That's Neat! Blog

It’s that time of year again! Whether your kids are off to college or starting out in Kindergarten, we’ve got tips for you.

Here is a collection of our best back to school posts. What could be easier?

• A Frenzy of Forms
• All (School) Systems Go!
• Elementary My Dear Organizer
• Off to College
• Dorm Space Savers 101
• Organizing for the College Years
• Schools Out Organizing I: The Paper Purge
• Schools Out Organizing II: The Backpack Black Hole

What is your favorite back-to-school tip?

Parents: get out your No. 2 pencils, it’s the start of the school year! As any parent of a school-age child knows, there seems to be a never-ending supply of required forms. I thought there were a lot to complete for the start of Kindergarten, but the forms continued throughout the school year and summer. There were forms for the after-school program, health forms for sports, forms for each summer camp, and now forms for the new classroom teacher.

Talking about this frenzy of forms with another mom/organizer friend, she shared her secret: she keeps a copy of the form before turning it in. What a brilliant idea! Often the information required is the same each year (emergency contacts, doctor’s phone number, insurance information, for example). Why not have a copy to make it easier to fill out next time?

I’m going to take this one step further: scan the form. Then I’ll have the information for easy reference for the next time, but not the paper.

Recently I had one of my most fun organizing sessions ever: helping my niece set up her dorm room at Harvard! She may have been the only freshman with her own personal organizer, but her mom (my sister) had everything well prepared…including coming with a ton of organizing products.

Although my daughter won’t be heading off to college for quite a while, I was taking notes on what products really worked. Here are my three favorites: 

1. 1. Slimline hangers by Real Simple – I love slimline hangers, and these have a great improvement: small hooks which allow the hangers to hang from each other, saving space. Using these hangers meant my niece could get twice as many clothes into her closet.
3. 2. Clear drawers – These drawers were perfect for organizing shoes, boots, and linens under the bed. We were able to stack two on top of each other gaining even more space.
5. 3. 3M Command products – The Command products are perfect for hanging up, not marking up, dorm rooms. We used them to hang everything from magnet boards, to pictures, to scarf holders in the closet.

My niece was excited to have her dorm room set up, decorated, and get all her clothes in the closet.

Four…three…two…one! Has school already begun?

The countdown is on for back-to-school, and now is the time to set up (or create!) your systems to stay organized. In my home, during the summer we have different routines and have been on vacation…so we don’t always follow our typical ways of doing things. This is part of summer and the change is good!

Just don’t forget to get ready and set for school.

Be sure that you have a way to deal with:

• the coming deluge of school papers, including homework, permissions slips and artwork you want to keep
• packing bags and backpacks
• making lunches
• scheduling activities
• finding the right equipment for those activities (soccer ball, ice skates, tap shoes)
• finding what you need to get out the door!

A “system” doesn’t have to be complex – it is just a process or routine for regular activities to help us stay organized. And simple is often better.

For example, use a basket on the kitchen counter to catch incoming school papers that need your attention. Update your family resource binder with the new class information. Make lunches and have kids pick out clothes the night before. Use a family calendar – paper or electronic – to schedule activities and school days off.

These are just a few ideas. For more, search our blog under the categories “kids” or “school” or contact That’s Neat! Organizing and we’ll set up a customized system just for you.

It’s August, and in New England that means it’s time again to shop for school supplies, new clothes, a lunchbox, or dorm room gear. In other parts of the country classes may have already started.

In honor of back-to-school month we are highlighting our favorite posts from the past year about getting organized for school. Enjoy!

Off to College

Organizing for the College Years

Elementary, My Dear Organizer

School's Out Organizing Part I: Paper Purge

School's Out Organizing Part II: Backpack Black Hole