Can you guess the three words that bring parents so much joy and so much stress at the same time? Back to school. Every parent knows that the start of the school year means their kids won’t be in their hair as much but along with that life becomes much more chaotic. The easy going, free flowing days of summer get replaced with the structured routines of preparing lunches, signing permission slips, making sure homework gets done, parent/teacher meetings and getting to school on time.
What’s the secret to getting through the school year without feeling like you want to run away and join the circus? I think you all know what I’m going to say. Yep. Get Organized. Well my name is Miss Organized after all so of course I would say that.
At this point, it’s probably un-realistic to plan a major overhaul of your home but there are a few organizing strategies you can put into place to make your world feel a little more in control. Let’s start with meal time.
Rather than guessing what to make every night, plan out your meals. Pick 7 different options for breakfast, lunches and dinners and create a document listing all the options. For example under lunches you can put peanut butter and jelly, cheese stick, juice box and apples. Under dinner you can put chicken, broccoli and applesauce. Let your kids help plan the menu with the types of foods they like. Then they can choose which days they want to eat each meal. Write those choices on a dry erase board under each day. They can rotate the meals every week so they don’t get too bored. Having the meals thought out in advance will also give them the ability to look at the calendar and put the meal together themselves. The more responsibilities you give them to help out, the more it will empower them to manage their own lives.
Using the same idea of empowering them to take responsibility for themselves by setting them up to be successful at getting dressed on their own in the morning. Put a hanging bag with 6 compartments in their closet. They can then put a complete outfit for each day in each one of the compartments. Have them pick their clothes out for the week on Sunday. This will help to alleviate the last minute switch-a-roo that tends to happen when they haven’t been given enough time to make a decision on what they want to wear.
Inevitably, you will see a lot of paperwork coming home from school and if there isn’t a system in place to manage it, you will get swallowed up by the paper monster quickly and there will be consequences like not being able to attend a field trip. For the paperwork that is more reference in nature like school calendars, class rosters, carpool schedules and cafeteria menus use a three ring binder with index tabs to divide the categories. For paperwork that will be coming in and going out, I recommend getting three wall files. One for items that need to be signed, one for items that need to go back to the teachers and one for papers that are either for reading only or storing away like art work.
Make homework time a lot easier on everyone and set up a homework area equipped with all the items that are needed in one place like notepads, pens and staplers. Just like sitting at your desk needs to be comfortable and efficient for you, the same needs to apply to your kid’s homework area. Check that the lighting is sufficient, chair is comfortable and set up in an area where they will feel most productive. Have them study to classical music. Studies have found that people can focus better and learn more when listening to classical music while studying. Sometimes, it’s difficult for kids to stay put in one place so get them a portable file box with hanging file folders o they can take their homework with them to different areas of the house. This will help to create more of a sense of freedom rather than confinement which will facilitate more cooperation making everyone’s lives easier.
Finally, have two types of calendars. One calendar can be used for the whole family’s schedule. The other can be used for each person to keep track of their upcoming assignments, schedules and to plan out projects. I really love the Post it calendar. It works well for people who are more visual organizers. For a quick tutorial, you can visit my YouTube channel and watch the video titled, “Organize your child with a post-it note. If you work better with an electronic type of planner, I recommend either using a smart phone or Outlook. If you are more of a paper based person, the Franklin Planner is not only an effective time management system but it’s also awesome for learning how to set goals based on your values which will help your life not feel like one big giant to do list.
With some simple organizing systems and strategies in place, this school year can run more smoothly. And with a sense of order comes a feeling of peace. And who doesn’t want that? For some great back to school savings tips, I recommend visiting www.sandiegobargainmama.com. You’ll find freebies, deals and great blogs all aimed at saving you money.
Single mom, organizing and productivity expert, Tracy Paye has been transforming spaces into livable and lovable environments since the age of 12. Tracy’s passion is to help people experience freedom from their stuff and re-design their lives. Through hands on organizing, coaching, consulting, speaking engagements, media appearances, and writing Tracy has positively impacted countless people by inspiring, empowering and motivating people to take action and gain control of their lives. If you are interested to learn more about Tracy’s organizing services you can visit her site at www.tracypaye.com. You can also follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/missorganized.
