In Texas, the end of summer always sneaks up on us. One week you are floating in the pool and the next you are hunting for a missing shin guard at 7 in the morning while someone is yelling that they cannot find their cleats.
When August rolls around, it’s time to prepare your family and home to head back to school. Make a list of your organizing hot spots, then tackle them one space at a time. Start in the entryway. Clear out everything that doesn’t belong there, and give every family member a hook or basket for their things so nothing ends up on the floor by Thursday.
Papers are their own adventure. Create a simple inbox where backpacks get emptied every afternoon, permission slips get pulled, and homework comes out before anyone sits down for the night. For artwork and school memories, we swear by our Holding Tank System: one labeled bin per kid where new pieces rotate in as old ones come off the fridge. At year’s end, do one final edit, keep the favorites, and let the rest go.
Do a quick donation pass through kids’ closets. If it did not get worn last year, is worn out, or has been outgrown, let it go. You will thank yourself in October.
If you only have one weekend before school starts, keep it simple: clean out backpacks, gather and clean lunch boxes, and stock the homework station with what your kids will actually reach for.
Organization is not a one-time event. Systems need daily maintenance and they will not be perfect every day. When things fall apart, just reset and start again.
My own kids are in college now and I miss the packed schedules and chaotic dinners. Embrace this season. The systems are just there to help you enjoy it more.
Jenny Dietsch is a Certified Professional Organizer® and founder of Getting It Done Organizing®, a Dallas-based home organization and move management company serving families across Dallas and beyond. Member of NAPO. She can be reached at [email protected].
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