Back-to-School: 8 Tips to Help You Plan Ahead and Reduce the Morning Stress

I know this post is a bit of repeat but it's back just in time for Back-to-School! For more Work for Me ideas, visit We Are THAT Family.

Think for a moment how your family starts off the day. How would you describe the mornings in your household once school starts? Do they tend to be calm and peaceful or rushed and stressful -or, somewhere in the middle?

I found that planning ahead really helps to curb the morning madness. This month, I'm sharing 8 quick ideas to help make your mornings less of production for you and your family.

1. Give yourself time to get up and ready to go before the children need to be up, even if it's just 15-30 minutes before the kids. I find that when I do this, I am more relaxed and able to focus on helping my children. The day is more likely to start off with conversation rather than prodding and nagging. I also feel better about myself. When I feel good about myself, it has such a positive impact on my day and those around me.

2. Make sure the kids have adequate time to get ready for school without being rushed.

3. Empty the backpacks after school, not in the morning to avoid any last minute surprises.

The Night Before
4. Have your children pick out their clothes for the next day. Make this part of their bedtime routine.

5. Make sure the backpacks and school supplies are ready to go near the door. Maybe even the shoes and jackets, too. In the winter I get all the snow gear get out and ready to go as well. What about the lunches? Can they be made ahead of time? Does money need to go to school to pay for hot lunch?

6. Determine the breakfast menu and set the bowls and cereal out after dinner. A healthy breakfast really adds a positive start to your child's day.

7. Develop a bedtime routine that works for your family and stick to it the best you can.

8. Double check your calendar, including the car pool schedule and after school activities. Think about what tasks or errands you want to accomplish the next day. I'm not talking about a major to-do list but maybe 2-4 items, or maybe just one part of a major project.

Don't Forget!
Another part of planning ahead is getting the school activities on your calendar or planner. This includes the school calendar for the year, any sports, activities, scouting schedules, etc. You can use a wall calendar, a personal planner or computer, but try to limit it to one.

I like to use Outlook on my computer. At the start of each week I print the 7-day view and post it on my refrigerator so everyone in the family knows what's going on. I tend to color-code activities by type of event (personal or child-related). You might want to color-code by member of the household.

Do you want ideas for organizing, displaying and maintaining your child's school papers and artwork? When you order my Tickler File System , I'll also send you my popular e-book, Maintaining Childhood Treasures: A Mom's Guide to Organizing School Papers and Artwork!

How to Set up a Household Action Center

Does junk mail, school papers, bills and other paper clutter pile up quickly and take over your counter tops and table top? Do you find yourself stacking and then stashing the piles out of sight when company comes over? Are you scrambling in the mornings to get the kids out of the house with everything that they need? Do you miss appointments because you forgot or pay bills late because you can't find them?

If you said yes to more than one of the above, a Household Action Center (HAC) may be the answer. This is the same system I use and teach my private clients. A well-organized HAC can help you to deal with activities, information, and papers that come into your home.

Your HAC should be set up in a central location, most often it is the kitchen-the hub of the home. I like to utilize a portable file box (shown in the picture to the right) but it could also be stationed in a desk or filing drawer. Supplies, such as envelopes, tape, stapler, pens and pencils, and the telephone, should be near by. Through your Household Action Center you can manage your mail, bill paying, calendar, events and projects.

A very important component of your information center will be a Tickler File, which consists of a dated accordion file (1-31 and January-December) and action files. Another important and very necessary component is a calendar or planner.

So, as paper and information come into your home, you must make decisions on each item. Use my 3T Plan™ for making decisions: Take Out, Take action (now or a future date), or To file. Things you need to act on will go into your action folders - labeled with the actions your need to take. If you have a paper that you need to act on at a specific date, put that paper in your tickler file behind the appropriate date or month.

Another useful tool is a household binder. This 3-ring binder can be used to keep regularly accessed information. Common things you would store in your household binder might be school calendars and directories, lunch menus, practice schedules, and frequently used telephone numbers. I like to keep action forms in mine.

Use your system on a regular basis. Get into the habit of consulting your Ticker File and calendar at the same time every day, preferably the night before or in the morning. You should be continually adding and taking out items. Setting up a Household Action Center will help you eliminate the piles and reduce the stress.

For more Works For Me Ideas, vist Rocks In My Dryer.

Quick Tips to End the Paper Clutter

Paper just seems to multiply. You get so much in the mail and the kids bring home even more every day. Pretty soon the piles grow and take over your counter tops. It doesn't take too long before it's overwhelming!

I believe it's best to deal with the paper that comes into your home on a daily basis. This works for me and saves me so much time and energy. For more Works-For-Me ideas, visit We Are THAT Family today!

I suggest making a point to make decisions on those papers every day by asking yourself:

• Do I need to act on this? If the answer is yes, pick a date and do it.
• Do I need to refer to this on a later date? Put it on your calendar.
• Do I need to give this to someone else?

If you answered no to all three questions, most likely you don't need to keep it. Make this part of your daily routine and you will be on your way to putting an end to paper clutter before it even starts.

