MinnMoms Discussion: Get me organized quick! (Sara Pedersen) READ THE ARCHIVE

[MinnMoms Moderator]

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Sara Pedersen
Professional Organizer
August 14, 2008

• Where can I put all those important school papers?
• My kids dump their backpacks in the entryway, help!
• How can I get my kids out the door on time in the morning?

Back to school means early schedules, a deluge of official school papers, homework hassles, and backpacks underfoot. Sara Pedersen, a local mom, a professional organizer and owner of Time to Organize LLC www.time2organize.net answered your questions on how to tame back to school chaos.

[MinnMoms Moderator]

Welcome everyone! Sara is on hand to answer our questions about how to get organized for the start of the school year.

[Sara Pedersen]

I looking for a way to better organize my "need to do soon" items.  I always end up with a stack of papers and notes sitting on the kitchen counter, looking like a mess.  But I'm afraid if I put them neatly away somewhere, I'll forget about them and things will be missed.

How can I have this stuff at my fingertips - but in a neat and organized way?

First off, don't equate being organized with spotless, magazine-perfect kitchen counters. Lots of us need to keep stuff "out" in order to remember to attend to those details. That being said, if you can create "homes" for your categories of stuff and a simple system for your to-do's, you'll feel more organized.

Just remember to work with your natural tendencies. For example, if you have reminder sticky notes all over the place, consider consolidating them. Buy a cute notebook, create sections, and stick those sticky notes right in the notebook. Perhaps you'd have a section for "things to buy," one for "things to do," etc. If you tend to keep papers out on the counter so you don't forget to act on them, consider consolidating the papers onto colored clip boards, 3-ring binders, large magnetic clips for your fridge, or boxes, each labeled with a specific category or function. Then the papers will still be "out," but neatly contained and organized.

Just "containerizing" the stuff will make things look neater. But here's the kicker: You need to set aside time each week to actually review these papers and act on them; otherwise the papers will over-run your kitchen! Decide on a day and time to review papers. For example, declare that Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9:00 - 10:00 will be paper management time. (True, it's not the most fun thing you'll do all week, but grab a latte, put on some nice music, ignore the phone, and make the most of it.) Sort through the to-do's and, well, do them! Toss anything expired or no longer interesting or relevant. Jot upcoming events on the calendar and then toss the paperwork. Paperwork will not magically disappear, but if you get in the routine of staying on top of it, your life will be so much easier!

In sum, keep your papers at your fingertips, but find a system to contain them and review them regularly.

[Sara Pedersen]

I think I've diagnosed a major organizational problem in my home -- everything is too spread out. For example, we have some art supplies in our daughter's room, some in the dining room, and an easel downstairs. Same thing with toys. So I am thinking about doing a major overhaul and turning one bedroom into an art room. Do you think that's a good idea? How would you go about such a project that involves changing the function of at least three different rooms?

First off, let me ask you why you have art supplies in three different areas? If you truly use art supplies in all three spaces, then it is okay to have them there! There is no rule that says you can only have certain things in one space. Maybe you just need to define a place within the three areas for the art supplies so they don't look cluttery. Can you tuck the supplies in a box or basket in each of the three rooms, making them easier to access and put away?

That being said, an art room sounds like a lovely idea! I'd start by clearing out the soon-to-be artroom, relocating its non-art-related contents to other rooms. (Hint: This is a good time to declutter and downsize.) Once that space is clear, start collecting art supplies from the other rooms of the house. Relocate them to the art room. You'll want to decide how the room will be used and by whom. Do you need a desk in addition to the easle? How old is your daughter? Perhaps a small table with chairs would be better than a desk in that case. Make sure that art supplies are easily accessible. Always ask yourself, "Who will be using this room? What is it's ideal function?" Good luck. Sounds like a fun project!

[Sara Pedersen]

We work out of our house and our work life is always spreading into the living areas.  Any advice for keeping everything organized?

If you find yourself gravitating to certain areas of your home for work-related tasks, don't fight it. Go with the flow. But keep all the work clutter at bay by creating a catch-all for your supplies: Create a portable office! This will allow you to work anywhere inside (or even outside) your home. A tackle box or any type of small storage box (even a shoebox) will do. Fill it with supplies such as pens, pencils, sharpeners, markers, highlighters, colored pencils, scissors, tape, stapler, paper clips, ruler, calculator, sticky notes, paper, and any other supplies that you frequently use.

