Time spent getting organized is the best investment you can make for the entire school year. In the lazy days of summer, it’s easier to get away with disorganization. But the structure of the school year brings deadlines, appointments, and early mornings that make any child (and some adults) wish for a snow day just to sleep in, watch cartoons, and avoid the often hectic mornings that come with rushing out of the house. Getting organized now will help you stay on schedule and keep the chaos at bay. It will also give you a wonderful feeling of control, so that mornings are calm, and relaxing, even if your child insists on checking the 7 am news for school cancelations.

Creating Calm Mornings

·        Be realistic.  Time how long it takes each child to get ready and stagger their wakeup times accordingly. Create a chore chart for the kids that reminds them what they need to do to get ready—get dressed, brush hair, eat breakfast, brush teeth, etc.

·        Do as much as you can the night before to avoid morning madness.  Lay out everyone’s clothes, set the breakfast table, make lunches, pack backpacks, prepare the launching pad, etc.

·        Start your day with some quiet time for yourself by waking up 30 minutes before the kids.  Read the paper, drink some tea, take a shower, do yoga,

Make a rule that the kids have to be dressed and groomed by the time they come down for breakfast.

Launching and Landing Pad

The average American loses 1 hour per day searching for misplaced objects.  Organizing your space will save you a tremendous amount of time and create a harmonious environment. A launching and landing pad will provide everything you need in the morning, allowing you to leave the house quickly and on time.

·        Create an organized storage zone by the front door, back door or mud room to neatly store everything that usually ends up in a pile on the floor.  Hang low hooks for coats and backpacks; label bins for boots, mittens, and afterschool gear.  Establish a surface with baskets or drawers for incoming and outgoing mail, spare keys, umbrellas, etc.

·        Keep your cell phone recharger plugged in by the front door so that the first thing you do when you get home is recharge your phone, and the last thing you do is grab it on your way out.  Keep spare batteries for beepers handy here too. 

·        Post a laminated checklist to remind you of everything you need for school and work before you run out the door and update it at night, should the random school project need to be included