Are you ready to put an end the paper piles in your home? Want the help to do it? Join me on September 26, 2009 for my Paper Organizing for Busy Moms ~A Virtual Workshop~ to learn the exact systems and steps I teach my clients to eliminate those piles. Just $97 when you register by 9/11/09, $137 after that.

Click here to learn more and to register.

I Want to Help You Get Your Papers Organized!

Paper Organizing for Busy Moms
~A Virtual Workshop

This virtual workshop is for you if you:

• Have tried getting your papers organized before and failed
• Are a busy mom who is determined to spend more time doing those things you enjoy instead of searching through papers
• Have considered seeking the help of organizing expert
• Want to be free from the paper piles and mess in your home

When you register by Friday, September 11 you'll receive these special bonuses:

• Making Time for What's Important Home Study Program (manage your time, manage your life and create the balance you yearn for)
• A Mom's Guide to Organizing Children's School Papers and Artwork (the resource for maintaining, organizing and displaying your child's work)
• The Early Bird Special of only $97 (regular price of $137 after 9/11)
  Register Now!

You'll Learn:

• The steps to get rid of those invasive paper piles with my 3-T Plan
• How to set up your own Household Action Center so you can find what you need when you need it with no more piles
• What papers you should keep, for how long and where
• How to set up an easy-to-use filing system so you can have your important papers at your finger tips
• My five step Stuff System to help you get through those overwhelming stashes of paper, including the kids' papers and artwork.

How it Works:
Throughout the workshop there will be a series of four live teleclasses with me. I'll walk you through the exact steps of paper organization. After each teaching session you will then be able to apply what you have learned right away during your in-home organizing session. I'll be holding your hand all the way through. You'll also receive a 30 page workbook and products worth $98! Learn more here.

What one mom had to say after participating in my Paper Organizing for Busy Moms Virtual Workshop:

"Things are going well and I'm setting aside time each day to work through the rest of the paper piles. I LOVE the systems and it is motivating to see how much I have accomplished already! The day of the workshop I kept organizing until that night. I was amazed at how much I got done in one day. I've already had several times where I needed to locate something and I actually found it within seconds! No more wasting time searching. Thanks again!"

Find Out More and Register Now!

9 Quick Tips for Reducing the Morning Stress! .....September Newsletter Article

Think for a moment how your family starts off the day. How would you describe the mornings in your household? Do they tend to be calm and peaceful or rushed and stressful -or, somewhere in the middle? I found that planning ahead really helps to curb the morning madness. Here are nine quick ideas to help make your mornings less of production for you and your family.

Tip #1: Get up 15-30 minutes before the kids. Give yourself time to get up and ready to go before the children need to be up. I find that when I do this I am more relaxed and able to focus on helping my children. The day is more likely to start off with conversation rather than prodding and nagging. I also feel better about myself. When I feel good about myself, it has such a positive impact on my day!

Tip #2: Make sure the kids have adequate time to get ready for school without being rushed. Note how much time it takes them to complete all their necessary morning tasks and chores. Ideally, I like to have a 15 minute cushion of downtime before they walk out the door.

Tip #3: Have the kids empty their backpacks after school, not the next morning, to avoid any last minute surprises. Designate a drop-off spot for school papers, notes or permission slips that you need to see.

The Night Before
Tip #4: Have your children layout their clothes they want to wear the next day. Make this simple step a part of their bedtime routine.

Tip #5: Make sure the backpacks and school supplies are ready to go near the door. Maybe even the shoes and jackets, too. During the winter month, I get all the snow gear out and ready to go.

Tip #6: What about the lunches? Can they be made ahead of time? Does money need to go to school to pay for hot lunch?

Tip #7: Determine the breakfast menu and set the bowls and cereal out after dinner.

Tip #8: Develop a bedtime routine that works for your family and stick to it the best you can. A rested child is able to focus and learn better than a tired one. Tip #9: Double check your calendar, including the car pool schedule. What tasks do you want to accomplish the next day?

First Day of School

Well, my kids are off for their first day of school. My daughter is in second grade and my son is in Kindergarten. Both are excited to be going to school.

This is a new transition for us. Both of my children will be in school full-time 5 days a week. I'm excited for them and for me!

I've always felt blessed to be a work-at-home mom with my own business. It has given me the flexibility to be there for my kids and to work when it works for me and my family.

I've got my list of tasks I want to accomplish today, including putting the finishing touches on my free teleclass, Prepared, Organized and Focused:7 Great Back-to-School Tips for Moms to Start the Year off Right!. I also have a couple household tasks that need to get done like laundry (blah!).

Yes, I am so enjoying this time! In 9 weeks or so I will be starting another life transition as our third child will hopefully be arriving healthy and happy. I have to be honest with you, the thought of starting again with a baby scares me a bit. It's also exciting. What will this child be like? Where will this take us? I can't help but think that we can't even imagine the wonderful times and blessing that are in store for us.

How did your first day of school go? What emotions are you feeling?

Quick Organizing: Magazines

Do you feel like you just don't have a lot time to devote to organizing? No problem! You can schedule mini organizing session with yourself to tackle small projects. These mini tasks may give you the motivation to tackle larger organizing projects.

