There’s Still Time to Get Organized for the School Year

With the weather turning cooler and the summer vacations a fond memory, many families’ attention turns to preparing for the school year.  As our schedules change, some challenges are brought back into our lives.  But a few simple steps will allow you and your family to easily breeze through the back-to-school transition. 

Prepare your home

All the supplies and clothes are purchased – now what do you do with them?  It is time to find specific places in your home for the items that will be used specifically for school.

• Bedrooms -it is time to put away the bathing suits and place all school clothes front and center. 

•  Make room in drawers and closets for school clothes and all that goes with them to be easily grabbed on those early mornings.  By keeping items in their specific places, it makes it easier for your children to maintain the system.  It also makes it easier for the fashion divas to make the perfect outfits when they can easily see all of their choices.
• Designate a dirty laundry container so clean clothes don’t get intermingled with those smelly ones. 

• Athletes - For those of us who have kids who play sports, designate specific areas in their rooms for uniforms, equipment and sports bags.  

• By keeping uniforms in one drawer, your athletes can easily pack their bags and be ready in record time. Keep their sports bags near their backpacks to help remind them they both need to go to school.  And if you are looking for stocking stuffers this year, I highly recommend the scented balls that are sold in sporting goods stores to stave off the stink until the bag can be washed again. 

•  School supplies – find one central location in your home office for supplies for the family. 

• This allows you to save space in each bedroom for supplies and, it allows you to easily scan your inventory before you go to the store.  How many times have we run out for notebook paper or highlighters, only to find that missing bag containing just that the next day in another room? 

•  Lunches and snacks – try to designate one cabinet in the kitchen and one area in the refrigerator for items that may be easily grabbed for lunches or snacks.  It saves you time if you are preparing these and it allows the kids to easily find the food they want right away.

This is the biggest challenge for most families.  Here's the secret -  if the system cannot be maintained, then that is not the right solution for your family.  Evaluate why the snack cabinet does not get used as often – is it too high for the youngest children?  Are the designated drawers for the school clothes too small to fit all of their clothes?  Once the issue is revealed, it is easy to solve and get your systems back on track. Try to catch the systems that are failing soon to save yourself headaches getting it resolved.

Find the Experts

If all of this sounds good to you, but you don’t have the time or the inclination to do this, then reach out to a professional organizer.  They can assess a problem area in your home and create solutions that work for you.   At Golden Moves Organizing, our team of professionals will work with you to get -  and keep  -  your family operating smoothly and efficiently.  Contact us today for a complimentary consultation at info@goldenmoves.com or 703-679-2016.