My Top 5 back to school Organisation hacks

Where’s your drink bottle?
How about the lid to your lunchbox, it was there last time I checked?
Quick get ready or we’ll be late? Lol…
Does this sound a little like your household?
Then there’s no better time to help make life a little easier with the back to school craze than by

starting your journey to a more organised life.

As you already know, I love a little organisation.
But what I love the most about it is that by creating even just a little organisation in ones life can make way for many benefits to follow on.
From having more time and space for what you really need and desire, to less stress, less mess, and a healthier way of life.

However a time that can be of high emotion and stress is back to school time.
This change in routine alone can create quite the upheaval in one’s life.

‘I say this as I sit here writing this blog after our first day back along side my little one who is already feeling the pinch of his big brother having gone to school, asking me every half hour when it’s time to pick him up again 🙁’

So we have a healthy snack and cuddle then watch our favorite movie whilst sitting in our feelings of sadness, excitement for his big bro’s debut, yet enjoyment of a little quiet time together and look forward to the next reunite.

Oh, the journey of a parent…

I’m a big believer that by creating space and time to allow yourself to have emotions work their way through is an important key to living a healthy life, just as it is to create organisational habits that will help you to reduce the back to school stress and mess.

So to commence your journey to a more organised school life, I have listed 5 of my favourite back to school organisation hacks that I hope will help you too.
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So let's get started!

Hack 1: Have a cook and freeze day
This I do prior to the commencement of every school term and it makes school lunchboxes a breeze to organise on a daily basis.

I make a list of healthy snack ideas, do a little more research for new recipes to try, then discuss this with the kids to decide what to cook and freeze up for the term.
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My recipes will often include snacks such as; Healthy Banana Bread, Bliss Balls, Frozen yoghurt cubes, Fruit Salad mixes, Mini Quiches, just to name a few.

Hack 2: Set up your family scheduler
​I love using my diary for this but I also have clients use their phone schedulers that they can also sync with the whole family so it’s easy to know who is where and when, especially for during and after school activities.

To do this simply set aside 20 minutes to arrange your child’s schedule for the term, this can include booking them into lessons as well as registrations for after school sports and the like.
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This will make it so much easier for you to have it all organised before schools back in full swing so that when those extra things creep in, you are better equipped to deal with them because you know your schedule.

Hack 3: Have an in’s and out’s school drawer
What can shock most parents when going back to school is how to deal with the influx of papers that come home. From arts and crafts to homework and books the list goes on.

What I have found helps to prevent the clutter build up is to allocate a specific drawer just for this. Even though I find the papers can still accumulate here, at the end of every term we sort through what to keep and what to let go of and we create their scrapbook for their school year.
 
I find this great for my children’s decision making skills as well as taking pride in the work they want to hold on to throughout their school days. 
But if you’re finding your drawers still piling up then taking photos of their art and saving them electronically in personalised folders can help too.

Hack 4: Create a backpack station
This is a must have, so take a few minutes to organise a place in your home for your children to put their backpacks, hats and coats.
It’s a simple hack, yet a little organisation that can make the world of difference on those busy mornings.

I have my children unpack their bags as soon as they get home from school and do their homework right away when we can so that it’s then all put away neatly.
​This way they take ownership on their work to be completed whilst reducing stress and mess in the house all at the same time.

Hack 5: Create some 'Me Time'
Coming off a long school holiday break and with the constant juggle of work and play can mean that ‘me time’ can become a little scarce during a school holiday break.
Now’s your time to put your new routines and rituals in place that will best support you throughout the coming term.

I love reassessing and readdressing this each term because as seasons change as can our routines and I believe that this is just as important to our organisation as it is for our children so be sure to get your schedule under way and include some ‘me time’ in there too. 
After all, if your not operating at 100% then you can’t give 100% of yourself to those you love x
 
 
So there you have it team, my top 5 back to school organisation hacks!

If you have other hacks you love, then post them below by commenting on this blog, I’d love to hear how these tips have helped you.
 
Here’s to living an organised life with less stress and more ease, 
 
Nicole x

12 Weeks to Clutter Free Living