Back to School With AboutOne: Review & $500 AMEX Gift Card Giveaway – Ends 09/09

This post is part of a sponsored campaign with Global Influence. I have been compensated for my participation.

Summer has flown by, and the back to school season is almost upon us. For most parents, this means making long shopping lists, coordinating schedules, planning lunches, and trying to juggle all sorts of information. If you’re wondering how to get organized, you’re not alone. I don’t have children, but fall is still a busy time for me with the influx of holidays. Whether it’s keeping track of family events, printing out recipes for holiday dishes, or keeping track of my gift list, this time of year always entails having more to keep track of.

I organize my life in a variety of ways, and most of them involve putting pen to paper. I have a weekly planner, a calendar, a notebook for work-related lists and ideas, and an address book. I do use my computer to keep track of some things: I have spreadsheets to keep track of finances, as well as my Christmas & Birthday gift lists and the beginning of my guest list for the wedding; I also have a Google Document listing all the prizes I’ve won. But for most of my day to day scheduling and work projects, I rely on my various notebooks to keep track of everything. So when I was offered the chance to try out a free trial of About One, I was intrigued. AboutOne is a digital filing system and more, offering a way to manage all aspects of your home life, from storing medical records and contact information to documenting family memories through its virtual scrapbook. Using a virtual planner is a very different approach to what I usually do! I think it’s neat that you can use this to do fun projects like making memory books in addition to keeping track of everyday practicalities. This offers one way that you can scan in keepsakes, such as artwork that your children create, so that it can be preserved without taking up space. I wish there had been something like this when I was little – I was quite the prolific artist as a child, and to this day, I have boxes and boxes in my attic filled with childhood artwork that my parents saved!

My biggest organizational challenge this fall will be keeping on top of things while I recover from my knee injury. With my limited mobility and the amount of time I spend doing physiotherapy each day, it’s a lot harder to stay super organized. My filing cabinet is upstairs, so my bills tend to sit on my desk for some time before I get them filed! What is your biggest challenge staying organized this time of year?

AboutOne may be of interest to anyone who is wondering how to declutter their lives this school year. Want to learn more? Check out the video below:

AboutOne is offering a 17 day free trial to anyone who would like to give their service a try – click here to sign up. The 17 day Free Passport gives you 17 full days of usage with no expiration date (requires no credit card information). Use each of your 17 days whenever you like. The Yearly Plan gives you a full year of access to AboutOne for the low price of $30 per year.

AboutOne and Global Influence are offering a very special giveaway: One winner will receive a $500 American Express gift card, an upgrade to a free subscription to AboutOne.com, and a $250 donation to the school of their choice. All other entries will receive an email with a code for 25% off a one year subscription to AboutOne.com. One winner will be chosen at random from all entries across all 100 blogs participating in this campaign. One entry per person. This giveaway will be administered by Global Influence.

Here’s how to enter:

1. Click here to sign up for a free trial of AboutOne (absolutely no credit card info required), then fill out the form below. (Can’t see the form? Click here.) You must sign up for the free trial through this link in order to be eligible for the giveaway.

IMPORTANT: You must click here to register for the free trial before filling out the form below. Filling in the form without registering for the free trial first will not enter you into the giveaway. This giveaway is limited to one entry per person across all blogs.

This giveaway ends September 9th at 11:59 p.m. ET and is open to U.S. residents age 18 or older. You must fill out the form to enter. Commenting on this post will not enter you into the giveaway.