Before we know it, we’ll be in the throes of school drop offs, pickups, homework, and after-school practice. Make the transition easier for your whole family with a reset that creates a few key systems to keep you (and your home!) organized before school begins.
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Assess and create your drop zones
Drop zones are a critical part in keeping everyone’s belongings together and making morning departures smooth. We’ve found the best way to find success in resetting your home for school is by managing “drop zones”–or the spaces in your home that naturally accumulate things like backpacks, papers, and books. Embrace your family’s habits. That’s right! Take a moment to identify existing habits and then find solutions to work with those habits.
Think back to previous school years and/or your family’s habits when they come home:
Where do things get “dropped” once inside the door?
This is where you want to use your intel to your advantage! If you know your family likes to leave things right by the door they come in, think of ways those same “things” can be put in the area but in a more organized way. Baskets, trays, hooks, and cubbies are all great solutions depending on your space.
What’s being “dropped”?
Identifying what you want to organize and store is just as important as identifying where your drop zones are. All the file folders in the world won’t keep you organized if it’s really backpacks and coats piling up.
If you’re looking for hooks and wall storage, Command Brand has a great tool on Amazon to help identify the right solution for your project.
How visible is this drop zone within your home?
Being organized doesn’t mean you need to sacrifice your home’s aesthetic! Especially when you’re organizing a highly-visible part of your home, take the time to find pieces you love.
Clean those closets and drawers
Nothing can derail a school morning faster than a favorite shirt gone missing. Take the time now to sort through your kids’ closets and toss lonely socks and damaged clothing. Make a pile of nice-but-outgrown clothing and donate it to your favorite charity. Here are some other suggestions we have for decluttering. This is also a great time to take inventory of what your kids have and what they might need for the coming year!
We’re loving these honeycomb drawer organizers to keep everything visible and organized:
Make it easy for the whole family to maintain
We’re firm believers that a good label maker can solve most problems. Be sure your family can follow along with the new home systems by creating labels to designate a home for everything. From your kids’ drawers (think “socks,” “shirts,” and “pajamas”), to file folders (think “homework,” “report cards,” and “keepsakes”) everyone can work to stay organized.
This label maker on Amazon doesn’t require ink (!!!) and connects via bluetooth to your phone for label design. The possibilities are endless with this portable magic!
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