The Organized Student – back to school tips for an organized school year

A new school year is once again upon us. Ugh! Is it just me, or do you dread the back to school rush too? Our summers are getting shorter and shorter every year! My kids had the shortest summer yet – just 2 months. 

As parents, we have great hopes for a smooth transition from relaxing summer days to the hustle and bustle of homework, tests, project deadlines and school activities.

It’s easy to think that just by purchasing that new trendy school supply, your child will instantly transform into an ultra organized student. Although having the right tools are important to establishing an organized environment, even more important are the habits and routines we encourage in our children.

Throughout this month, I’ll be discussing ways to help you simplify your life during the school year.  I will be bringing you tips on how to reward your child for sticking with the schedule and also what to do if the schedule does not seem to work.  I’ll be discussing strategies for maintaining an organized desk or locker at school and setting up an efficient study space at home. Finally, I will be talking about school paper clutter.  What do you do with all those papers that come home?  How do you know what to keep and what to toss?

First up, let’s consider the importance of planning and identifying past challenges for which you’d like to find a solution. 

Plan, Plan, Plan First by Identifying the challenges

As you ponder how to best help your kids be more organized (and therefore, more successful) in school (and in life), consider what has troubled them (and you) the most in the past. Once you identify their challenges, concentrate on simple solutions, and watch them reach new academic heights. Here are some common student organizational challenges and solution paths.

CHALLENGE:  Struggling to complete homework. There is no defined study area and/or time. School supplies are hard to find and family noise and activities are distracting.

SOLUTION: Determine when and where your child will do after-school homework. Set up a homework “command central” that includes all the supplies and tools needed.

CHALLENGE: Time management issues, such as turning in assignments late, being frequently late for school or activities.

SOLUTION: Teach your child how critical it is to use a student planner and  calendar to track activities, upcoming tests, and assignment due dates.

CHALLENGE: Difficulty maintaining a clean desk or locker, resulting in disorganization at school, like lost homework and books.

SOLUTION: Pop in before or after school periodically to help your child organize his desk or locker. Give older children proper tools and advice to organize their desks and lockers.  Teachers are beginning to understand the connection of organization and grades, and often plan desk and locker clean out days throughout the year.

If you notice your child struggling because of disorganization, don’t wait until it’s too late to give or get help. Disorganization has a snowball affect – it negatively affects grades and your child’s sense of control, which can then negatively affect their self-esteem and confidence. Discuss these issues with the teacher, create a strategy for open communication and success with your child, and consider bringing in a professional organizer for added guidance, support, and creative ideas.

Here are some suggested tools to help both parents and kids to get an organized start to the new school year:

Mom, Can I Help Around the House - the beauty of this system is the routines and habits it establishes in your household.

By the Book – How to Take Care of My Kids –  Use this organizer if your kids have after school care, a tutor or caregiver. It’s great for organizing babysitter information as well. 

 

Task Clips – These action specific clips will help your student organize his work by action – To Do, Read, File, Send (could designate papers to send to school)

Next up … Tips for organizing your daily school schedule

Originally posted 2009-08-22 15:34:42. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Think in systems to organize your home and life

When I worked in the corporate world as a business analyst it wasn’t a stretch for me to think in systems.  In an office environment processes and procedures are established to create order and and establish habits.  Often office systems are documented in a Procedure Manual for all to follow.  We are also accustomed to having the supplies needed in our work space in order for us to perform our job and to follow the company’s systems. 

When I became a Professional Organizer in 2003, it occurred to me that we can transfer this same ‘systems theory’ to managing our home. You manage your home in systems as well.

So what do I mean by a a home management system?  It is a set of procedures and processes, or a routine/habit that is put in place in your home to manage five key variables:

·   Space

·   Your stuff

·   Information flow

·   Your time

·   Relationships – with those for whom you share your space 

 

Develop systems to manage these variables and you have designed solutions to calm the chaos of your daily life. A system can be as simple as a labeled folder to a specific organizing product designed to hold all your personal information, like those available in our e-store The Simplified Home.  The important thing is that you establish a consistent routine or process for yourself and your family for the repetitive tasks you perform regularly. These routines/processes done consistently become habits.  One of my favorite quotes, by Ben Franklin, is …

 

 “To change a habit begin immediately and let no single exception to occur.”

