Week #32 Organized Home Challenge
Homework Area & Morning Launch Pad
In this week's challenge we're preparing for morning and school day success by creating a homework area as well as a home launching pad for each family member.
With school now in full swing for many families, you may have noticed your mornings are a bit crazy, trying to get everyone up and out the door in time for school.
Heck, even without kids mornings can be crazy trying to get everything done to get out the door for work or other activities.
That's why this week's challenge isn't just for families with kids in school, but for everyone, to help put organizational systems in place to make mornings go smoother and your day thereby start out with less stress and chaos.
Plus, for those families who do have school age kids, we'll also deal with after school homework, to get that activity organized and under control too.
Are you new here? The Homework Area & Home Launching Pad Challenge is part of the 52 Weeks To An Organized Home Challenge. (Click the link to learn how to join us for free for future and past challenges if you aren't already a regular reader).
Step 1: Create A Home Launching Pad For Each Family Member
One of the most challenging parts of getting out the door on time each morning is gathering up all the materials you need to actually head out the door.
For some reason many of us (including myself) underestimate how long this task can take, or forget that something we've got to take with us isn't actually ready until we're about to leave the house.
Then, we run around like crazy people trying to get it all done with too little time to actually get it accomplished, at least well and in a stress free manner.
One way to help with this problem is to create a launching pad for each family member, which is a fancy way of saying that each person needs a designated space close to the door where they can keep stuff that they'll take with them, when they leave the house.
I've touched on this idea a couple times on the site in other articles, because I've found this to be such a simple but effective method for making my own mornings less stressful.
For example, I discussed this in my Top 10 Back to School Ideas article.
This week, as part of the Homework Area & Home Launching Pad Challenge we'll actually create this area in our homes.
Examples of common items that you might want to include in a school kids' launching pad include:
- Backpacks (it is nice, if possible to get these off the floor where you're prone to tripping over them, such as by having them hang on hooks or from a rack, as shown on the right)
- Lunch box and/or snacks, drinks (these may also be in the refrigerator, ready to take out in the morning)
- Permission slips and other papers to return to school
- Books, including library books
- Sports equipment, or other hobby equipment needed for school or after school activities
- Coats and other winter or weather gear
Click for charging station ideas
When considering an adult's launching pad, items you may want to include are:
- Keys
- Mobile or smart phone (make sure it is charged by keeping a charging station nearby, such as the one shown on the right)
- Mail (such as in your home mail organizer)
- Purses and briefcases, and/or diaper bag
- Coat and other weather gear (gloves, hat, umbrella, etc.)
- Packed lunch for work
- Items to return, or for errands
- Dry cleaning
Launch Pad Storage Solutions Ideas
You'll need to create a space for all these items around the exit to your home. Ideas for storage solutions include cubbies, hooks and pegs, baskets, or whatever else you can think of that can containerize each launch pad. Check out the Mudroom & Entryway Organization Challenge for more ideas.
Create Habits To Effectively Use Your Home Launching Pad
Finally, as with most organizational systems, your launching pad won't actually help you in the mornings if you don't use it.
You need to get yourself and your family members into the habit of actually placing their stuff in this space as they come in the door, and taking it with them when they leave the house.
Further, some of the items you've got to leave with take some preparation to get ready. I suggest a part of your nightly routine is to get as much stuff ready, and in your launching pad as possible, the night before.
For example, plug in your phone to charge during the night in your charging station, sign all homework and permission slips, and place your shopping list in your purse by the door.
The trickiest items to remember are those which can't be left there and ready the night before, such as lunches that need to be refrigerated.
My personal solution for this is to place a note (my favorite are post its) on top of my other stuff in my launching pad area reminding me to grab these things in the morning before I head out the door.
Another similar possibility would be to place a bulletin board or dry erase board by the door that can similarly help remind you.
Step 2: Create A Homework Area For Your Kids
The second step of this week's challenge is to create some peace and calm in the afternoons, just like we're trying to do in the morning with the launching pad.
The reason for this is that as soon as the kids come home from school, things can get crazy. It's often called the "witching hour" because you're trying to find out about the kids' day, supervise homework, get dinner cooking, and get ready for sports practice or other after school or evening activities, and it can get overwhelming trying to do it all at once.
Laptop lap desk
[Buy similar one on Amazon.com]
Whether you're home when your kids get home from school or not, it is important to show your kids homework is important by having a designated area for them to do their homework in.
This area doesn't have to be fancy, and you don't have to have it dedicated full time to homework use. For example, we just make sure to clear off the kitchen table around the time the kids come home from school, so they can do their homework on it while we help them, as needed.
Wherever you choose for your kids' homework area to be, make sure they've got a flat work surface in a well-lit area, that is relatively quiet, to allow them to get their work done.
If you don't have such an area, consider getting your child a lap desk to create such a flat surface for them, such as the one shown on the left. Many such desks now also double as a comfortable way to hold a laptop in your lap without it overheating your legs.
Make sure that close to the homework area you've stocked any needed school supplies, such as pens, paper, scissors, glue, markers, a pencil sharpener and extra erasers. Here's my list of school supplies you should stock at home for homework and school projects (including a free printable).
Next, make sure that you organize your school supplies so when it's time for homework or school projects your kids can find and use them easily (and also put them away for next time when done). Here's my article with 3 ideas for how to organize school supplies for home use.
Further, older kids may also need to use a computer as part of their school work, so have one available in a space where you can provide supervision, if needed.
The key to any good homework area is to make it a consistent place where your kids can know when they sit down there, it's time to get in the mindset to get their homework done.
