“I’m dreading the school routine – getting lunches made, getting out the door, getting home and doing homework…” If this sounds like you, take heart. Dawn McCloskey, organization guru and owner of Ultra Organized has tips for making back to school simple...
School will be starting soon and with it comes the daily struggle of getting your children and yourself out the door in the mornings and home in the evenings. Morning and evening routines don’t need to be hair-pulling, stress-inducing events. Begin the new school year right by implementing these time-saver ideas:
Purchasing the Necessities
- Sort through your children’s wardrobes, deciding what can be worn this season and what should be purged. Now is the time to organize bureau drawers and closets.
- Prior to shopping, create a list of needed items and create a budget. Obtain a school supply list prior to shopping so you don’t purchase unnecessary items. If you don’t want to purchase new clothing, check out “The Bargain Watcher” website for consignment sales: http://home.comcast.net/~sbreaden/.
Creating New Routines
- A couple of weeks before school is to begin implement the “school bedtime routine”. Gradually start having the children go to bed earlier and wake them up earlier. Increase the time by 15 minutes each day.
- Meal times may need to be adjusted, especially for younger children beginning school. Find out the child’s school routine and plan snacks and meals at similar times so young children get accustomed to the rituals.
- Purchase a daily clothes planner – a canvas “cubby-type” system that is hung by Velcro on a closet rod – that allows you and your child to choose clothes on Sunday for the entire week. The system helps save time each day and helps children learn days of the week.
- As the family clears off the table from dinner, wipe it off and re-set the table for the morning’s meal. Plan breakfast the night before – getting out necessary dishes, silverware and food products.
- Prepare lunches the night before and place in the refrigerator so you can grab it and go in the morning
Reducing Evening Stress
- Use an in/out system. Incoming is all paperwork coming into the house for the child. The outbox is for anything the child needs to return to school.
- By establishing a central location for doing homework which includes all necessary supplies (contact Dawn McCloskey for a list of recommended supplies), children can complete their homework and not have an excuse to get up.
- Scheduling homework at the same time each day will help children develop a routine and enable them to become more organized. After homework is completed, have the child put the homework in his backpack to take to school the next day.
- The Thinkbin Family calendar is a versatile 17-month calendar that can be used to record daily activities and there is space for “to do” items and reminders.
- When cooking, prepare double the recipe and freeze half for a future meal. Better yet, buy chicken in bulk from Tyson Foods in Cumming and spend several hours on a Saturday or Sunday preparing 3-5 main dishes that can be pulled out of the freezer every night after dinner for the next night’s meal.
Additional suggestions for becoming organized and reducing clutter can be obtained by contacting Dawn McCloskey at 770-844-1049 or dawn@ultraorganized.com.
Dawn McCloskey is a residential professional organizer and founder of Ultra Organized, LLC in Dawsonville, Georgia. The mission of Ultra Organized is to create order from chaos by creating customized solutions in people’s homes. Ultra Organized helps people get control of clutter in their existing homes or before listing a house with a realtor, and provides unpacking and organizing services to new home owners. McCloskey is a member of the National Association of Professional Organizers. For more information, call 770-844-1049, email dawn@ultraorganized.com or visit www.ultraorganized.com.
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