Also, don't forget to take ten minutes at the end of each day to tidy up your work space (whereever that may be).

If you're not using your office space because it's too disorganized (hence, the need to spread out all over the house), try getting that in order first. A few tips about that:

• Zone your space. Divide your office into zones. Think kindergarten-style: Walk into a classroom, and it will be divided into different areas to do crafts, eat, take a nap, listen to music, and read. Your office might have a main work zone (usually your desk area); a reference zone of bookcases or shelves; a creative work zone for drawing or writing; and a calling zone, including the phone, headset, and phone book.

• Make the most of limited space. Try to think vertically, rather than just horizontally. Use your wall space to mount a bulletin board to hang your to-do list and phone numbers. Install pegboard or a wire grid on the wall to hang supplies up and off your desk. Install shelving over your desk to hold books and reference materials. Mount your computer monitor on a swing arm from the wall. If you have a door, don’t forget to use the space behind it — hang a shoe bag, and fill it with office supplies.

Best wishes! Never underestimate the power of "containerizing" and daily maintenance.

[Sara Pedersen]

I have a paper problem in my house. Mail brings in tons, schools pass out paper like it's air. I collect enough to fill two bags every week for recycling. Somewhere in this mess I lose a bill once in a while. To make matter worse I am a librarian by education and experience, I should know all about order but I need a hint on how to keep the piles from accruing.

To much of it, what length of time should items be kept. Things like bank statements, credit card statements. How can I keep kids artwork from getting out of hand?

See my reply to Piecemaker for tips on keeping paperwork at bay. One way to cut paper clutter in half is to do a quick-sort as soon as it enters your home. For example, when you bring the mail in, stand over the recycling bin and immediately toss in all junk mail. Open everything else, and toss the envelopes and junk fillers. You've just reduced that mail pile by at least 50%! You may not have time to act on the rest of the mail right now, so stash it in a special place and find time to deal with it daily.

As far as how long to keep important papers, just know that most people keep too much stuff for too long. Ask yourself if you could retrieve the documents somehow (such as online or through your bank) in the event you truly needed them. If the answer is yes, you can feel comfortable letting them be tossed. If it's something irreplaceable (income tax returns, property records, etc.), then you need to keep them forever. But take care to box them up and store them out of the way. Stash them in the basement, attic, or garage. Please don't use up your precious office or kitchen space for stuff you'll probably never look at again. After you pay your bills, give thoughtful consideration to the paperwork you decide to keep. If your expenses are business-related, file statements in a “paid bills” folder. If they are non-work related, you can probably get rid of much of your paperwork. Be realistic and ask yourself why you would need to keep them in the first place. (Remember, most statements are available online if you need them later.) If you really want to keep the statements, file them in a “paid bills” folder and empty it out (shred sensitive material) at year’s end, keeping only the past 12 months’ worth of paperwork.

Here is a link to some records retention guidelines:
http://www.onlineorganizing.com/ExpertAdviceToolboxTips.asp?tipsheet=24

(See my reply to mamamia for advice on kids' artwork storage. It's a really common school-aged kids organizational issue!)

[Sara Pedersen]

My husband, two kids, and I live in a 2-bedroom house.  I didn't have a hard time staying organized before the kids came along because we had our "office" room.  But now that there isn't a dedicated space, our papers, laptops, etc are just thrown whereever.  How can I create a place for this stuff without an actual room for it?

Thanks!

Can you carve out an office nook somewhere in your home? If doesn't have to have four walls, but sometimes just dedicating a small area in the kitchen, living room, or even a bedroom will work wonders! You can use a screen to section off the area (especially important if you set up in a bedroom). There are some neat Asian-inspired Sjoji screens at http://www.orientalfurniture.com at very affordable prices that look lovely.

If you can't create a small office area, then you'll need to create a portable office. Please see the earlier post regarding working out of a home office. My reply gives some tips for gathering supplies that can be toted around the house as needed.

