Ten Ways To Be An Organised Mom

So the school year has begun and I’ve spent the summer preparing for my son to start Kindergarten. And by doing so, it means we have started the school year relaxed and organized. And my I hope is that it will make our transition to a new routine less stressful.

As a decluttering expert, I know that by planning ahead, decluttering, and getting organised, you will transition into the new school and /or work routine with ease. And it’s not too late to get started. Here I share 10 ways I prepared for the transition.

1. I organised my child’s wardrobe

As summer draws to an end, I have decluttered my son’s wardrobe. He grew out of most of his clothes over the summer, so some I donated, and those that weren’t in great shape I swapped at H&M for their 15% discount voucher. I could then make a clear list of what he needs for Kindergarten as we move towards winter. Already I have looked out for rainwear and warm gloves, hats and scarves because as you know the weather can change dramatically from one day to the next.

2. I also organised my wardrobe

There are days when I need several outfit changes. A typical day for me is dropping my son off at childcare (outfit 1), going to a massage appointment (outfit 2), home to coach clients (outfit 3), picking up my son and going to the park (outfit 4), and of course finally pyjamas! (outfit 5). I wanted to avoid getting stressed as I frantically search for what I need and so I did one of my regular wardrobe declutter sessions and organised my wardrobe. I put away my beachwear, a good portion of my summer clothes and said goodbye to anything worn out. I could then see what gaps were in my wardrobe and could invest in good rain boots and a rain jacket as well as some warm winter jumpers and new jeans.

3. I created a workspace for my son

I bought a little desk and chair and some cool Montessori pencil organisers and made a nice place for us to draw, paint and do stickers. I also bought a plastic box that I filled with all the craft items that fits under the desk. It keeps it all in one place and tidy too! This idea also works well for school age kids to have a designated area to complete their homework.

4. I created a filing system for paperwork

One of the major contributors to clutter in our home is paperwork, and as a child starts school there will be much more arriving each day. I recently found these two boxes from Soho to use as a filing system to keep on top of paperwork and keep organised. Follow these easy steps:

-Each day, open all your post and empty school bags.
-Recycle envelopes and junk mail.
-Place any mail that requires to be actioned in the first drawer, e.g. bill to pay, form to fill in.
-In the second drawer put immediately any mail that has to be filed.

And once you complete drawer one, you can move paperwork to a drawer two.

-Regularly empty drawer 2 and file paperwork.

This system means you always deal with important paperwork and don’t overlook anything.

5. I reorganised and stocked my food cupboards

I recently got a number of large glass jars which I decorated with cute labels and orgnanised my food cupboards with all the healthy foods we need. I stocked up the fridge with the fresh food we need for packed lunches and dinners and I continued with my batch cooking and freezing of leftovers to have quick healthy meals available on those busy evenings.

6. I created an new evening routine

I began getting us in to an evening routine to make it more relaxed, and for it to become a habit. I have also begun to prepare a lot the night before (clothes, snacks, bags, etc), which means I go to bed tired but feeling on top of things.

7. I started getting up earlier

This is the hard one for me! I love my sleep and can never get enough. But I know if I get up a little before my son and get showered and ready before he gets up I am much less frazzled and can calmly focus on getting him ready. Then we both leave the house in a better mood and it’s a happier start to the day.

8. I created a memory box

I have a memory box for each year of my son’s life (I can indulge a little, he is an only child). I have the fourth one labeled and set up in my cellar where I can quickly and easily transfer anything I want to keep. So each time I have birthday cards, an outfit or a toy I want to keep I simply transfer it straight in to the box. This is also extremely helpful as kids got to school and bring home projects and art. You can simply filter and put straight in the box, avoiding clutter and losing precious mementoes.

9. I stocked up on medicine

In the winter we can go through a lot of paracetamol and nose balm so I regularly sort through our medicine box and restock out first aid kits. With the start of kindergarten and autumn coming, I threw out any opened or out of date medicine and stocked up on new supplies for when needed.

10. I continued my daily practice of gratitude

As we transition to new routines, daily life can become extremely busy and at times stressful or difficult. Taking a few minutes each night to write in my Gratitude Journal reminds me of the wonderful events from the day, puts me in a positive mindset, and helps me sleep better.

This article was originally published by me in Uber Moms.