Back to School!
I have always been the type of person who LOVED school- especially going back to school after the summer. This may not surprise you, but one of my favorite back to school activities was school supply shopping and getting to organize my backpack, desk, and locker!
Now that school is back in session, I’ve been thinking about all the families who are dropping off their kids and taking a deep breath! Whew! My hope is that you take some time to do whatever it is you love, may it be meeting up with friends or trying a new craft, hobby, or sport! But! If you’re an organizing fiend like me, and you’re interested in using some of your time to get your house ready for 3:00pm and beyond, here are some actionable organizing tips you can easily implement in your home.
Now before I offer any tips at all, repeat after me, “It will get messy. My kids will not always follow the systems I put in place.” What do I mean by this? A home blessed with children will never be perfectly clean and tidy. I promise you that and I know I don’t need to even tell you that! But keep in mind— even though life gets messy, having systems in place will help tremendously and will cut down on clean up/tidy up time as well as reduce stress because you are not having to make any decisions on where to put something. Things don’t get shoved or placed randomly, they already have a home and can easily be put away without a thought.
The Mud Room
My biggest advice in areas where kids are dropping shoes, bags, volleyballs, and whatever else they bring home is to have a HOME for everything. This may be as simple as a basket, crate, shoe rack, cubby, or hook on the wall.
The Drop Zone
A simple bowl or flat tray where you can drop your to-go items such as keys, chapstick, wallet, loose change, and whatever your heart desires is a great way to contain your travel items and keep them out of a junk drawer. The key here is to remember that systems require maintenance. Once the bowl or tray gets full, take 5 minutes to clear it out and rehome the items that do not belong.
Mail
Again, having a designated spot for mail is your best bet to overcoming that pile on your countertop. Actually! My favorite tip for mail— don’t even bring the junk inside. After stopping by the mailbox, quickly sort out the junk and promptly toss it into your recycling bin in the garage. Then it will never even get to your counter and that’s one less pile of clutter you have to deal with. Designated areas for mail often include categories like this: To Do, To File, To Shred, Bills, etc.
Kids’ Paper Clutter
Now that school has started, there is no doubt kids will be bringing home lots of paperwork. My favorite solution for managing paper clutter is our Memory Boxes. These are the best way to intentionally save your kiddos most important school documents. Think art projects, special assignments, report cards, etc. Make sure to be mindful about what you save. A good strategy is to think about what your child will want to look through when they graduate from high school. (Crazy, I know!) Learning what is important to save and what can be recycled is an important skill for children to learn and you are their best teacher!
(Click on the image to order your memory box.)