[Sara Pedersen]

DAILY HOUSEHOLD CLUTTER.  We have a mud room that we enter in through.  We pass the mail sorter that hangs on the wall and pile all of our papers, bills etc. on the kitchen breakfast bar area.  It drives me nuts.  I even bought a cute little chef, frog guy holding a plate.  He was suppposed to hold our bills.  Now ALL the papers end up on his tray.  I hate looking at it, as I know I have to go through it every so often.  Our office is in our lower level, so it's not convenient to run things down there all the time.  I also feel like our mudroom is overcrowded.  What do you suggest?!  Thanks,
Andrea

The problem here is inconvenient storage. Running to the lower level office each time you have a piece of paper is not convenient, so you won't do it.

So there are two options:
1. Put all papers that need to go down to the office in one dedicated spot in the kitchen. (And really, I just mean ONE spot, not two or three or five:)) But the key to making this work is that you HAVE to deposit those papers downstairs to the office each evening. No exceptions or paper clutter will return. There is a before and after photo on my website that shows a kitchen counter that was helped by a wooden under-mount organizer: http://www.time2organize.net/photos.htm

2. Do you pay bills in the office, or would it actually be more convenient to pay them in the kitchen? In this case, I'd recommend setting up a mini-filing system in the kitchen. Office supply stores have neat little boxes that will hold about a dozen file folders. (Target makes some cute ones with flip-top lids for $10.) Get one that fits your decor and use those folders to hold paperwork that you need to access frequently. A "bills to pay" folder is definitely needed!

Here are some tips for bill paying:
You might consider the "twice a month" payment system. Set aside two 6x9 envelopes (or use two of the file folders in your mini-filing system). Label one "Due Second Half of the Month: Pay on the 10th" and, as you receive them, place inside all bills due between the 16th and last day of the month.  Label one "Due First Half of the Month: Pay on the 25th" and, as you receive them, place inside all bills due between the 1st and 15th day of the month.

As soon as a bill arrives, immediately open the envelope, and toss it out (along with any other sales literature that accompanies it). Next, circle the due date. Tuck the bill into the return-mail envelope and stick them into the appropriate 6x9 envelope. For example, if you receive a bill that is due April 20th, you'd put it in the "Due Second Half of the Month: Pay on the 10th" envelope.

Then, on the 10th and 25th of each month, take out the 6x9 envelope, and pay your bills. To make this process a little easier, fill a small plastic supply box (or use an empty checkbook box) with office essentials such as pens, checkbook, stamps, stickie notes, envelopes, address labels, mini-stapler, and tape. You’ll never again have an excuse to pay late.

If you are computer savvy, you might consider paying some or all of your bills online. This eliminates paper and can save much time. Contact the companies from whom you receive bills and see if they offer online bill paying. You'll receive your statement via email, and payment can be deducted directly from your checking or savings account or charged to your credit card with your approval. You can access your past statements online at any time via your computer, keeping your home clear of paper clutter.

[Sara Pedersen]

My elementary age school kids are starting to have more projects due in school. It was easy to deal with daily homework. It just came out of the backpack, got done and went back into the backpack. How would you suggest keeping track of a homework project that is due two weeks from now?  Where do you keep the papers, work in progress, etc. And how do you help your kid get it done?! 

Thanks, Kristine

Hi Kristine! It's never too early to teach a child to use a calendar to learn time and task management. In my son's elementary school, they start using planners in 4th grade! So if your child isn't yet using a time management tool, start now: Younger grades will benefit from a simple wall calendar. Older (4th grade and older) can start using a planner. Write the project's due date in a bright color. Help your child break the project down into smaller steps. For example: visit library to get research books, review books and take notes, write project outline, write rough draft, draw cover illustration, give to mom for proofreading, type final draft, etc. Middle and high schoolers can also use a planner to track assignments, upcoming tests, extra-curricular activities, and appointments.

As far as keeping the project accessible throughout the working phase, dedicate one spot for it. Perhaps you use a 3-ring binder to hold all the notes. Or an in-box tray. Or even a cardboard box of some sort. No matter what you use, be sure to have your child return the materials to that container after each day's use.

As far as helping your child with homework and staying on task, know that most people aren’t born organized. It is a skill that is learned. Just as children are taught how to do long division, hit a baseball, or play a musical instrument, they can be taught how to organize their space, time, and tasks. It’s your important job, as the adult in their lives, to pass along helpful tips for organizing success. Here are a few ideas:

• Help create a habit of doing homework in same place, at the same time, every day.

