Welcome back to Operation Organize, the 2-part ultimate back-to-school organization guide to get you and your family prepared to conquer this school year. Phase one, or the Preparation Phase is all about preparing, purging and planning (the three P’s), and The Maintenance Phase is about maintaining a simple and structured routine. Now that we have somewhat prepared for the back-to-school season, find the last post here, we are ready to tackle Phase-2: The Maintenance Phase.

In this post you’ll find part 2 of a two phase back-to school organization guide with tips and tricks to help you maintain the clutter and chaos throughout the school year.

Operation Organize

Phase 2: Maintenance Phase

As I mentioned, the Maintenance Phase is all about staying on top of the school year chaos, meaning this phase is constant. I know that may sound a tad intimidating but don’t worry, I’m here to help! Now let’s get started.

Simplify

If you're anything like me, we love a good planner and having a solid daily routine, however, I do know there are people out there who physically shiver at the thought of having their lives scheduled. No matter what kind of person you are, it’s essential to understand that during times of great stress, maintaining structure and routine can help you feel more organized and in control. So my tip here is to create or simplify your routine.

If you read my last post, you know I'm a sucker for lists, so it's only appropriate for my first piece of advice to be to create routine checklists for both the morning and bedtime. Having a physical checklist of everything you need to get done every day before you go to school or go to bed will help create a routine and implement structure and independence into our everyday lives.

Create Routines

As I mentioned, I’m here to make your mornings easier. To do so we are going to simplify the morning routine by doing as much as we can the night before! One of my favorite ways to simplify my morning routine and enjoy those few extra sips of coffee, is to plan my outfits ahead of time. For me personally, it works best to plan my outfits the night before. I hang my outfit for the day on the outside of my closet and pack my gym clothes into my bag. If the night before seems a bit daunting, you can always block out a small chunk of your Sunday evenings and plan outfits for the whole week. Have your kids lay out their clothes for each day and use bins or large ziplock bags labeled with each day of the week to store them. Create a bed-time checklist for both you and the kids to do before bed like pack lunches, get school bags ready, brush teeth, get dressed.

Routine Checklist Samples.

Storage

I think it's safe to assume we all have that little tendency to drop everything in our hands into a pile somewhere as soon as we come through the door. If my assumption is correct, then a household drop zone will make that annoying pile disappear and will help to easily locate the essential items you need as you're rushing out of the house.

Drop Zone

By designating a space for each family member to put their essentials you’ll create a clutter-free and functional entryway. A great way to start is by taking stock of the items that enter and exit your home on a daily basis such as backpacks, shoes, lunch boxes, and after school activity supplies. You want to store these items where you or the kids can easily access them as necessary, either hung or in an open bin.

PRO TIP: Have a bin for each family member, but make sure they put their items in their bin the minute they walk in the door. This will not only leave your entryway clutter-free but will also hold each family member accountable for their space.

Paper Filer

To further elevate and organize your entryway, add a paper filing system. We all know that as soon as the school year begins, the amount of paper that comes home is ridiculous. Don’t let it pile up! By setting up a paper filing system you’ll be able to manage the endless influx of report cards, invitations, bills, etc. My personal favorite is file folders hung on the wall with thumb tacks, but you can use anything with slots in it from a file folder to a magazine holder. I like to designate a separate folder for each family member, general household, and “needs action” items. These are anything that needs follow-up such as invitations, permission forms, or bills.

Sentimental storage bin

A great way to tackle the endless array of school projects, artwork and tests is by creating sentimental storage bins. My advice here would be to have a “past years” bin for each child to hold all of their projects from the previous years, as well as to have a “This year” bin for each child where they can put all of the incoming projects. The key to this system is keeping the “current year” bin in a place where it’s convenient for you/your kids to easily access and it becomes a habit of unpacking and then straight into the bin. The “past years” bin can be kept in storage so it is out of sight and out of mind. If you find your kids are bringing home too much artwork and sculptures to be stored, consider taking pictures of them, printing them off and creating a photo album as a keepsake. This not only condenses the space needed for the art-work but also makes it portable.

That concludes Operation Organize: The two part back to school organization series.

Happy Organizing!

Nikki