Living Clutter Free Forever - decluttering tips, professional organizing, minimalist living

Getting organized so going back to school is a breeze (in 5 easy steps!) #116

August 20, 2024 • Caroline Thor - Professional Organizer - KonMari® Consultant

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Back-to-school season can be a whirlwind of stress, clutter, and last-minute chaos. Does the thought of getting your kids ready for the new school year leave you feeling overwhelmed? I get it, and I’m here to help.

In the latest episode of Living Clutter Free Forever, I’m breaking down 5 easy steps to get your family organized and make the transition back to school a breeze. Imagine starting the school year with everything in its place, your mornings running smoothly, and your kids feeling confident and prepared.

What’s the secret? It’s all about decluttering, creating dedicated spaces, and setting up routines that stick. We’ll dive into how the KonMari method can transform not just your home, but your mindset, turning back-to-school stress into empowerment. 

Do you want your mornings to be calm and your kids to leave the house with a smile? Tune in to discover the steps that make it possible. Let’s tackle the clutter, embrace organization, and make this school year the most organized one yet!

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Speaker 1:

Hi there, I'm Caroline Thor, professional organiser, konmari consultant, teacher and mum of three. I started off my life as a mum feeling overwhelmed, disorganised and desperately trying to carve out some time for me amongst the nappies, chaos and clutter. One day, one small book called the Life-Changing Magic of Tidying changed everything and I began to learn strategies for making everyday life easier. Today I have the systems in place that means life can throw almost anything at me, and I want to share them with you. If you're an overwhelmed mum struggling to keep it together, then this is the podcast for you. Grab a coffee and settle in for a quick chat with someone who gets your reality. Hello and welcome back to the living clutter free forever podcast. I am your host, caroline thor, and I am a konmari consultant and professional organizer.

Speaker 1:

And here we are in August and it actually is one of my absolute favourite times of the year, simply because I love, just love, getting the kids organised for going back to school, really empowering. It feels almost like, like you know, the 1st of January, like that whole new year, feeling September, august, september and going back to school feels like that for me too, and in the past, when I used to buy things that I didn't really need, which, luckily, is no longer the case. But I really was a bit of a stationary geek I'm a total sucker for beautiful notebooks, coloured pens, that I don't really need all that sort of stuff. So I used to have so much fun myself getting ready to go back to school and making sure that all my supplies look beautiful. I especially remember when I was a teenager just being so excited about the idea of new books to write in, new pens to write with and like homework diaries. In the UK we always had a homework diary that we wrote our homework down in. I just love that fresh start. I think it's brilliant. So I want to highlight today the common back to school stresses and the benefits of getting organised.

Speaker 1:

So let's get started with this. What is the point of organising for going back to school? There is an absolute power in organising this. It reduces stress, it frees up time, which means you've got more time for doing fun activities with the kids as you're getting ready for going back to school. And yes, the KonMari method. Everyone thinks when you say that the KonMari method is about folding clothes and having a minimalist lifestyle, but it isn't about that. It's about being organized in a way that supports your ideal lifestyle. And we want to set our kids up for success. We want them to feel empowered, we want them to feel positive about going back to school and by helping them with organization you are going a long way towards helping them with those skills.

Speaker 1:

And if you have a child who suffers from anxiety about going back to school, and if you have a child who suffers from anxiety about going back to school, organising beforehand and knowing that everything's ready, it takes a little bit of the anxiety out of it because they know that side of things is sorted and dealt with. There's no danger they're going to have forgotten something or they haven't got something that the teacher said they needed and all that sort of stuff. So I'm going to give you five easy steps for back to school organization. Let's get started with these. Step one declutter your space. Now, by your space I mean things like your backpacks, that you take your stuff to school in the study space that you have like your desk, or if you do your schoolwork on the dining room table, for example. Maybe you have somewhere near there that you're keeping your stuff in. So there is real importance to decluttering this, and by that I mean go through and look what is currently needed. If you've already been given a timetable for the new school year, look what subjects you're going to have and think about what supplies you're going to need for those different subjects. What supplies are you going to need for different sports lessons that you have, and really think about only keeping those things that you need. I have got a space in our home where I keep surplus supplies. So if we take something out and say, ok, we don't need that at the moment, I have a cupboard that it goes into so that if later on in the year or next school year someone does need that item, we've got it there and ready and the kids know that that's where school stuff is kept and at any point during the school year if they're missing something or need something or need a replacement of something, they can go to that cupboard and just grab it, or let me know if it's not there. Or and I love this one they let me know if they take the last one of something so they'll write on the shopping list that we need a new packet of ink cartridges for pens, or they took the last ring binder folder and we need another one put back in the cupboard. So things like that are really important and it's great at this time of year. If you have donations for unused items, then take them to the donations now, because there will be families who would absolutely love to have second-hand school items. So make sure to do this well in advance of school starting so that you can also support those families that need it.