• Encourage students to look at the family calendar each day so they know what’s coming up.

• Help them prioritize tasks each day, focusing first on assignments with the most urgency or earliest due dates. Teach them to use high-energy times to their advantage: It’s often best to do the hardest thing first, rather than saving it for the end of the evening when they’re tired. Or have them start out on a good note by tackling one quick, simple task first to get momentum going, followed by the hardest assignment. Older students will benefit from creating to-do lists: Teach them to use two task groups: an urgent, “do it today” list and and less timely “do it soon” list. Help them see that some things will take a long time to accomplish, while others take only a few minutes.

I hope that helps. I applaud you for making your kids' schoolwork a priority. All ages, no matter if they're a first grader or a senior in high school, need your guidance and support.

[Sara Pedersen]

How do you deal with kid artwork and school work?

I'd like to display some of it, but it always gets overwhelming. Last year each kid had a string that ran across the family room between two windows, high enough so the little sister couldn't reach it. I hung up the older kids' stuff on clothespins. But then I'd never empty the line and it got loaded down! Any other ideas for how to display stuff easily? I saw something in a magazine where someone turned an entire wall into a bulletin board. What do you think of that?

Also do you have any system for sorting papers, deciding what to keep and what to toss, and for storing them longterm?

 

It's easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of paperwork that comes home with your child. Lunch menus, notes from the teacher, graded papers, homework, and artful creations are just a sampling of the types of paper you must wade through on a daily basis. Get it under control by following these guidelines:

• First off, dedicate a folder or 3-ring binder for papers that you frequently reference. You might place lunch menus, schedules, calendars, and class lists there. Keep it in the kitchen for easy access.

• Each day, sort through all papers that come home with your child. For those that require action (signing permission slips, writing checks, etc.), place them in a to-do tray and get them done by day’s end.

• Realize that while your child’s work is special and meaningful, not everything must be saved. Toss routine papers such as daily assignments. Save only those things that really showcase your child’s uniqueness: their first perfect spelling test, a special book report, an inspired illustration, or an art project that is truly wonderful.

Personally, I'm not entirely in favor of the "bulletin board wall." I think that's a whole lot to save and showcase. Remember: You don’t need to save everything. When you do, you can’t truly appreciate anything. Here are a few ideas for your wonderful compilation of kids’ art:

• Post artwork temporarily to give the family a chance to admire it. To create a fancy refrigerator display, purchase a few 8x10 and 5x7 cardboard mattes. Glue plastic sleeves behind them to hold kids’ pictures, and attach magnets so they stick to the fridge. You can easily remove and rotate art as new creations arrive. Or dedicate a couple standard wall frames to hold kids’ artwork, and change out old art as new masterpieces arrive.

• As items are rotated out, store them in a drawer or even an unused pizza box. At year’s end, help kids select their top ten favorites to save. Then, take photos or videotape of three-dimensional art and toss the rest.

• Start an Art of the Month Club. Have kids select one piece of artwork each month to give to family and friends. (Grandparents love this idea!)

• As new artwork enters your home, ask yourself: “Is this different than other works we’ve already saved?” “Does it give me a glimpse into my child’s uniqueness?” “Does it make me laugh or cry?” Keep only those that really make an impact. Let the rest go so you can appreciate the best. If you can't part with the artwork right away, save what you must in a storage box. Then, twice a year, assist your child with a collection “viewing,” sorting and downsizing a bit more.

[Sara Pedersen]

Sara,
I know you've helped some of the children in your kids' school clear out and organize their classroom desks. Can you share with us what you did?  Also, are there ways that parents can help their children keep their school supplies and papers organized? And any particular tips for parents who can't make it into the classroom on a regular basis? 

