I love hearing from my blog followers about their organizing dilemmas and, of course, their organizing achievements too.  Knowing the benefits of organization first hand, I get truly excited for others as they embark on projects which have the potential to make their day-to-day lives more efficient and less stressful, and their spaces more functional.

When Amy shared on Facebook that she was going to tackle her step daughter’s closet, I was eager to see the progress and the finished results.  This is what Amy wrote about her project:  “My step daughter’s closet was always messy, always cluttered and never nice to look at.

One of the biggest issues was that  she could not reach the top half of her clothes storage area. When she was asked to put stuff away, she would throw it on the floor because she couldn’t reach. So first things first, we got a new full length shelf to replace the smaller shelf that was already in the closet.   It lowered the hanging rod to a height that she could now reach.  It also provided more shelf storage for the games she has. I was able to fit all of her games on the new shelf, freeing up the remaining two short shelves for other items, such as small toys and some containers with winter gloves and hats.

Amy, you have done a great job!  Thank you for sharing the before and after.

Often, it is simple changes that make a big difference.  Amy effectively sorted through the contents of the closet, purged, and assigned new homes to some of the items.  Replacing a short shelf with a longer one helped resolve a technical issue and allowed her daughter to go from not being able to do something on her own to developing the independence to hang her own clothes.

Are you making progress on a project?  Would love to hear from you about your organizing successes and challenges.

One of my blog followers wanted to know how I store my kids’ lunch boxes.  After years of consistent drilling and nagging, my kids have become pretty good at putting their school gear away.  They come home, unpack their lunch boxes, and put them away in a small hallway closet near the kitchen.  Only one thing started bothering me about the routine…although they put them away, they didn’t end up in a neat condition.   No likey!

I decided to install Command hooks on the inside of the closet door for the lunch boxes.  I assigned one hook to each kid and attached a little label to identify the owner.

Now, the kids will be hanging their lunch boxes, not tossing them into the closet.

THIS I like!  Oh, the little things that make me happy.

Hooks are a great way to add storage capacity in places where there are otherwise limited options.  Who else shares my fondness of hooks?

To this day, I am grateful to my mother for not only modeling, but also teaching me organization and cleanliness.  My mother ran one of the most organized and clean homes I have ever seen. She did so without any hired help and with a lot of discipline.  From a very young age, my brother and I were trained to take on responsibilities in the house.  I put the stress on “trained” because it is crucial to explain and demonstrate to our kids how to do something and not just lecture on the subject.

The other day, I decided it was time to teach my oldest how to clean a bathroom.  So, I did!  I prepared a caddy with basic cleaning supplies for him.  That caddy now lives in his bathroom.

I completed each cleaning task with my son watching exactly how it is expected to be done.  I also made up a little cheat sheet of tasks he should remember to perform.  The little list has been laminated and attached to the caddy with a binder clip.

Next Sunday, my boy and I will do bathroom duty together once again.  Everyone needs additional practice and some extra coaching, right? Otherwise, it won’t be much of a training.

Hopefully, my training will lead to my son developing a life-long commitment to keeping clean and organized surroundings.  What do you all think about training kids to do certain tasks around the house?  Do you?  Do you think it will make a difference in the kids’ future predisposition to cleanliness and order?

OK, I must spill the beans.  I am NOT one of those moms who saves many or all of the wonderful pictures or projects that her children create during the school year or otherwise.  I edit things constantly; I do not save very much; I throw out and recycle things and each of my children is allowed just one bin to save all worthy papers, artwork, report cards, and other mementos.  One box in total, not per year.  All they got is one box each.

Do I feel guilty?  No.  Why am I telling you?  Because I highly recommend it.

You do not need to be as ruthless as me.  However, before the school year begins and the creative and not so creative papers avalanche into your home, establish systems to manage all kid-related paperwork.  Make your systems clear to your spouse, care takers, and your kiddies.

Some paper managing systems that I use include:

1.  Provide a plastic envelope to each kid for his or her graded work to return to you for review and signatures.  Teach your kids to compartmentalize early on.  It is not easy for them to pick up these routines, but be consistent.  As soon as they get some graded work back from a teacher, tell them to file it in the envelope.

2.  When kids come home, get them in the habit of depositing school notices, the envelope with graded work, and any other papers requiring your attention into an in-tray or some other container.  It will then be your responsibility to manage the contents and maintain order.

3.  In my kids’ school, when they return signed homework or tests back to the teacher, the teacher usually holds on to them until the end of term.  I LIKE that.  Less paper for you to save.  However, that might not be the case with your kids’ school.  Consider dedicating an accordion file or a binder per child to save graded work.  There is no reason for them to lug it around in their backpacks.  Save those graded items until the end of term, then recycle them with the exception of the very special projects.

4.  Display kids’ special work or achievements, but in moderation.  My girls have a bulletin board in their bedroom, where they can pin some lovely photos, certificates, or pictures they drew.  Also, in my office at work, I have a small wall with my kids’ notes to me and their art.  On the rare occasion that they come to visit, they love to see their work.  Do not plaster your home with kids’ work.  Instead, have dedicated areas for them to do so.

5.  Those special items that you and/or your child decide to save should be stored in a bin.  As I mentioned before, I have one for each child.  That’s it.  If and when it gets too full, the kid and I will sit down and sift through what there is and edit.

The organizing lessons here are that neither you nor your kids can or should keep everything. You can only save as much as fits into a FIXED space or container.  Teach your kids to hold onto special memories and experiences, not things.

Time flutters by and before I know it my kids will be heading back to school.  School is on my mind all the time these days and I know it is probably on your’s as well.  In the next couple of weeks, I will be sharing some organizing steps in anticipation of the first day of school. This is Back To School Part I.

First and foremost, you have got to get in command and establish a centre for your home operations.  Do you have a family command centre?  I do.  Let me give you a brief tour.

I have a small nook in my kitchen by the window with a wrap around counter.  I designated this space as my command centre.  I wish I had a spot to set up a small little desk here, but alas I make do with what I have and I am content.

1.  The yellow tray collects incoming school paperwork. Your command centre should have a spot where all school papers can land: field trip notices, graded homework requiring your signature, etc.  Collecting is one thing, sorting and taking action on the items collected is another story.  I deal with the tray contents regularly and at least once per week.

2.  The bulletin board holds important reminders of events, birthday parties, as well as a monthly calendar, and a weekly menu plan.  A part of being in command is always knowing the schedule and engaging in active planning for your family.  I like to plan the meals out for the whole week, purchase the ingredients, and cook some of the meals in advance.

3.  This ceramic pot is also in the command centre. It holds cellphone chargers, which get hidden when not in use.  Love that!

4.  I have a drawer in the nook, which has basic office essentials and a small binder with our emergency contact list, school phone lists, business cards for various home maintenance or repair vendors, blank shopping lists, and restaurant menus.

5.  My home management binder is portable.  It comes with me to work and comes back home to the command centre at the end of the day.  If I want to pay bills during a break at work or while I am waiting for an appointment, I can always do that on the go.  If there is something I want to add to my shopping list, I can accomplish that at any time of the day as well.

What are the essentials in your preparation for a hassle-free start of the new school year?  Are there any areas of back-to-school planning you would like me to cover in the next couple of weeks?

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