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Tips to Set Your Life & Home Up for Success … Part I

September is always a time to reset. The lazy days and loose schedules of summer are behind us and, with the cooler temperatures, there is a fresh energy in the air.

We may not be able to control what goes on in the outside world with continued pandemic-land uncertainty but we can take some steps to set our home and family life up for success as we move into the cooler months. Today, I am sharing some things that you can do to get ready for Fall.

Power Organize

For many, the school year ended online and kids haven’t touched their desks since. Uniforms, lunch bags, binders? What even are those things?!

If getting organized sounds overwhelming here are a 6 things you can do to ensure a smooth start to the
school year:

A list! Make a list of things your kids use regularly. Uniforms, school supplies, lunch bags, workspace … write it down before you touch anything.
Categorize: Once you have your list, break it down into categories (ideally about 5 to simplify). Then tackle each category one by one.
Sort: As you work through each category create a keep, toss and donate pile. Make a list of what is outstanding so you can address any gaps.
Timer: Set a timer for yourself … this isn’t meant to take all day. Done is better than perfect!
Kids: Depending on the age of your kids get them involved … bribes work and are totally acceptable to use as forms of motivation! 🙂
Schedule & Batch: when you are ready to address any outstanding items, plan where you need to go and do everything at the same time so you don’t feel like you are in never-ending organization mode.

Systems to Stay Organized

How do you keep track of everything? How do you prevent your door from getting stuck because of all the shoes, book bags and assorted other crap that can get dropped in front of it? Here are some ideas:

Basket System: Each child has their own basket that is large enough to fit their school bag plus another activity bag in it. They are responsible for making sure their things are dropped in the basket each day. Place the baskets close to the door or in an easily accessible location. This gives kids a dedicated spot for their belongings, gets stuff off the floor and can be easily relocated when entertaining.
Dedicated Hooks: Just like at school each child has their own hook to hang their coats. This minimizes the rush to find outerwear when leaving the house.
Shoes: I have used shelves and baskets to corral shoes. The key is to ensure that footwear has a dedicated landing spot and is easy to tidy. This is especially helpful in the warmer months where winter boots aren’t being worn.
Basket for Hats & Mitts: Keep a basket by the door that holds hats and mitts in the winter and baseball caps and sunscreen in the summer. It makes it easy to grab and go and to clean up!

Sleep Habits

Anyone else dread getting their kids up in the morning? As my kids have gotten older this has been especially challenging. Pandemic-land has wreaked havoc on kids’ sleep schedules with late nights, sleeping all day and limited physical activity.

Helping kids get back on track with their sleep ideally should begin about a week or two before the start of school. But it is never too late!

Depending on the age of your kids this could look like any of the following:

Start to shift bedtime back by half an hour each night until you reach an age appropriate time that works with when they need to wake up.
Increase their physical activity levels during the day … make them run and tire those kids out!
Wake them up in the morning. Yup. You heard it. Wake the kids up. This definitely applies to the tween and teen parents. Sorry kids. Gone are the days where you can sleep until 3pm!

Getting your home and family ready now for the transition back to a regular routine is a gift you will thank yourself for later. It can feel overwhelming but all it takes is one step to get started.

I will be back next week with a few more tips to set your home and life up for success this Fall. If you need help getting your home and family ready for Fall I would love to chat more.

Sarah loves helping women create a life & home they love by turning chaos into order and calm.
Sarah is a writer and interior design consultant.
Sarah loves helping people get clear on how they want to live in life and at home. She firmly believes that life should be lived on purpose. Not by accident. ... Sarah pens personal essays exploring how events in her past have shaped her perspective on the present while also helping families create homes they love. She relies on her strong intuition and ten plus years experience in the design industry to help women create a life & home they love by transforming chaos into order and calm. A self-described organizational ninja, Sarah loves her checklists and gets excited to create systems and help others build habits that free up time so they can connect with those they love the most. Sarah lives in Aurora with her husband and three teenage sons and can often be found walking the trails throughout York Region while dreaming of her next travel adventure.

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