Speaker 1:

Okay, backpacks. Can we just talk about backpacks for a minute? I think, actually, that backpacks are one of the things that cause the most disorganization for kids. They're like this bottomless pit that stuff gets into Papers, get crumpled up and pushed to the bottom and the pens fall out and land up in the bottom and people think they've lost them. I would recommend emptying everything out of the backpack. If it's one that can be washed, put it in the washing machine. Let's get it really clean before school goes back.

Speaker 1:

My kids in Germany have something called a Schulranzen when they are at elementary primary school. It's hard to explain. Until I saw them, I didn't even know what they were, but it's like a backpack. But it's hard shell. It has a hard shell to it. You can't put it in the washing machine, so I always used to get the vacuum and I would vacuum around inside with the attachment and then I'd get a damp cloth and wipe through and then spray it with disinfectant and leave it out in the sunshine to dry, so that we knew that that was really clean and organized for going back and then talk with your kid about okay, what do you need to have in your backpack every day? There are some items that they don't need to have on certain days, so get them to look at their timetable and think on a Monday, what do I need to have? And if they're a kid that really struggles with organization, you could always create an extra timetable, like a packing timetable for the week, where you write down for them on Monday, this is what you need to have in your backpack, on Tuesday, this is what you need to have in your backpack, and so on, so that they empty it out each day and put back in the things they need. They're not carrying all that extra weight around with them, so going through supplies, keeping what's only currently needed and then donating items that aren't needed or storing them in a central place in the home for like reserve supplies, is really going to make life easier.

Speaker 1:

Step two create a designated study zone. It is so important to have a dedicated space for focused learning. So important to have a dedicated space for focused learning. It is not always possible for kids to have a desk in their bedroom. Sometimes they share a bedroom with a sibling or there just isn't the space for a desk. But if there is a space for a desk in the bedroom, then make sure there are minimal distractions. Try and have the surface of the desk as clean and clear as possible.

Speaker 1:

If you have a kid with an ADHD diagnosis or a kid who is very easily distracted, having things on the desk they can pick up and play with is sometimes going to distract them from the work that they need to be doing. However, having fidget toys there that they can just pick up and and help them feel better while they're working might be a good idea. So if you need to have some fidget toys on the desk, then have them perhaps in a little box so that they can be collected together and they're not spread all over the desk. Have a pot that's perhaps got a few pens in. Make sure there is access to all the stationery that they need and make sure that there is really good lighting. If your child is needing to do their schoolwork, their homework and their studying on your dining room table, look at whether there is a piece of furniture near there where they can keep their supplies in there so they're not having to carry stuff up and down to their room all the time. They maybe could have a pot that's got the pens and stuff they need so that they're not needing to go looking for things. Try to create a space that is designated as a study zone that's going to support them and then organising school supplies.

Speaker 1:

Step number three really look about having storage solutions. So it could be bins, it could be pots For things like pens, pencils, notebooks. Try to have something to store each of the different categories in. So one box for notebooks, one box for pencils, one box for colored pens, another box for things like tape or a rubber or a ruler or any other stationary supplies. They need a pair of scissors and I would really recommend labeling them. I have even mine labeled, because it makes for easy access. It avoids last minute scrambling and it also means when they have finished studying or finished doing their homework, they can just quickly pop everything back where it should be, leaving them with a clean, clear desk or learning space so that next time they sit down it's really ready to go.

Speaker 1:

Step four plan your week with a schedule. Help your child look through at what assignments they've got, what deadlines, what extracurricular, and have it written in a schedule so that they can see what's coming up and there's no last minute panics. And I have always with my kids, taken a schedule and then laminated it so that we can write on it each week and easily rub things out and add things in. It saves having to recreate it every week and it's a huge time saver. And they can have that put on a notice board near where they're working or on the back of a door I have mine actually inside the kitchen doors so that we can all just have a look each evening and see what's coming up and make sure that everyone's got what they need and they're on the same page.

Speaker 1:

I also think it's really important at this point to say that some kids need more support than others. My older kids now need absolutely no support. They're really good at organising themselves Most of the time. I don't have much of a clue about what's going on anymore because they really are very, very self-sufficient. But I remember when they were younger it was an evening thing that I would spend five minutes with them going through their timetable for the next day. What do you need to take? What can you take out of your backpack? What can you put in? Have you got any assignments that are due? Is there anything that you should have learned? For a test, that sort of stuff? It was literally five minutes, but by doing it each day it got them into the routine of remembering to look and check and ask themselves these questions and as they've got older it's just become something that's a habit that they do.