This can make your afternoon or evening less stressful, and also get homework out of the way so you can get on with other evening family activities.
Have Your Kids Use A Student Planner To Keep Track Of Their Assignments
I also encourage you to have your kids use a student planner of some variety, to help keep track of their school and homework assignments.
Learning how to plan for and track their deadlines, as well as how to use a planner and stay organized with their assignments, are good skills for your kids to practice not only for school, but also for life.
There are lots of planners available, and I know my kids were encouraged to use a specific school planner while in elementary school that was provided by their school, but once they got to middle and high school the choice was their own. My kids have been using the Full Focus Planner Kids & Student editions, and it's what I recommend if you're looking for a planning system. You can read my review at the link.
Step 3: Develop A System For Dealing With School Papers
One of the things that suprised me most when my kids first went to school is how much paper they bring home every single day. Even with all the talk of being green, and putting things online instead, I have seen no decrease in the mounds of paper my kids bring home in their backpacks.
As always, the first step is to deal with any accumulated school papers that have already accumulated, by decluttering. Yes, you want to save some of your kids homework assignments and school work to show how they progressed and what they were like at various stages of their life. But that is definitely not every single piece of paper. You'd be buried under it all.
It can be difficult to decide what to keep versus throw away (or most likely recycle in this case since we're talking about paper), so I've written this article which lists 6 questions to ask when decluttering kids' art and school papers. It gives you guidance to help you make those decisions for yourself, so you can feel confident you are saving the right things, and can then get rid of the rest.
But in addition to decluttering the excess you've accumulated, you need to create a system for dealing with these papers from now on, so they don't accumulate again in the future, as well as to organize those you do decide to keep.
I've written an article with tips for organizing kids' school papers here. There are ideas for what to do right now, at the beginning of the school year, to set up a system for this year's papers, as well as tips for daily actions to take to keep up with the papers as they come in the door.
In addition, here's the Declutter Backpacks Mission, which is part of the Declutter 365 missions here on the site, which gives guidance on how and why want to develop the habit of tidying and clearing clutter from your kids' backpacks daily.
Listen To Taylor's Video Tips For This Week's Organized Home Challenge & Declutter 365 Missions
Do you want more in-depth tips and instructions for how to do this week's missions and challenge all about back to school organization? If so, I've got recorded video tips from me, Taylor, from the video archives in the Declutter 365 Premium group, all about this week's challenge and missions.
These video tips are available on demand in the archives, once you're a member of the group.
In Week #32's video I discussed the following topics, among others:
- What to do in the Declutter 365 missions for the next few weeks if no need to declutter kids stuff
- Tips for getting out the door each morning
- Dealing with kids school papers
- Back to school organization tips
- Declutter 365 missions for week
I suggest watching the video archive for the week, perhaps while you're doing some decluttering or cleaning around your home, before starting the week's missions and Challenge, and then you'll be able to breeze through this week's worth of decluttering missions, as well as organize what's necessary for the 52 Week Organized Home Challenge, based on the advice and instructions within those videos.
It really is like having me, Taylor, available, 24-7, as your decluttering and organizing coach, for every area of your home!
Plus, once you're a member of Declutter 365 Premium you get access to not only this video, but all the videos for the 52 weeks of the year, for 5 years (that's over 260 videos available in the archives!)
Get This Kids Decluttering Checklist + 32 Other Decluttering Checklists For Your Home
Right now you're decluttering kids' clutter, but as anyone who has kids around knows there's a lot of types and varieties of this type of clutter around your home.
I've done the hard work of breaking down these tasks into smaller more manageable steps for you, so you don't get overwhelmed or worry you're forgetting a task, and you can go at the pace you want, whether that's fast or slow.
In addition, you can tackle these decluttering tasks in whatever order you want when you use these checklists!
Tell Me How The Homework Area & Home Launching Pad Challenge Is Going For You
I would love to know how this week's Homework Area & Home Launching Pad Challenge is going. You can tell me your progress or give me more ideas for how you've organized this area of your home in the comments below.
I also would love to see before and after pictures of your homework areas and launching pads, once you've completed the challenge. Submit your pictures (up to four per submission) and blog posts and get featured in the Creative Storage Solutions Hall of Fame. You've worked hard to get organized, so now here's your chance to show off!
Sneak Peek For Next Week's Challenge
We're working on our homes slowly, one area at a time, so don't get too distracted from this week's Challenge. However, I know some of you love to know what's coming next, so I'll tell you.
This week we took a quick detour, focusing on back to school issues, since that happens around this time of year. But next week we'll continue on with organizing and decluttering clothes, moving on to organizing your kids' closets. It's the perfect time, when you've got to deal with all their new clothes for the school year!
Make Sure You Make The Most Of These 52 Organizing Challenges
Get your copy of the printable one page 52 Week Organized Home Challenge schedule for the year here, so you can see all the challenges we're working on.
Further, if you'd like to join a community of others who are all commmitted to these organizing challenges and corresponding decluttering missions, and want more interaction with me, Taylor, video archives of Taylor providing more tips for each of these challenges and missions, as well as live monthly group coaching sessions focusing on the skills and habits necessary to maintain your home from now on, I'd urge you to join the private and exclusive Declutter 365 Premium Facebook group (you can learn more about it at the link).
In addition, have you gotten your Declutter 365 Products yet, to make sure you can get even more assistance with decluttering and organizing your home this year? There are both free products (like the Declutter 365 calendar, a $20 value), as well as add-ons, such as daily text messages, planner stickers, and a Premium Facebook group, as well as a pack of printabe decluttering checklists.
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