A new school year is around the corner. The Betties and I have several back-to-school tips that will help you tame paper and mess and keep organized throughout it.

The school year starts with pressed uniforms, sharp pencils, empty notebooks, and clean folders. However, take a look at that backpack in mid-November… yikes! The periodic table lies crushed at the bottom, along with raw macaroni from some wrecked art project, right next to the never-signed permission slip for Cedar Point. Is the black hole backpack inevitable? Or, can we prevent the horror? Well, you know what we Betties say, right? Of course, you can control it.

STEP ONE 

Understand the problem. It’s the same reason a house gets cluttered, but on a smaller scale: Too much coming in and not enough going out. You might even say it’s education constipation! Okay, maybe you wouldn’t...

STEP TWO

Since the amount coming in is out of your control, you must control the amount going out. (And no, we’re not going to suggest a suppository.) No matter how many binders, folders, and organizers a student has, s/he can’t manage a year’s worth of papers with one backpack. You need a system at home for those papers to stream into.

STEP THREE

Create a SYSTEM. No, really. It’s that simple. Here’s what we suggest: First, at the end of every day, empty out the backpack, and take away all papers that are not needed at school. Depending on age, the student can do this him/herself during the school day, putting all such papers into a “Take Home” folder. Returned tests and worksheets, art projects (if small enough), old study guides — anything that won’t be needed at school from that day forward. Now put all those papers into a big pile and take turns jumping into it! (Just checking to see if you’re really paying attention.) Seriously, these papers need to go into labeled files. If you already have a filing cabinet with extra room, section off 6 or 8 inches for school folder files — one for each subject; one for general school info; and one more for miscellaneous, because the real world never entirely fits perfectly into our humble categories.An accordion file folder can work, as long as you have enough sections AND the sections are big enough for the papers you anticipate coming in. Now you have attained the organizer’s nirvana: A place for everything and everything in its place.

STEP FOUR 

USE the system! Sound easy? It really is, as long as you follow Step Four! Must you do this each and every day? For best results, YES! However, we realize that reality intrudes on the best-laid plans of mice or Betties. So, aim for every night, but don’t let a week go by without pulling out those papers and filing them. If you like, you can take this a step further by using your trusty scanner. Many school papers are purely informative and need no input from the student. Consider scanning these and placing them in a virtual file. Create a directory on the home computer for each child. Then create sub-directories--one for every real file folder you have. Unless you really need a paper copy, scan the periodic table, and put it in Jessica’s chemistry sub-folder, for example. The school calendar goes into the general school folder. Get the kids involved. Let them help in decision-making. Putting school work in backpacks and filing old school work helps them with personal responsibility, a crucial ability to have in life, particularly, in organizing. Encourage independence a little at a time, and make it fun. Congratulate them, and tell them how proud you are of them. Yes, they will forget things, but that’s part of the learning process- for all of you! So keep calm, use the system, and you’re on your way to a lot less mess and disorganization. You can do this! We invite you to take a look at this other article "7 Tips That Will Help Your Forgetful Child."

Feel free to comment and share. Until next time – Keep it Simple!