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Free Step-by-Step Guide from Well Planned Gal

3 SIMPLE STEPS TO HOMESCHOOL ORGANIZED

Homeschool organization often feels so overwhelming. But what if there was a way to get organized by taking simple, systematic steps?

I have good news — there is a way! In 3 Simple Steps to Homeschool Organized, you’ll discover a tangible, manageable method that walks you step by step through not only preparing for your homeschool year and planning lessons but also engaging in regular evaluation that helps you stay organized. Grab your free copy today, and move from overwhelmed to organized in 3 simple steps!

FROM 3 SIMPLE STEPS TO HOMESCHOOL ORGANIZED E-BOOK

Step #2: Planning Your Homeschool Year

Organizing Tips from Homeschool Moms

Rebecca, Well Planned Gal

When there were five kids under the age of seven, organizing was the only way I could keep up with the constant go, go, go. I realized if I was going to do this well, I had to compartmentalize. I shopped thrift stores and Dollar Tree to find baskets and bins to keep diapers, books, and toys. Three to four times a day, I spent 10 minutes doing a quick walk-through of our small home, clearing spaces by returning everything to their rightful bins.

I wanted the kids to have the freedom to play, imagine, and explore, but I also wanted to remind them of the importance of order. As soon as they were old enough, they had to help pick up. I would also tie the pick up times with nap times or bedtimes. This helped create a routine of pickup.

When it comes to my home décor, I love to decorate, but if I had to choose, I’d prefer my kitchen, dining room, living rooms, and even bedrooms cleared of clutter by keeping surface items to a very minimal. My kitchen has an extra long island containing my cooktop, but even with all that space, I only have a block of knives and a fruit basket on the countertops.

The dining table is long but has 2 small bowls of succulent plants. My dresser tops are completely cleared in my bedroom. But that’s not to say I don’t have a few “junk” drawers around the house. I guess my philosophy is that I’m okay with things, but I’d prefer them to be out of view.

My son, however, has every inch of his room filled with memorabilia. It’s all organized and dusted frequently, but there are a lot of memories going on in his room. Each of the kids were different growing up, each having a different style. As a parent, I found it was more important to allow them to be themselves in their bedroom, especially since I was a minimalist.

Ann

I’m not necessarily a person who likes knick-knacks and décor just for the sake of having them. But, having grown up in a transient lifestyle that keeps me from revisiting former homes or communities, there are many “things” that serve as reminders of the places I’ve been.

My husband and I both have souvenirs from different countries as well as items that represent our lives over the years. But, that means stuff, and stuff accumulates, especially after 40+ years of life, 20+ years of marriage, an incredible number of moves, three children, and a lot of memories. For the first ten years of our marriage, organization meant finding a place for all of the stuff. In more recent years, though, we’ve become more aggressive about purging and being much more selective of our mementos.

Meanwhile, I am a perfectionist who really likes to have everything organized just so. My husband dislikes clutter and likes things to be tidy, but he also doesn’t care if there is any specific order to something when it is put away. Over the years, we’ve both mellowed a bit in our organization systems, finding a middle ground. We both believe in a house full of bookshelves, and neither of us are good with or concerned about décor. (Our house is a hodge-podge of hand-me-down furniture, unfinished bookshelves, and randomly placed wall hangings!)

But, we want everything to have a place. He’s okay with me deciding where things should go so there is a good order. I’m okay with him solving storage problems, even if it doesn’t always make sense to my system of order. Over the years, we’ve learned a system of problem-solving organization.

First, we lay out the problem clearly. Then we study it from a variety of angles, determining if what we have on hand will solve the problem, especially when combined with purging or reorganization. After all, with our transient personalities, we love any excuse to rearrange the house!

Only then do we evaluate if there are purchases we need to make to accommodate the solution. We used to vacillate between going overboard and being very resistant to buying organizational supplies — each one as a reaction to the other tendency.

Now, we are very willing to buy what we need, but only if we determine that we really need it. And, purging has become a huge part of our organizational approach. It’s a struggle for us, and we don’t always part with things well. But, we’re getting better and practice has made us very discerning about our purging.