 

Consistency is the key to establishing a habit.  

When I work personally with clients, I assess the systems they have in place and those that are missing. So what systems should you consider to simplify your home?  Here’s a list of home organization systems I suggest that my  clients consider.  

 

• System for keeping track of your daily schedule

• System for processing incoming mail – from the mailbox and from children’s bookbags

• System (or consistent home) for finding car keys, purse/wallet, cel-phone, laptop, etc.

• System for paying bills on time

• System for teaching and delegating household chores within the family

• System for food shopping (grocery list and organizing coupons)

• System for keeping track of daily and weekly To Dos (actions)

• System for regular decluttering / weeding

• System for tracking birthdays, anniversaries

• System for the home laundry process

• System (routine) for getting out of the house on time for work, appointments, meetings

• System for staying focused and productive (i.e., timer, alarm)

• System for processing children’s school papers

• System for keeping track of home information (warranties, operations manuals, room dimensions, carpet samples, etc.)

• System for family communication

• System for merchandise returns, errand-running

• System for weeding out no longer needed clothing

• System for filing and retrieving vital family records

 

I call this a ‘Home Systems Checklist’ and I give this checklist to new clients so they can evaluate and analyze their own household. 

 

So how about you? I invite you to use this list to do the same in your home. Also think about the supplies you need to establish these systems.

 

You too can get organized by thinking in systems.  I’d love to hear your feedback – please leave a comment about home systems that have worked well for you and if you can think of a system that I didn’t include. Also, if you’d like to hear more detail about any of these systems, leave a comment about your greatest challenge and I’ll do a future post about specific systems you want to learn more about.

 

I also invite you to visit The Simplified Home for many ready-made home organization systems and solutions so you don’t have to reinvent the wheel.

Originally posted 2008-10-24 21:27:45. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Organize Your Recipes

I found this great article from a fellow organizer on a topic I haven’t written about before – organizing recipes. I like Evie’s ideas, so I wanted to share them with you.

So, what do you do with all of these clippings, or perhaps you have recipes written out on scraps of paper you got from a friend or coworker sharing her favorite recipe? Here is my current system, and I must say, it is working really well for me. Maybe it will work for you too.

Get an accordion file folder and label each pocket into categories as you would your recipe box. Here is a suggested category list:

• Appetizers and Snacks
• Beef
• Beverages
• Breads & Muffins
• Cakes & Squares
• Cookies & Desserts
• Casseroles & Pasta
• Fish & Pork
• Misc. (Pickles, Sauces, Breakfasts, etc.)
• Poultry
• Salads & Vegetables
• Soups & Stews

Get a large recipe box for your cards. I found this two-drawer holder which is perfect. I use the top drawer only for “my” recipes and family recipes. Any that are in my mother’s handwriting have been laminated to protect them.

The lower drawer is for recipes I have made from TV shows, magazines, or from friends that are “keepers.”

This system works so well, that it doesn’t take long to find my recipe, it is only in one of three places:

• Recipe Cards
• Cookbooks
• Accordion Folder

If I had a larger home, I would love to designate a whole drawer with file folders to recipes, but since I have a small house, this system works really well. The accordion folder fits in the cupboard beside my cookbooks.

The system is: once I make a recipe from a cookbook or a magazine, and it is a “ten,” then I write it onto a recipe card. The cards are proven, tried and true.

Let me know what you use to organize your recipes. I am always looking for new systems and ways to improve.

Elvie Look is an Entrepreneur, Expert Organizer, Cook and Seamstress. She provides organizing solutions, tips, menus and recipes at http://www.elviesessentials.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Elvie_Look

Originally posted 2011-03-19 12:07:24. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Five Strategies to Reduce Book Clutter

One of the toughest types of clutter to control is books. Books enrich our lives – they provide enjoyment, humor, an escape to other worlds and they educate – just to name a few of the benefits. We build entire rooms in our home as a shrine to our books and shelves from floor to ceiling are often dedicated to store our book collection. That’s why I said in the first sentence that book clutter is one of the most difficult habits to break. 

