Five Essential Back to School Organizing Tips

I don’t know about you but I find late August bittersweet. Long, schedule-free days draw to a close soon replaced by early mornings and an increasingly hectic routine. Our kids, on the other hand, seem genuinely ecstatic to begin the new school year. If back to school fills you with dread and stress here are five proven tips sure to help:

Create a streamlined exit strategy. Schedule time to declutter and organize your mudroom or hallway. You will shave minutes off your morning if everyone knows where to locate their belongings.
Designate hooks and an area for each child’s backpack, jacket, sneakers etc. Train them to put their belongings in their spot as soon as they come through the door in the afternoon. Train them to do this as early as possible. You are instilling a life-long organizing habit and saving yourself (and them) hours of looking for things.
Kids generally prefer to do homework in close proximity to a parent (I think we should all take this as a huge compliment). The kitchen table typically doubles as a homework station. Therefore, allocate a kitchen drawer or find a container and stock it with homework supplies. Clean up is easy and everyone knows where to locate items.
Exploit your kids’ excitement for the school year by insisting they spend a couple of hours with you decluttering their rooms. (This tips works especially well if followed by a trip to Staples or back-to-school clothes shopping).
Finally, always, I repeat, always have poster board on hand. I have heard the only reason Staples stays open till 8pm is to accommodate parents whose children sprung a last minute “I have a poster board assignment due tomorrow!”

Need to create more foolproof organizing systems for you and your family? Contact us at 610-331-2087.