Benjamin Franklin once said,
“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned.”
Think about it. It’s so true. Beginning a good organizational system may take some time in the beginning, but think of all that you will gain, like your sanity!
Mornings can be hectic, trying to get the kids out the door to get to work and school.
I’ve found a quick little system that works well for us. Blake is young so this method is more for me at the moment, but I also taught this to my 5th graders today and encouraged their parents to implement something similar in their house if they didn’t already have a method to help stay organized. (I think the older the kids are the more they should be expected to do to be more self sufficient and to alleviate some stress from parents). I’m all about lowering anxiety and trying to find ways to manage time and stress in the best possible way!
In our house we have hooks that are hung near our garage door coming into the office area. Next to the hooks I have a chalkboard that’s sole purpose is to simplify life and help me run a little smoother and more efficiently
I like to live by the quote, “Do something today your future self will thank you for.”
Sometimes doing a task in the moment seems like just another tedious and tiring thing, after an already hard day, but I try to intently live by this mantra, and it really does help.
Enter my chalkboard list.
I have a chalkboard next to the hooks divided into 3 sections.
Backpack Bed
This section is meant for items that need to be IN the backpack before bedtime. The idea is that the backpack contents are sleeping while we are sleeping, ready to go for the next day.
Other suggestions to add:
- Homework
- Planner
- Glasses
- Books
Don’t Forget
This is the last thing we see as we walk out the door. I do a mental check of each item to ensure we have what we need.
To-Do
These are the items that Blake must do before he has “free” time in the afternoons after school. He loves TV, and would watch it for hours if we let him (though we do not allow that much). Choose an incentive your child likes and you can implement it after the list is done.
(I plan on writing a blog post soon about chores for young kids. I’m amazed at the amount of my own students in my 5th grade class who tell me they do not have and have never had chores before!)
Other suggestions to add:
- Homework
- Read for 20 minutes
- Study for upcoming tests
This list should look different for everyone according to needs, but the general idea is the same. If you have multiple children you could either have different boards that were color coded, or add photos to them like I did with Blake.
I hope someone finds this helpful. It’s been helpful for our little family!
Mommisadventures 