"The new school year to me is like setting new year's resolutions."
Yes, it is! It's a fresh start, just like a brand new calendar year. What will you do differently?
Here are some suggestions of small things you can change that will make a huge difference in your school year and how organized you feel:
- Create a lunch-making station in your kitchen, with storage for lunch boxes, plastic bags, food containers, thermal containers, plasticware, and common lunch treats all within easy reach of the fridge and/or pantry. Think about how easy it would be to make a peanut butter sandwich in your kitchen and adjust accordingly.
- Start a habit of making lunches the night before. Better yet, have the young 'uns start packing their own. Give them some guidance on appropriate menus and combinations and keep your supplies stocked for them.
- Find out if your school has automated reminders that e-mail you when your child's lunch money account is below a certain dollar amount. (Ours does and I didn't know that until the end of last year!)
- Get up earlier. Get ahead of the rest of the family, get your workout done, get a shower, or just get some quiet time to yourself before the whole day's wild rumpus begins.
- Do your "Sunday Planning"— just 10-15 minutes a week could change everything! We explain exactly how and what this entails in our free report, "30 Ways to Find Time to Get Organized", available here.
- Set up family policies for homework time, snack time, and how much screen time the kids can have on weekdays and weekends. Agree to these policies together along with the consequences for violating them, and even have the kids sign an official paper about it. Eliminate arguments and constant policing!
- Make an effort to organize a carpool arrangement with at least one other family. It saves everyone immense amounts of time and is good for the environment too.
What are your "Back to School Resolutions?" Share in the comments!
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Great list of tips. My daughter isn’t in school yet but goes to a Mother’s Day Out Program 2 days a week. I think we wouldn’t feel so rushed and disorganized if we DID have to get up and out every morning. I always almost forget her lunch! I’ll definitely take making it the night before to heart.
I always lay out her clothes by day every Sunday so she can get up and get herself dressed while feeling like a big girl. Now if only Mother’s Day Out had a car pool!