5 Simple Ways to Get (and Stay) Organized This School Year

Follow these easy back-to-school tips and weekly routines to make staying organized this school year feel like a breeze!

1. Create a dedicated homework space or a mobile homework cart.

If you have the space in your house for an extra desk (think about a window nook or unused corner of a playroom), create an inviting but clutter-free area for your kids to do their homework. Since space can sometimes be an issue, consider purchasing an affordable tiered mobile homework cart, which can be found at places like Target or Michaels. It’s perfect for keeping all of your child’s homework supplies in one place, and it can easily be rolled out to a kitchen table during homework time.

2. Find a dedicated space to keep backpacks and lunch boxes.

If you don’t have a mudroom, you can still easily create a space for your kids to stash their backpacks and lunch boxes. Adding simple wall hooks near the door they enter, at a height easily accessible to them, makes it easy for them to hang their belongings up as soon as they get home from school.

3. Post a weekly dinner calendar. 

During the school week, your family’s schedule can get a little hectic. So make dinnertime much easier by creating a weekly dinner menu. Make sure to write it down on a calendar for the entire family to see. This will save you time, help with your meal planning and your family will know what to expect each night!

4. Label everything. 

This is not an exaggeration — label everything. It’s essential so that children can easily identify their own items at school, while also preventing others from going home with their stuff. Mabel Label products are particularly great because they’re waterproof, dishwasher and laundry safe and they don’t fade. Use them for clothes, lunchboxes, water bottles and more!

5. Layout clothes for the week. 

Picking out clothes for the week will save you and your kids tons of time in the morning. Using a multi-compartment hanging shelf organizer in your closet allows you to dedicate a section for each day. You can find affordable and attractive hanging shelf organizers at stores like IKEA, The Container Store and Target.

Dara Friedson lives in Potomac, MD with her family and is the owner and chief organizing officer of Orderly Method Professional Organizing (orderlymethod.com). 

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