Speaker 1:

There are apps you can use these days that will help your child to stay organised. There are paper planners. Some kids work better if there's a whiteboard up so they can sort of see a visual scheduling. My laminated sheets are very much like a visual scheduling for them. You need to sort of play around with it and see which strategy works best for your child.

Speaker 1:

Very often we will try something and then we will say after a week or so well, my kid's just disorganized, they can't do it. I've tried, but they're a lost cause. But it may be that you haven't actually discovered the strategy yet that works best for them and how their brain functions and I know for my three kids it very, very different for each of them. If I had stuck at one particular way with one of my kids who has an ADHD diagnosis, they would have not got to the point where they are now. I would have written them off as a lost cause. They just can't do this. But we kept trying different things until they eventually said yes, this thing is working for me and I feel good about this, and it takes my stress away, it reduces my anxiety, and it really was trial and error until we got there. So I strongly recommend trying something out with one of your kids, but if it doesn't work, try something different and then try something different again, because one day you will hit the jackpot and when you do that, organization for them becomes something that's no more a stress, because up until that point, until you find the right thing, it actually stresses them out more because you're expecting them to work in a way that their brain doesn't like. So keep trying it and you'll get there eventually.

Speaker 1:

And then step five I highly recommend, highly recommend a morning routine. Now, this is something that I have always been really firm on because I had realised quite early on, when my kids were little, that in the morning, if suddenly there's last minute panic about stuff mum, I haven't got this for sport, or you were meant to sign this piece of paper my stress levels go through the roof. I start to become very reactive. My reactivity triggers my child and it just turns into this nightmare scenario of everyone being stressy with each other before they leave the house. So by developing a consistent morning routine, we've avoided the rush, we've avoided the stress and although it's a morning routine, it actually starts the night before. So the backpack for school being packed the night before, so we're not under pressure looking for stuff in the morning when we're short on time, laying out clothes the night before. We all have kids who will get up in the morning and go to get dressed, especially if they don't have a uniform which my kids don't and they need to get ready for school, and then, oh no, I don't want to wear that t-shirt, I need to wear this one, but we can't find that t-shirt and it just turns into a nightmare, whereas if those decisions have been made the night before, when there's a bit more time available and the clothes have been laying out. It's literally just a case of getting up and getting dressed.

Speaker 1:

Most people are amazed when I say that my alarm goes at six in the morning and by three minutes past six I am waking up. My girls and my middle child has to leave the house at 6 30 to get her bus to school, which she has to walk a short distance to, and in that time she gets herself up, gets herself dressed, has breakfast and does her teeth and gets out the house because everything is ready. It literally is bam, bam, bam off. She goes, and I'm so proud of them because it never is stressful, it actually feels easy. And the night before they've got their snacks ready. I'm not involved in that anymore either. I actually don't sound like I do very much most of the time, do I? Because I've got their snacks ready. I'm not involved in that anymore either. I actually don't sound like I do very much. Most of the time do I, because I've got them so self-sufficient but it it's taken work getting there, but now I'm reaping the rewards. Um, so they get their snacks ready the night before. The thing I do in the morning is fill their water bottles. They've got fresh water to take with them. They pick those up from the kitchen on their way out and off they go.

Speaker 1:

So my five steps that are going to help your kids have a successful start to the school year are decluttering their space, creating a designated study zone, organising school supplies, planning their week with a schedule and developing a morning routine. Now they are going to need your help for all of this, especially if they're younger, and the younger they are, the more fun you need to try and make it so that they see the benefit of taking time to do these things. But the payoff for you having kids that are not going to be running around with anxiety levels getting high as they're trying to leave the house in the morning is going to be huge. So I highly highly recommend it. I hope you found that useful.

Speaker 1:

Don't leave it until the week before school starts. Try and get started a little bit before so that it's not a last minute rush and you can enjoy the week before school goes back without even having to think about school stuff. Everything could be there ready and then it's literally just a case of talking them through the day before school starts. Do you remember what we packed? Oh, it's a couple of weeks ago. Everything's ready for you and off we go. Okay, I hope that's been helpful. Let me know if it has. I can't wait to hear. And until next time, if you've enjoyed this episode, please send the link to a friend you know would appreciate it, subscribe and leave a review. I look forward to bringing you more organising tips next time, but if you can't wait until then, you can go to my website or find me on Instagram, at carothor, or on Facebook at Caroline Organiser. Thanks for listening and I look forward to guiding you on your journey to find your clutter-free ever after.