Tips To Organise Your Home
By Kerri Rodley, Workshops in Wellbeing
A new year has begun and the kids are back to school. And you know what that means: new uniforms, new sports equipment, new stationary and text books. Not to mention: sport days, music days, library days, basketball practice, band practice, homework, newsletters, assignments…and lunches!
But try not to get too stressed. Now that beach time is over it is time to shake the sand out of their hair and get the home and family organised for the next twelve months.
Planning: A weekly, monthly and year planner is a reference for the entire family. Use it for plotting all appointments whether school or after school activities and weekends. Also keep one on your phone so when you are out of the house you know where everyone is at any one time.
Paperwork: School paperwork is one of the biggest sources of clutter around the house. The first step is to determine which pieces of paper are important and which can be stored away.
For active paperwork set up a file holder that stays on a counter in sight. Label individual folders for each child for papers you need to look at or sign or that they need to work on.
For the not-so-important papers, create a filing system where you keep papers such as artwork you want to save for a scrapbook and stash these folders away out of sight in a drawer.
Equipment: Designate a place to stash all their shoes, sports bags and equipment, preferably out of sight in the laundry or garage (to keep the odors there too!).
Indoors, find a spot for backpacks and school hats so they don’t end up scattered throughout the house. This also helps keep kids find their items quickly in the morning. An organised space such as a shelf with hooks or pegs or a simple coat stand saves space. Lunchboxes straight to the kitchen along with any important paperwork.
Workspace: Now that parents are more involved with their children’s homework, it helps to create a work center where they have access to a computer and can seek help from you if needed. Parents can also easily check to see if their children are actually studying or surfing the web and texting.
Like every aspect of parenting, it’s time, time, time. Nothing happens quickly. Don’t stress about it – it takes a good month to establish all these routines successfully. Work out what works and adjust as you go. Everyone (and kid) is different!
Kerri believes in living a life full of joy, gratitude, and free of judgement. She focusses on helping individuals and groups better connect to themselves, their families, their homes and their community. She offers a variety of consultation services, classes and workshops, to help clients realise their own potential, work productively and achieve healthier minds and lives.
