs.

7. Tell Your Time: How To Manage Your Schedule So You Can Live Free by Amy Lynn Andrews. This one outlines a straightforward, step-by-step approach to controlling your schedule and ensuring the important things don’t fall through the cracks. It helps you accomplish not only what’s on your to-do list today, but what’s on your to-do list for life.

For Finally Writing – and Maybe Even Selling – an E-Book of My Own

8. 30 Days to Make and Sell a Fabulous Ebook by Ang England. This 30-day how-to is a bite-sized daily lesson that will take you 15 minutes or less to read through, but is crammed with useable information you’ll learn from. It includes a daily challenge for you to tackle, extra resources for you to extend each lesson to the utmost level and quotes from experts who know what they are doing when it comes to creating and selling ebooks.

9. How to Market and Sell Your Ebook by Sarah Mae of Like a Warm Cup of Coffee. Sarah Mae calls herself “just an everyday person who found success with ePublishing.” Her goal is to share with you what she’ learned in the process of creating and selling an e-book. This e-book is about communicating your passion to others in a new way, and then getting your ideas to the world.

For Fun – and Homemade Holiday Gifts!

10. A Year of Sugar Scrubs: 24 Original Recipes by Erin of In Between Laundry. Organized by month, this book is loaded with delicious hand and foot scrub recipes, like Caramel Frappe, Pina Colada, S’mores and more! It also includes printable gift cards that you can fill out for gift-giving. Each recipe can be easily whipped up in your kitchen with common ingredients.

How’s your fall going so far? Are you organized and motivated? Have you read any good e-books lately?

This post will be linked to Top Ten Tuesday at OhAmanda. I’ve included affiliate links here, which means if you buy these awesome e-books, I’ll get a small commission. And the descriptions I’ve used for each book comes from the book’s website.