September 5 2013

Back to Routine by Jennifer Tapper Richards

After about 6 weeks of a haphazard summer schedule around here, I’ll be ready for more structure and routine for sure. It’s the time of year that makes me want to buy a new notebook and make a trip out to Amherst to feel the hustle and bustle of school starting up again (go UMass! … anyone?) My littles are still little and the most change we experience is the switch back to calling preschool “school” instead of “camp.”  But, no doubt many MoPas out there are gearing up for the real deal, so here are some quick things to implement that will make for a smoother transition.

Back to Routine.

My best, most frequent advice is … Don’t go all crazy buying organizing systems to help you get organized. Frequently they are too rigid and the learning curve simply isn’t worth it. Do I sound like and anti-organizing organizer right now? Well, I’m sorry but it’s true. Your system has to be YOUR system. It depends on your traffic flow, how your family lives and maybe even how tall your kids are (this year anyway). So, what CAN you do?

Tackle the Hub. This spot is easy to find. It’s where everything gets dumped when the residents at your house come home. Check it in its current state and – get ready for this one – Sort, Purge, Analyze, Containerize, and Evaluate.  So cute!  That spells S-P-A-C-E.  Who comes up with this stuff? Not me, but I can tell you that it works like a charm as I have seen it time and time again. Mark a day and time on your calendar to remind you to tackle the hub periodically to prevent the clutter from becoming a stagnant stack of randomness that impedes daily life and efficiency. All systems, whether hyper organized or loosely organized, will have to be maintained and updated consistently to avoid clutter accumulation. 

Accommodate the Non-paper Items in an area that can also house shoes, outgoing items like library books, Aunty Tricia’s pie plate, dry cleaning, store returns, etc.  How great (and stylish) is this setup. The baskets conceal some of the more oddly shaped, unsightly items.  Perhaps that bottom row becomes shoe storage; maybe one cubby is dedicated to the pet’s gear. This would also be a great “Export Station”.  What, you ask is that genius concept?  It, my friends, is a spot of the home designated to accommodate all things outgoing (besides actual trash). Donations, recycle, sell, hand-me-downs, return to rightful owner items, etc.  Does your home have a designated spot to accommodate such things? Stay tuned for the next blog post where I’ll discuss how to alleviate the clutter bottlenecks and achieve organization almost effortlessly with an Export Station of your very own!

Don’t feel obligated to include a calendar. A home calendar can be helpful if it is used frequently and is considered the family’s scheduling central. But, frankly it might be more of a nuisance to maintain if you’re frequently on the go and don’t update it consistently. For example, at our house the kiddos are on a need-to-know basis and have nary a care in the world when it comes to our daily schedule. So, my husband and I have elected to share our gmail calendars with one another via our iphones and completely forgo the home calendar. It’s the best system because we can check it and make adjustments to it whenever we want and wherever we are.  

Add some finishing touches. Consider adding a corkboard to keep items visible – activity calendars, invitations, gift certificates, coupons, appointment reminders, etc.  As much as possible try to delineate which area of the cork board is used for each category and maybe add a pretty label to that region. Personally, I don’t mind my cork board being out and visible, but others might prefer to conceal it by mounting one inside a kitchen cabinet. Another great option is to use a magnetic board, like this one made of a 26 gauge, galvanized steel sheet.  It also doubles as a dry erase board for quick messages.

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