Back to School Organizing Tips

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Back to school
It’s back to school time.  Did you promise yourself that this year would be different?  Did you say you were going to come up with a plan to manage all the school papers and homework?  Did you have a great idea for organizing school lunches and backpacks?  What about homework?

It can be difficult to stay organized with school things when so much happens all at once.  However, it is possible with a bit of planning and some family guidelines.  Below are 10 back to school organizing tips to help you plan and establish family guidelines that will help you stay organized.  Allow yourself time (3 weeks) to transition into these guidelines, but stick to it, and you’ll see results.

Here are 10 back to school organizing tips:

1.  Create a defined drop zone for backpacks just inside the back door, and label a location for each pack.
2. Create a vertical inbox for all incoming school papers, and assign time on your daily calendar to look at these papers.
3. Label the vertical inbox with categories that make sense to you.  For example:  school handbook; schedules; menus; contacts; events.
4. Create a clearly defined homework area for each child, and assign time on your daily calendar to review homework.
5. Create a healthy snack box where kids can grab something good to munch on, to hold them over until dinnertime.
6. Establish one family calendar to post everyone’s schedule.
7. Plan school lunches for the week on Sunday, and assign time on your daily calendar to make them the night before.
8. Pick out school clothes the night before and have them ready to go.
9. Plan breakfast for the week on Sunday and have all menu items on hand .
10. Have each child contribute as much as they can to the family guidelines.  Organizing should be a group effort.

Please share any school related family guidelines that have been successful for your family.

©September 2014  Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®  All rights reserved

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Deciding What Clothing to Keep

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Tip:  When packing up summer clothes, determine what is worth holding onto for next summer by answering these 3 questions:

  •     Did you wear the item.  If so, how many times?  If it’s been worn three or more times, it’s worth keeping.
  •     Does the items still fit and flatter you?  If it’s tight or unflattering let it go.
  •     Is the item worn out, torn, stained, or best kept as a rag?  We all have our favorites, but two outfits for painting, gardening and messy work is enough.

One In, One Out Rule

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Practice the One In, One Out Rule, especially if you’d like to reduce the current amount you have.  For example, every time you purchase a new purse, donate, sell, or pass on an old purse.  Every time you’re given a new coffee mug, re-purpose, recycle, or pass on an old one.  Practicing this Rule will help prevent needless accumulation and stockpiling of unwanted items.

I’d recommend a modification of the Rule with items that we inadvertently bring into our space, for example,  plastic grocery store bags, food storage containers, shipping boxes, gift bags, tissue paper, swag gifts, and free samples of products we don’t use.    I’d recommend you practice the One In, Three (or more) Out Rule.

Organizing in a Large Family

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Helpful Organizer Newsletter – July 2014
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Side Notes:***    My website has a brand new look.  Please check it out and provide me with some feedback.  I’d love to hear what you think.

 

***    I’m sorry to report that the Leaning Connection, where I’ve taught classes for the past 6 years has closed.  However, I’m still teaching at Tri-County in Franklin, MA.  Visit my website for a complete class list and details.

 

 

***  Start with Sort is my first tip that I taped with DoubleACS, a public access TV station in Attleboro, MA.  It was a fun and exciting experience.

 

***  Maybe Box is my second tip that I taped with DoubleACS, a public access TV station in Attleboro, MA.  What do you think?

 

 

 
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Hi  Janine,

Happy summer!  I hope you’ve been able to enjoy this lovely summer weather that we’ve been having.  My organizing clients have been keeping me pretty busy this summer, but I was able to squeeze in a vacation.  I just returned from a trip to Canada, where I caught a rainbow in Niagara Falls.  If you’ve never been to see these magnificent falls, I definitely recommend it.

Large Family

Niagara Falls was one of our vacation destinations, and Toronto, Canada was another.  I have a sister who lives up there.  You may or may not know that I have several sisters.  In fact, I come from a very large family.  (If you’d like to know just how large, email me and I’ll share the double digit number with you.)Growing up in a large family taught me many valuable organizing lessons.  I’d like to share some with you.

Lessons Learned:
1.  Be responsible for your own stuff, because it could easily get lost in the shuffle.
2.  Make room for what’s important, because there isn’t enough space for surplus or unnecessary things.
3.  Everyone has to pitch in and do their share, because one Mom (no mater how super) can’t do it all, and shouldn’t have to.
4.  Put things back where you found them, because the next person who needs it, will want to be able to find it.
5.  Accumulating more than you need or use isn’t possible, because there is no room.

I’d be happy to hear the organizing lessons you’ve learned from your family.  Please share.
From,

Janine Cavanaugh, CPO®
(508)-699-6652

    If you’d like to share this email message with someone, please click on the Forward email button below.  Thank you and happy organizing in summer of 2014!

Organizing/Sharing Information

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Jot down any notes, dates, ideas, or information that you want to discuss with your spouse and children in a small notebook and keep it next to the dinning room table or kitchen table.  I keep my notes next to the kitchen table on the counter.  This helps jog my memory and reminds me to address the issues before, after, or during dinner time.