How to get your home ready for back-to-school

Whether we like it or not, September is nearing and that means school season is just around the corner. While you may have your bases covered with school supplies and new clothes, have you thought about getting your home prepared for back-to-school? Getting your home organized for school will keep everyone on track and make your life a little more stress-free. Here’s some tips for success:

• Organize the kitchen: the kitchen is often the hub of activity, and especially so when it comes to back-to-school. A great idea from Good Housekeeping, is to create a self-serve station for lunches and snacks. Regardless what route you take, you’ll want to start by making sure the kitchen is organized for optimum mornings for the whole family.
• Create a place for homework: Do you have functional workspaces setup yet? This doesn’t mean you have to go out and buy a new desk if you don’t have one, but be sure to have some designated workspaces setup properly. Having a workspace that functions will mean including: shelving, adequate work supplies, storage areas and perhaps even additional organizational tools like cork boards, etc. This space should be somewhere distraction-free, whether that’s a bedroom, office or other room in your home, make sure it’s setup for productivity (no TVs around, etc.).
• Tackle the kids’ rooms: the best gift you can give yourself in terms of organizing this time of year, is getting the kids’ bedrooms organized and cleaned. Get them involved in this process so it goes quicker and is more fun. Starting the school year with a clean and clutter-free bedroom, where everything has a proper place, will make the entire year go smoother.
• Use a large calendar: Utilize a large calendar, somewhere where your whole family can see it. This calendar will help you keep track of everyone’s events, extra-curricular activities and more. To make things even easier, use the aid of various colours to better organize each person’s schedule. Here’s some inspiration for large calendars that keep you organized and look great too.
• Setup for maintenance: Okay, so you’ve cleaned and de-cluttered your home and you’re all ready for school and productivity, but how do you keep everything nice and organized? Setting yourself for success is the key, and that means having lots of places and tools to keep everyone organized: storage containers, shelving, drawers, etc. For a quick DIY trick, try reusing old items in your house like coffee mugs and jars for storage containers or pen holders, etc.

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