Back to School Time Management

For parents, the summer countdown is on. With about a month to go until the coveted first day of school, there are steps that can be taken to make the transition go smoothly.

Back To School Supplies: The lists have been out for a while now, so there is no reason not to have all the items purchased already. Take advantage of good sales as well as large inventory. Don’t wait until the last minute to get all of this taken care of.

Sleep Adjustment: Been sleeping-in this summer? About two weeks before the first day of school, start going to bed earlier and getting up closer to the time you will have to in the fall. Give yourself and the kids a week of getting up at school time before school actually starts. This will make the first day of school much less exhausting as you will already be back into part of your routine.

Paper Management: Back to school means homework, but also lots of paperwork for Mom and Dad to manage. Set up an inbox system in your home. Train your kids to get in the habit of emptying their folders when they first arrive home. Their homework goes into their inboxes (or gets done right away) and the papers for parents go into your inbox. This gives those piles of paper a home, instead of being thrown into an already existing pile. Be a good example to your kids by keeping on top of your inbox. While the kids are doing their homework, sit down and go through your inbox. Write dates on your calendar and sign things that need to be signed. Process each piece as it comes in so a huge pile does not take over.

After School Activities: Start looking into options now. Have a family meeting in which everyone sits around the master calendar. Discuss which activities everyone wants to participate in. Write them on the calendar in pencil to see how they all work together. If there are conflicting activities, come up with a fair way to decide what will stay and what will have to be skipped. Again, be an example for your child in time management and setting priorities. And don’t be afraid to set boundaries and say no to too many activities. Your child may not agree when you tell them no, but in the long run, they are learning a valuable lesson.



Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/

Handy Sunscreen

During summer, nothing is more important than protecting your skin from the damaging sun. But how often do you find yourself out in the sun with no sunscreen handy? Keep a small container of sunscreen in your purse and/or car. Use a contact lens holder or empty pill container to carry a small amount of sun screen around at all times. Never get caught in the sun unprotected again.



Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/

De-Clutter Your Jewelry Box

Do you have a jewelry box full of old broken chains? Earrings you will never wear? Or bracelets your grandma gave you, but are not your style? Why not sell it and de-clutter that box?? Gold is extremely valuable right now! Not only can you make room for the pieces that you actually like, but you can walk away with some extra cash in your pocket. Clear the clutter is now offering gold and sterling silver buying services. Contact us for more information!

Helping Kids to Get Organized

Summer is a great time to help kids get their rooms organized. With more spare time, you have a great opportunity to start some new habits. Organization is a life skill that needs to be taught just like nutrition and personal hygiene.

Start with motivation. Give them a reason to want to get organized. Make getting rid of unused stuff an opportunity to make money by offering to hold a garage sale with their old stuff. Let them keep the profits. Another option is to give them a chance to be charitable. Find a family in need or an organization you believe in and donate the old toys.

Show them the way by doing it with them at first. Set aside 10 minutes a day to do this together. Show them how to pick one small area to work on. Take everything out of that drawer, corner, or box and then start sorting. Remember to immediately put all donations in the trunk of your car (or somewhere out of sight) as kids tend to want to take things back if they see them again.

Once you have sorted out everything that is going to go away, help them create a new home for what is left. When something has a home, it is easy to put it away. Encourage them to be creative by having them decorate labels to mark boxes or drawers. Another option is to have them take photos of the neat areas. Post the photos in that area so they can easily remember where everything goes.

Help them to maintain their neat space by setting aside time at the end of each day to tidy up. Set a household rule that towards the end of play dates, guests help clean up also. Help them to understand why neatness and organization is important for tranquility in your home.

You can make daily maintenance fun too. Make up a silly song that everyone has to sing while cleaning up. Set a timer and have a contest to see who can do their area the quickest. You can also hold neatness contests. Award a winner each day and track the winners on a sticker chart.

Another opportune time to get kids to weed out unused toys is right before a birthday or Christmas. Remind your kids that there is only so much room. With the prospect of new toys on the horizon, it is important to make room for the new by clearing out the old.

If you are dealing with organizing issues yourself, be a role model for your child by seeking assistance for yourself. Hire a professional organizer to come work with your whole family to make your home a more peaceful environment.


Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/

Organizing for a Road Trip

So you are taking a road trip? Visions of the Griswalds come to mind? Road trips are so much fun, but only if you are organized.

As with any trip, pack lightly. Really, unless you are travelling to the deep center of the jungle, you can buy anything wherever you are going. I have driven cross country many times and I can attest to the fact that there is a Target or Wal Mart pretty much anywhere now. So don’t pack your entire house and keep in mind that if you forgot something, you can most likely pick it up along the way.

To help with packing, plan out your clothes by making a stack for each day. Think about what you might be doing that day and make sure you have everything you need in the stack. You can even pack each stack in a small bag (like the bags you use to bring home groceries for example) for easy transport in and out of hotels. This way you don’t have to lug your big bags in and out. You can grab one bag of clothes and a toiletries bag and off you go.

Also, when getting dressed the morning you leave, make sure that as you use each toiletry, you pack it (or a travel sized version) right away. This way, you are sure to have all your essentials. Keep your pjs in this bag too as you will need them each night.

I suggest bringing along a cooler and some groceries too. You can save money and eat better if you bring along some staples from home such as water bottles, fruit, a loaf of bread, peanut butter and jelly, etc. Save room in the car for the cooler so you don’t have to pull over for snacks or drinks.

Traveling with kids? Pack each child a plastic box or bag with paper, crayons, silly putty, cards, electronics, etc. Let them pick. Keep each child’s own box/bag next to them in the car so they can entertain themselves on the road.

Speaking of electronics, those cords and chargers can get out of control. Prepare a Ziploc baggie for each electronic device. Use a sharpie to write what each bag is for and then keep all chargers, plugs, extra batteries, ear plugs, etc in the appropriate bag.

Most of all, have a great time and enjoy the scenery!! And if you have any other great trip ideas, please share them!


Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/

Getting Organized for Summer

Summer can be an unstructured and relaxing time, but that can also lead to more disorganization. Here are some tips for keeping things running smoothly:

• Keep travel-sized sunscreen and bug sprays in your car. That way you never are without it.
• Buy a mesh laundry bag at the dollar store. This is a great bag to tote beach gear/toys around in. Not only will it keep all your beach toys in one place, it is easy for transport and the mesh material allows sand to be shaken out at the beach (not inside your car).
• If you are out of school and at home with the kids for the summer, keep a schedule anyway. Pick a certain time each week for cleaning, one for errands, etc. Let the kids know that despite the laid back feel of summer, things still need to get done and post your schedule.
• Another idea is to post a list of jobs that need to be done and assign prices to them. Allow the kids to earn extra money throughout the week and then make time for a trip to the store to spend their earnings. This is a great thing to send the kids to when they whine about being bored.
• Right now is a great time to do a check of all summer equipment. Take a half hour to check all your equipment to make sure it is in good, safe, operating order. If it is not, get it fixed right away so that when you are ready for fun, your stuff is ready to go too.
• Set up a box in your garage or extra space. Make this your “donate/sell” box. As you go through summer, put anything that no longer fits, works or is used in that box. At the end of the season, take any summer items not used and include them in the box. If you didn’t use it this year, you most likely won’t next summer either. Lighten your load.


Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/

Processing Mail

One thing that consistently comes up is how to deal with mail. It tends to get thrown on the counter and pile up quickly. Mail needs to be processed immediately. On your way back from the mailbox, make a stop at the trash can. Throw away/recycle anything that you don’t need or aren’t interested in. For example, those grocery store ads that come every Wednesday never make it past my recycle bin. Next stop should be your office, bill paying area or whatever space you have for dealing with household operations. Your mail should be immediately opened and put into its proper home. You should have a shredder located in this area as well.

Every household should have some kind of filing system and bill paying folder system. I prefer the tickler file (see my article on tickler files) but that doesn’t work for all. Open and file your mail. Shred anything that has personal information on it.

This sounds like a lot of work when you have other things to attend to, but giving your mail 5 minutes of dedicated time a day will save you lots of paper piles, stress and possibly late fees later.




Meagan Farrell, professional organizer, is the owner of Clear the Clutter organizing services. She can be reached at (360) 631-7268 or at clear_theclutter@yahoo.com. Check out her blog at http://cleartheclutterprofessionalorganizing.blogspot.com/