Stephenie

Organization has always been a real struggle for me. I am extremely sentimental. As a child I remember having trouble sleeping and crying over a toy that had been given away.

When I do try to declutter, I always wonder if I might need something later. And my husband similarly likes to hold onto things.

However, I had a grandmother and aunt who were true hoarders, with things stacked from floor to ceiling, which made me realize I don’t want to keep things more than I want a livable space.

So I make good use of organizational products and storage areas. We have an attic area with plastic tubs, for example. My computer desk has lots of storage with doors that close so it can be shut out of sight. I use underbed storage.

I also use items that can have a dual purpose of storage as well. My ottoman also stores blankets, my end and coffee tables have drawers. I also try to be realistic with myself.

Every couple of springs I go through my storage areas and get rid of things in order to make room for new things I want to store. While still not easy, as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to realize that I don’t want to hold onto a bunch of things I will never use

Teisha

I was very sentimental as a kid and definitely kept everything. As an adult this led to me feeling guilty about getting rid of stuff. I sort of became the person that folks would say, “Oh, we couldn’t bear to get rid of this item that belonged to our loved one, and we thought you would like it!”

I had so many boxes and bags of stuff that had belonged to other people. Once I started clearing some of that out, I was amazed at how much better I felt to have a functional closet or room again.

I’m not a hard-core minimalist, but I’m closer to minimalism these days than I ever thought possible. That being said, living with five other people who are not so minimalism-inclined is a bit challenging. I get the kids involved in helping me pare down as much as possible, and I try not to think about all of the stuff they keep in boxes under their beds and in their closets!

Much as I’d like to get rid of some things, it’s not worth it if it damages my relationships with my family. I will learn to live with some amount of clutter instead.

I’m not great at design or home décor, but I love re-painting a room or piece of furniture to freshen it up! Spray paint is my secret weapon when it comes to painting furniture. I even spray-painted the tan second-hand filing cabinet next to my desk because I didn’t want to spend the money on a new one when I had a perfectly serviceable piece that only needed a little spray paint in a prettier color.

Freshening up something with a little paint is inexpensive and makes a big difference, so that’s my go-to before buying something new. Rearranging furniture is another favorite because it doesn’t cost anything! I use a tape measure first to make sure things will fit where I think they will before moving them.

Measure first, move once!

Tiffany

Before I had children, organization meant having my CDs and DVDs alphabetized. With my personality, I can obsess about organization if I choose, but I will wear myself out trying to keep a certain standard, and I’ll try to govern other people’s behavior as well. So, I instead choose to not obsess about organization, which makes for a happier home.

I really dislike cleaning, and as a mom to four boys, cleaning house often feels like shoveling a sidewalk during a blizzard. I would rather go make hospital visits, rescue stranded motorists, or attend funerals than clean my house! So, I try to delegate to help balance the load.

The quality may suffer because my boys dislike the job as much as I do and often do shoddy work, but it helps get it done. I do always try to at least have the kitchen cleaned up and the laundry put away every day. Trying to cook in a messy kitchen is a quick way to trigger a bad mood, and baskets of laundry sitting in the living room mentally distract me.

When it comes to more general organization, my husband and I tend to be opposites. He would prefer to have more organizers to sort his stuff, where I would rather have less stuff to sort.

I once helped clean someone’s house after a fire, and that was one of the most taxing things I’ve ever done because there was so much junk to sort through. Although I do agonize over throwing things away, especially something that might be important to someone else, I am trying to be purposeful about not leaving a lot of junk that my friends and family may someday have to deal with.

Our home is furnished with mismatched, hand-me-down furniture and bookshelves, and I’ve often been discouraged by the lack of money to invest in keeping things organized. But I have discovered that home décor and organization is cheaper than expected, especially if I shop the clearance aisles. So I am trying to buy at least one thing (usually $10-20) for the house each week.

Practicing Organization Worksheet

Weekly & Monthly Organization Worksheet

Yearly Organization Worksheet

Success in any career requires the right tools. Homeschooling is no exception! You need resources that equip you to lay out lesson plans, teach time management, and keep good records while also managing home and life with ease. Well Planned Day Planners cover these needs and more!
Rebecca, the Well Planned Gal

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