Janice Freeland Photography

Last Minute Organization as School Starts

School is starting or has already started in most of the country, and you may be feeling ready to catch up on organizing clutter or purging out closets! It’s nice to start the year off with a clean house or room, and to feel like you’re getting things off on the right foot! Here are some ways you can organize your life a little bit as the year gets going (we recommend putting a timer on for 20 minutes at a time, and tackling these projects as you can in your free time):

1. The junk drawer: Everyone has a junk drawer, but cleaning yours out can help you save time and find things more easily. Dump everything out and toss anything that’s trash, then use a silverware holder (the kind that goes into a drawer) to sort things like tape, scissors, thumbtacks, and post its into little compartments.
2. Your car: It’s crazy how quickly your car can become a holding place for clothes, sports equipment, lunch bags and bottles, and other miscellaneous items. It’s time to clean it out! Give it a good vacuum and clean, and add in trunk bins and organizers to sort things into school or sports bins that you can keep in your trunk.
3. Dresser: It’s time to get new clothes for fall, and it may be the perfect time to get rid of anything that doesn’t fit you, that is stained or needs repair, or that is outdated. Donate the clothes or give them to a consignment store where you can make a few extra dollars. Don’t forget to go through coat closets, extra drawers and off-season storage bins to make sure you get rid of everything you wanted to.
4. Documents: Papers are one of the things that pile up the fastest! Go through any desks, piles or paperwork, or folders in order to set yourself up for a less stressful season. Toss or shred anything that doesn’t need to be kept, or digitize it using a scanner and put it on a hard drive. Most things are available online these days, so only keep paper copies of things with your signature or that cannot be replicated online.

These steps will help you stay organized as you set out into a brand new school year!