Written by Jen Robin of Life in Jeneral
How can Summer be nearly over?! Noooo!!! Though we’re pretty broken hearted over it, we’re looking forward to a fresh start. Now that the kids are in school, it’s time to get organized!
We’re featuring 7 ideas for organizing your home and schedule so that this school year is the best one yet. We hope this list inspires you and makes your day-to-day life with the kiddos a little easier and more efficient!
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Oh, and you get major mom brownie points if you take our ideas to the next level as recommended below. Let us know if these tips & tricks work for you. We cannot wait to hear how they make a difference in your home!
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1. WEEKLY OUTFIT PLANNING
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On Sunday night, set out your child’s clothes for each day and label accordingly. Though it takes a bit of time to prepare on Sunday, it will save you time during your morning rush. The label system makes it clear and easy for your child to follow and helps them stay organized too! Win Win.
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Brownie Points: Make these DIY Monday-Friday hanger clips with your kids! Use fun colored scrap paper and stickers and laminate after! Get the details at iHeart Organizing!
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2. LUNCHES MADE EASY
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Time to find an easier way to pack lunches, and make sure you’re packing the healthiest ingredients for the kids. PlanetBox is a lunchbox that guides you on what foods to pack to make sure your little ones are getting the proper nutrients and portion size. We love this because it not only looks organized, but also gives you peace of mind and saves you time when packing lunches.
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Brownie Points: Check out PlanetBox’s Instagram to get inspiring ideas on what to make for lunches this year. Time to get creative, and we know this will make you the raddest mom out there. image via HowDoesShe
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3. BACKPACK HOOKS
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We find that most homes have backpacks laying on the floor, creating obstacles when walking from room to room. We tell our clients to purchase these inexpensive knobs from Home Depot and install them in a storage closet or hallway. Then the kids know that the backpacks go there after school rather than on the floor! Trust me, you will LOVE the difference this makes in your home and your kids will learn good storage habits, too!
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Brownie Points: We challenge you to go a step further and teach your kids how to organize their backpacks for the year. If you have little ones that are close in age, we recommend doing a competition. This competition includes random checks throughout the year, and whoever keeps their backpack the most organized wins. The reward could be anything from a video game, an outing to laser tag, ice cream, etc… image via Home and Woven
4. HOMEWORK FILER
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Purchase a file container and the appropriate dividers so you have a place to put all homework that has been graded / completed or is being worked on. This way you avoid having loose papers flying all over the house, and your kids will know where completed homework goes every night, too.
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Brownie Points: At the end of the year, you can pull the special projects from the file and put into a “memorabilia bin” for your child. We recommend that each child have a separate file bin and label accordingly! product via russel + hazel
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5. TRACK HOMEWORK DIGITALLY
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Stay up-to-date on your kid’s homework and easily view what is due with this color-coded system by MyHomework. We love that this app sync’s with your computer too! This tool makes it so easy to communicate with your kids and stay on the same page.
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Brownie Points: Sync your entire family’s schedule using Google Calendar and color code by person or activity. This will sync between your email and iPhone calendar, keeping you on top of your family’s schedule at all times. Can you say supermom status?
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6. HOMEWORK STATION
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This cute homework caddy easily fits into a drawer to pull out/put away each day. Stock up the necessary school supplies and label the sections in the bin so things stay neat. This is also a fun project to put together with your kids. We hope this personalized homework caddy gets them excited!
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Brownie Points: Create a candy jar section. When your child puts the Homework Caddy away each night, they get a candy after they complete their homework for the day. image via Clean Mama
7. iPHONE PHOTO STORAGE
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We find that most people spend TOO much time scrolling through their photo library to try to share photos. We recommend creating photostream albums through iCloud Photo Sharing so you can easily add people to view the photos at any time! Ideas for album names can include: First day of school, Field Trips, or Sports. Then, keep your camera roll empty and you will save yourself a LOT of time!
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Brownie Points: It’s time to finally go print some of those special photos in your photo library. You can use an app called GrooveBook to get all your photos sent to you in a pre-made book. They deliver the photo album monthly and it’s super affordable at $2.99 a month! You can then tear the photos out of the book and put a few into your favorite picture frames on display.
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As a celebrity executive assistant, Jen mastered the art of to-do lists, time management, and efficient systems. She began changing lives professionally by putting organizational communication into real world practices and personal situations. After realizing the impact her systems had on an individual’s life, she decided to spread her knowledge and change lives by eliminating stress and clutter. Jen’s organizing company, Life in Jeneral, was born in 2014 to fulfill a lifelong passion of bringing joy to those around her through the tools of organization. Learn more at LifeinJeneral.com