I've come up with 8 simple home organizing projects that you can do in 20 minutes or less. I'll be sharing these quick project with you during the next few weeks.

Project #1

Weed through that magazine pile and keep only the last 2 months' issues. Straighten up the pile or put them in a decorative basket. Re-evaluate the subscriptions you are getting. If you find you just have the time to read all the magazines, decide which one you will no longer receive.

For more Works-For-Me ideas, visit We Are THAT Family.

Inexpensive Container Ideas for Organizing

You don't have to spend a lot of money when it comes to organizing and sometimes no money at all! I like to use containers that I have around the house when it comes to organizing. Filling containers is the forth step in my simple organizing STUFF System™.

To the right is a drawer in my kitchen. The front checkered cardboard box came from a cheese gift basket. I keep my chip clips in a handy location because we use them so much. The back two baskets were odd and ends from my collection of containers. The items I don't use as much are stored in the back.

I believe I picked up this inexpensive basket pictured on the left at Goodwill or a rummage sale. It works perfectly for my home video cassettes. I keep the tapes right by my photo albums, scrapbooks and picture DVDs.

To the right is a picture of my daughter's "hair stuff drawer". I made use of a set of decorative boxes and their lids. Now, this drawer is not always this tidy! When it gets out of hand, we sit down together to resort and reorganize.

To the left is the cabinet in the main bathroom houses mostly kid stuff. On the top self to the left, I simply covered a cardboard box with wrapping paper--that one holds medicine. The container on the top right holds first aid items. I've made use of another decorative box and the lid on the bottom shelf. Extras are kept in the box and the lid holds regularly used items.

Do you have any clever and inexpensive organizing ideas that work for you?

For more Works-For-Me Ideas, visit We Are THAT Family.

Learn how you can get your copies of my special reports just for moms, 5 Must-Know Organizing Tips For Busy Moms and The Clutter-Free Gift Giving Guide HERE.

Getting Stuff Done

What time of day are your mental and physical energies high? If possible, use that time for completing your most important projects and tasks.

I find that I am most productive in the morning and though I hate dragging myself out of bed before the kids, I do it when I have things I want to get done and out of the way. Most of the time it gives me a lot of motivation for the rest of the day.

Please understand that I don't think the goal is to cram in as much as you can during your day. Busyness in itself is not a healthily goal. I find that having a general idea of what tasks I would like to accomplish for the next day gives me direction. If I have a never-ending and unrealistic to-do list, I end up feeling stressed out and exhausted. I'm not happy and my family is not happy.

For more Works-For-Me ideas, visit We Are THAT Family.

How Do I Find the Motivation to Follow Through With Getting Organized?

Yesterday I shared a list of 7 Reasons to Hire a Professional Organizer. My very humorous blogging friend, Helene over at I'm Living Proof that God Has a Sense of Humor, asked a great question that I would like to answer.

Helelene wrote: How ironic this post is!! My husband and I today were just chatting about how less chaotic our lives would feel if we got more organized. We can't anything around here b/c things are just stuffed into closets or cabinets. I always read your posts and think you have such great ideas....now do you have any suggestions on how I should actually motivate myself to follow through? See, that's my problem...I wish I could just snap my fingers and it would be all done for me...LOL!

Helene, great question! How to get started.....ALWAYS one small step at a time. Here are a few past motivation posts that might help. Before you even start, it might be helpful to verbalize or write down some of your goals.

As you walk through each area of your home, think about:

1. What do you see?
2. How do you feel?
3. What are the negative results of being unorganized in this specific area?
4. Now visualize this space organized. What would it look like?
5. What are the positive results of being organized in this specific area?
6. How would you feel?

Finally, to get started, you have to make a commitment. You are right, it's not just going to happen at the snap of a finger (darn!). Set an appointment with yourself to focus on one area at a time. What I mean is write it on your calendar, make childcare arrangements so you are not distracted and spend that time just organizing - no answering the phone, no running to the store for this or that.

Use my STUFF SYSTEM (TM) to break the job down into steps.

If you find it's difficult for you to get started, consider working with a professional organizer. I find that some of my clients just need the support in the beginning while others want the support and accountability throughout the process.

Feeling Super Busy and Overwhelmed?

Ever have those moments that you feel like you are running in circles, clutching to your to-do list and you feel as though your head is about to splat all over your mini van? I know I have! Remember, you can only do one thing at a time. Take a deep breath, focus on one task and then move to the next.

You may struggle with getting organized because you are overwhelmed and not sure where to start. Always break a bigger project down into smaller project. For example, if you are determined to get your home office organized, here are some possible smaller projects:

1. Desk


2. Closet


3. Shelves


4. Files

Yes, we moms are pretty awesome and talented, but we also can be our own worst enemy. Sometimes we think we have to do it all.......at the same time.

Happy Mother's Day!

I hope all you moms out there have a wonderful Mother's Day. My family celebrated by going out to dinner last night. After church, we will spend the day with family. Oh yeah, I also got a new camera! My usual Mother's Day gift is typically flowers or plants - which I love! What a special treat!

What did you do for Mother's Day? What's your favorite part? For some reason I feel better about celebrating Mother's Day than I do my own birthday.