We become attached our book collections and derive pride from a large and varied collection. So how can coveting books be a bad thing? 

As the old adage says … too much of a good thing can quickly turn into a negative. And like any other possession, more of any possession that you aren’t using or enjoying regularly is clutter.  Too often a book is purchased, put on a shelf and never touched again. Or the book is read, then put on a shelf to never be touched again. In either case, how is that book, now relegated to a book storage shelf, offering any function to your home or enjoyment to your life?

The downside to coveting books is that they take up a lot of space, they collect dust and moisture (that contributes to allergies), they can infiltrate every room and flat surface of your home, and they deprive us of open space for the possessions and activities that we use and do daily.

In my old life I wished for floor to ceiling book shelves in my living room that had vaulted ceilings, with a rolling ladder that I could climb to the top and get any one of the hundreds of books that I envisioned filling the many shelves. In this era of simple living I now view books in a different way. Now I view the habit of accumulating books and storing them on bookshelves like any other old, useless possession that doesn’t enhance my life on a daily basis. When you look at it this way, aren’t bookshelves just storage spaces for unused items to collect dust. I no longer give into the urge to purchase books that in reality I know I won’t touch anytime in the near future. And on the many storage shelves where my books were once stored, I’ve purged and narrowed it down to only my favorites.   

Here are five strategies for keeping book clutter under control:

1. Pass It On, or Swap for Titles You Want

When you’re finished reading a book, pass it on to a friend or make a trade for one of her books you’d like to read. This allows you and your friends to read many books without each of you having to purchase and keep each book in your home.  Here’s a great site where you can swap your unwanted books for titles you want – all free.  www.PaperBackSwap.com

2. Use Electronic Media (E-Readers)

To a professional organizer, E-Reader technology is the greatest thing since sliced bread. A few of the top brands are:

• Amazon Kindle
• Sony Digital Reader Pocket Edition
• COOL-ER
• eSlick Digital Book Reader
  

In my next post, I compare these four popular brands.

The e-Reader allows you to download thousands of book titles from sites like Amazon.com, as well as from free sites like Project Gutenberg. Project Gutenberg is particularly good if you are interested in reading the classics.

E-readers are great when traveling especially. I have heard from clients that they loaded five or more books on their hand-held e-Reader that would’ve taken up half their suitcase and weighed it down too much to carry.

3. Frequent the Library

Your local library is a great option for current titles that you borrow, read, and return. No lasting book clutter. Before buying a book, always check to see if it is available from your local library. Most libraries will let you put your name on a waiting list for popular titles and new releases. Try to delay gratification by renting the book and giving it back when you’re done, instead of buying the book and adding it to your book storage shelves.

4. Buy One, Remove One

As I always suggest to my clients, if you bring one in, let one go. Make a deal with yourself that if buy a new book, an older one has to go.

5. Use Audio Books

I love Audible.com. I love the selection and quality of their audio books. Project Gutenberg also has many audio books that can be used with an MP3 player.

With my busy schedule, I now prefer audio books, which allow me to “read” while doing other activities like exercising, weeding, driving, or housework. They provide another way for me to read without any clutter.

So the next time you consider buying a book at your local bookstore, or on-line consider if you truly have time to read the book in the near future, or will the new book be relegated to your book storage shelves to collect dust along with all the other books you had good intensions of reading.

Originally posted 2009-11-22 15:44:19. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Identify Clutter With Three Easy Questions

What exactly is clutter? Can you easily identify the clutter in your home and life?

Clutter is anything unnecessary and extraneous. Clutter is much more than the physical clutter most of us think of. Getting organized means clearing out the clutter in your mind, heart, and life. As for the physical clutter, ask yourself the following three questions about each item in your home and life. If you can’t answer yes to at least one, it’s probably clutter!

1. Is it beautiful? A stunning piece of artwork enriches your life because it brings joy each time you see it. A gorgeous vase full of fresh flowers reduces stress and energizes your spirit.

