3 Organizing Projects You Can Do – For YOU!

If “Yeah, right!” is the first thing that pops into your head when you read “Back to School – Back to YOU”, you may want to keep reading.

Moms, it’s time to breathe a sigh of relief. That’s right – it’s finally back to school season! Now that the kids are back in school all day, it’s the perfect time to create some order and well-being for yourself. At OBE, we believe in self-care. And sometimes, self-care means knocking things off your list to make your life easier. Truly, is there anything more calming than a happy household?

Now is finally the time for you to conquer a couple of those organizing projects you’ve pushed off all summer long. No more excuses! 

As an added bonus, these organizational projects will get your family set up for easier mornings and a less stressful school year. And less stress is how you get back to YOU! 

1. Organize Your Entry Space

Say goodbye to the “junk” table next to the front door! It starts slowly…first one backpack gets dropped by the doorway, then shoes, then school projects, and pretty soon the front entryway is the new dumping ground for everything. Creating a functional entryway will give you a little spark of happiness every time you come home, not to mention added peace of mind. Once you organize your entry space, everything you need to get out the door will be right by the door. So easy!

Here’s how to do it:

• Do a quick clutter sweep. Pitch or re-home everything in the entryway that you don’t need to be there. 
• Next, gather the items each family member needs to get out the door each day. Create a zone for each family member.
• Add storage. Think hooks for jackets and backpacks, baskets for smaller items, and a designated area for dirty shoes. Make sure you add a small hook for your car keys!
• Out-the-Door Checklist: Post a checklist right by the door that lists each family member’s items they need for the day. For the kids, that might mean backpack (with homework inside it!), lunch, and sports equipment. For you, that might mean wallet, keys, and cell phone.

Now, here’s the “back to you” part of this system. The kids put their stuff by the door in their designated spots each night. BY THEMSELVES. Yes, they can do it. It may take a bit of training, but it will be so worth it in the long run.

Imagine what you could do with all the time you’ll save by not having to run forgotten lunches and soccer cleats over to the school! 

For yourself, think about the items you frequently forget and make sure to add them to the list.

2. Sort Out Food Storage

Raise your hand if you have an entire drawer or cupboard stuffed to the gills with mismatched plastic containers! Containers are great for packing lunches (as long as your kids remember to bring them home!), but searching for a matching top and bottom can be a huge timesuck. 

Our solution? Sort them out. Pull out all food storage containers. All of them. Remember to look in the dishwasher. Match each container with its lid. Recycle or toss any lids or containers that don’t have a mate. Then store your containers in a place that’s easy to access. Make sure they’re easy to take out and easy to put back. In the solution above we used a Poppin desk organizer to hold the lids!

3. Create A Spa Moment at Home (AKA – Tidy Up Your Bathroom)

Been thinking about a nice long soak in the tub or applying a rejuvenating face mask, but your bathroom isn’t giving you that spa feeling? Relaxing just isn’t the same in a cluttered space. 

And if you have a lot of people using the same bathroom without a system, clutter can pile up fast!

Organizing your bathroom is the perfect project to help you and get back to YOU!  

• There’s no sense in organizing items that your family doesn’t actually need or use! So the first step is to sort the bathroom out. Open one cabinet or drawer and pull it all out. Address each item. Is it expired? Is it a beauty product fail? Toss it. Move through the bathroom, sorting and tossing as you go.
• To really capture that spa-like feeling, we recommend clutter-free counters. Moving things into those freshly sorted drawers and cabinets is the way to go.

• You may need to add some extra storage. We love using these Like-it drawers because they’re stackable and easy to use. They also have inserts that keep toiletries from flopping and sliding (see photo below). These handy little storage bins create a home for everything in your bathroom so you never have to root through your bathroom drawers for floss again. 

An organized home gives you calm and peace of mind. The school year will be so much easier with a little bit of tidying. Start with these three projects and see the difference it makes!

Leave us a comment and let us know how you’re getting ready for school. We love to hear your organizing stories!

Don’t want to tackle that space alone? We’re here for you. Start here to begin the conversation.