MinnMoms Moderator

Sure! I would pop into the classroom before school officially started (the 10-15 minutes between when the kids were let in the building and when the school day officially starts) and assist individual kids with a quick desk organization. (The teacher advised me as to which kids needed the most help.) In as little as 10-15 minutes, I'd discretely help them sort through their desks' contents. Mostly kids need help with keep vs. toss decisions, so this is a good area for both teachers and parents to guide kids. Once we'd purged what they don't need (toss irrelevant papers & scraps of paper, put important "take-home" papers in their backpacks, return empty food storage containers to their backpacks), I'd help them organize the remaining stuff in a system that makes sense to them. Some kids want all the notebooks and folders on one side, and the text books on the other. Other kids want everything for the morning classes on the left, and the afternoon classes on the right. There is no right or wrong way to organize, as long as it make sense to that child. Even an organized kid can create chaos in those small, often neglected spaces. Here are some tips to help your child stay organized at school:

ELEMENTARY AGE
If you’re concerned about the state of your child’s desk, contact the teacher. Perhaps she could hold an “organize your desk” time once a week or month that would benefit all of her students. If your child needs extra attention, ask the teacher if you could stop by before or after school some day for a brief desk tidy-up.  Teach your child to take home food containers daily, toss garbage, purge papers that are no longer needed, and keep important take-home papers in a certain folder. See what type of order makes sense for your kid. Perhaps she associates colors with certains subjects, so notebooks and folders could correspond to those. Maybe she likes all the notebooks on one side of the desk and the folders on the other. Or perhaps she prefers the items she uses in the morning on one side and afternoon items on the other. Whatever makes sense for her is okay, as long as she understands and maintains the system.

MIDDLE AND HIGH SCHOOL AGE
This age can be more challenging for parents to help, because you’ll likely not be invited into the school by your student. But you can assist by providing helpful locker accessories like an extra shelf and a magnetic pencil cup and memo board to make staying organized as easy as possible. Discuss ways to organize your student’s things (see prior paragraph) in a logical order. Encourage frequent clean-outs. If it really gets out of control, give her a large garbage bag and have her bring everything home over the weekend. Spend time helping her sort, purge, and rearrange. She can return the organized items to her locker on Monday.

ALL AGES
Inventory students’ school supplies at least twice a year and restock anything broken or used up. Check in frequently to see if their desks or lockers need tune-ups and help as necessary.

[Sara Pedersen]

Here's a follow up to the art question: What about three-dimensional works of art? What's the best way to store the ones you don't want to display?

Those exploding volcanos don't quite fit anywhere, do they? I recommend taking a photo of the 3-dimensional projects and creating a scrapbook of school projects. It will be a fun thing to look at over the years, watching how your kids capabilities grow with each passing year. And when they move into their homes years from now (many, many years from now), they will thank you for not saving every project they created. But they will LOVE the easily-totable scrapbook!

If you have somewhat larger projects (but not 3-D), I like the Schoolfolio for storage. It's a neat poly portfolio that holds art up to 18 x 24" and it expands to almost 4". Here's a link to it on my website: http://www.time2organize.net/productguide

[Sara Pedersen]

Ok, here's another one.  Any suggestions for maintaining a family calendar?  It seems that in a lot of families mom keeps the family commitments, sports practices, play dates, etc. written down in her personal planner. If the family also has a wall calendar, it means she has to be good about updating and copying everything over. Do you like the idea of multiple calendars. And, if not, how can she keep everyone (most of all dad or her partner!) in the loop? 

There are so many options for time and task management. I agree that it's hard, because usually mom and dad have their own planners or PDAs, so transferring stuff to a family calendar is a pain. But I am a firm believer in a family calendar, no matter what. Mom and dad can still have their daily/at work planners or PDAs. But be sure to have a wall-mounted (on the fridge, wall, etc.) calendar to write all the other appointments, sports/activity times, etc. That way, everyone can check it daily to see what's coming up. No more forgotten appointments!

Another option is to try an online calendar. (That way, everyone can access it online and keep it current. You can print out a fresh, updated calendar daily/weekly and post it for all to see.) You might try Cosi. Cozi is a FREE web service that helps you manage your family calendar, track your to-do and shopping lists, organize your chores and stay in touch with each other when you’re on the go. Visit their website: http://www.cozi.com

[MinnMoms Moderator]

Thank you Sara for all these great tips.

Good luck to all for an organized start to your school years and fall schedules.

Next week's discussion is on stress and kids with local pediatric nurse practioner Rebecca Kajander. You can post a question anytime at www.minnmoms.com

Thanks for reading!

MinnMoms Moderator