2. Is it useful? Worded another way … does it serve a specific purpose in your life? For example, you use your 12-cup coffee maker every day. You couldn’t make it through the week without it.  In this case, the coffee maker serves a specific purpose in your life. However, let’s consider the tortilla maker stuffed in the back of your cabinet that you haven’t used for a year. Consider  this … you’ve done without this appliance for a year – so is it serving a specific purpose in your life? Is keeping this item worth the space it consumes?   (Don’t confuse this question with, “Will/Could it be useful someday?”).

3. Is it loved? The antique pocket watch from your grandfather is a precious reminder of him. Your favorite cashmere sweater makes you feel fabulous.

You’ll find that as you inventory your possessions, you may be able to answer “yes” to two or even three of the questions above. Those are the things that are most valuable to you. Remember, the goal of decluttering is not to get rid of everything. It’s simply to keep only things that you truly appreciate and actually use.

To stop clutter, prevent it from accumulating in the first place. Don’t give clutter a chance to form. As you’ve probably experienced, once clutter occupies a space, it has a way of multiplying and spreading like weeds.

Always remember to place your emphasis on quality (of life) over quantity. In other words, it’s not important to have a lot of things, many of which you never use. It’s more beneficial to have fewer things, all of which you use and/or enjoy.

Think before you buy. As a Professional Organizer, I believe over-buying is the crux of many of our clutter problems. Try to look beyond the initial “thrill of the purchase” and see what provides deeper moments of meaning. Before you buy, know the specific purpose and home for every item you purchase, and consider the time you’ll spend maintaining the item after you bring it home (and the space it consumes) – cleaning, storing, and maintaining. If you must buy, establish a “new item in, old item out” system where some purging takes place before shopping. This is a habit that we adhere to in our home consistently, especially in our closets.

Once you rid yourself of clutter (the unnecessary and unuseful) and make space only for what’s special, you’ll find it’s easier to get – and stay – organized! You’ll soon reap the many benefits of a clutter-free life: more energy, happier relationships, a well-organized home or office, more spontaneity, greater focus, new opportunities, and a better outlook on life.

For more great tips and strategies to organize and manage your home, family and life, get our e-book 77-page: Home Organization Secrets for Busy Moms

Originally posted 2010-04-15 12:04:31. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Organizing Small Spaces – Lovely Organized Laundry Rooms

So far in my weekly Organizing Small Spaces series I’ve addressed your home’s entry way and bathrooms. The third installment in the series is about organizing your laundry room.

Do you dread visiting your laundry room? Maybe you’d have more fun sorting your whites if the space was more organized!  Here are a few tips for making it a pleasant and inviting atmosphere.

There’s no reason a laundry room has to be dark and dingy. Paint the walls a light, happy color. Make sure to use the maximum-allowed bulb wattage in your light fixtures. Add task lighting, as needed, some inexpensive, framed artwork to the walls, and a clock or timer.

If you need more storage space, add a couple of rows of shelving above the washer/dryer. Keep laundry necessities – such as detergent, stain removal pens, fabric softener, an iron, starch, and bleach – within easy reach so you can grab and go. Use baskets and boxes (labeled of course) to hold not-as-frequently used things such as clothespins, old rags, and your pile of missing-a-mate socks. If you prefer hidden storage, install some inexpensive cabinets on one wall (available at any home improvement store).

Drying racks are nice if you enjoy line-drying your clothes. There is even a variety of wall-mounted, fold-out options available that will save floor space.

To make laundry day easier for everyone, implement a laundry sorter/hamper and teach your family to place whites in a white basket or hamper and darks in a colored basket. Our laundry sorter has been a life-saver. I’ve taught my kids to use it religiously. If they don’t get their laundry in the sorter it doesn’t get washed. I recommend purchasing or constructing a laundry sorter that is very sturdy – don’t try a cheap one.  If you prefer that you kids have their own laundry basket, the collapsible kind is preferred – it takes up less room and can be flattened and slid under a bed or between furniture when empty. This type is great for dorm rooms and apartments too.

Do you battle the piles of unsorted socks in your home? To get dressed in the morning, do your kids have to go fishing in the abis of unsorted socks to find a matching pair. That used to be our story. But I found Loc-A-Soks. With Loc-A-Soks (also called Sock-a-Locs) you’ll never have to sort socks again, because a pair is matched before going into the laundry, and a pair stays matched together with Loc-A-Sok gripper through the entire laundry process.  Kids love the bright colors and find it fun to stick their socks in the grippers.

If you dry clean frequently, add a separate basket for dry cleaning, preferably close to the door where you leave the house. Having the basket there will be a reminder as you are leaving the house.

Place clean, folded laundry in color-coded or labeled laundry baskets. Have family members retrieve their baskets from the laundry room, or deliver them to their rooms, so they can put away their own stuff. Remember … many hands make light work!

For more tips and ideas about getting kids to help with laundry and other household chores, learn about our household chore system, Mom, Can I Help Around the House.

Originally posted 2010-07-02 13:54:13. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

The Organized Student – Kids, Backpacks and Papers, Oh My!

I’m a busy mom with school-aged kids, so it goes without saying that we experience hectic school day mornings. If your mornings are chaotic like ours, follow these get-organized tips to ensure a smooth to and from school routine.

• Make mornings flow smoothly by getting everything ready the night before.
• Have school bags packed and placed by the door and tomorrow’s outfits laid out.
• Organize your kid’s departure and arrival spot (I call this the launching and landing pad). Declare a home for backpacks close to the door they leave and arrive. Install hooks at a kid-friendly height. My kids have a square wicker basket close to the door that they enter and leave for school where their backpacks go and other school related items. We place everything that needs to go to school in that basket. When they get home, everything, including shoes get placed there so they don’t get strewn all over the house.
• Keep school shoes by the door to eliminate the mad morning rush to find two matching shoes (this also cuts down on cleaning since kids leave dirty shoes at the door when they come in)
• Pre-pack the non-perishable parts of school lunches, so you can simply pop in a sandwich in the morning. Prepare for breakfast the night before by getting out cereal bowls and cups.
• Create a Kids’ Morning Routine checklist so no essential task gets overlooked, like forgetting to brush teeth or comb hair, and post it on the fridge and/or bathroom mirror.
• Likewise, create an “Out the Door” list of items they need to take to school, and post it on or near the exit door. Include items like homework, lunch, library books, gym shoes, instruments.  Include the time they need to be downstairs for breakfast and when they need to exit the house to meet the bus. This builds their time management skills rather than just waiting for your yelling “the bus is coming” to prompt them. I’ve included a  sample checklist that I created for my oldest daughter when she entered first grade. This made a huge improvement in her ability to stay focused and on task in the morning.

Place a clock in strategic locations in your children’s morning routine , like the bathroom, kitchen and their bedroom. Both my daughters have missed the bus at least once through the year by losing track of time while primping in the bathroom when there was no clock in sight.

 

After we adopted these strategies in our home, our mornings were much less chaotic. And my kids haven’t missed the bus since and gone are the days of mid-morning phone calls from a frantic child begging me to bring their homework or packed lunch they left at home.

To learn more family management strategies like this, my Home Organization Secrets for Busy Moms ebook is now on sale for $9.99 and can be immediately downloaded.

My Daughter’s Morning Schedule (in 1st grade)

Upstairs: Wake up at 7:00am

        Get dressed …

• Put on clean underpants
• Shirt & pants
• Socks – to match outfit
• Shoes – to match outfit
• Brush teeth & tongue
• Comb hair

** 30-45 minutes to get dressed – be ready to come downstairs by 7:45am **

Downstairs: be downstairs by 7:45am

• Come downstairs to kitchen to eat breakfast
• Check backpack to be sure everything has been put in
• Put on coat, gloves, hat
• Walk out door for bus at 8:05am

Originally posted 2009-10-26 22:05:38. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

Back to School 101 – Organize Those School Supplies (on Fox 59)

I was thrilled to be invited to appear on the Indianapolis FOX 59 Morning News segment BACK TO SCHOOL 101: Organize School Supplies. Here’s the video:

 

Originally posted 2010-08-14 17:16:23. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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