Modern living: Taming back-to-school chaos

A homework area should contain what’s needed for the task at hand. PHOTO BY IKEA If back to school means back to chaos for your family, you’ll appreciate strategies and tools that can help establish helpful routines for the year ahead. “A smoother school year does not require reorganizing the entire house or buying matching containers. The most effective systems are simple and built around how the family already moves through the day,” says professional organizer Effy Terry, founder of Organize That and an Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) coach. Before creating a new system, Terry recommends you pay attention to where mornings and afternoons fall apart. Are water bottles always missing, for example? Do school papers disappear into piles? Are lunch containers left in backpacks overnight? Is sports equipment forgotten? “Choose the two or three problems that create the most stress and address those first,” Terry says. “Trying to fix every room at once can make the project feel overwhelming and often leads to systems that are too complicated to maintain.” She offers the following tips: ORGANIZE FOR THE NEXT ACTION. Store items close to where the next step happens, Terry advises. For example, store lunch and snack containers near the lunch-packing area rather than with every food storage container. Designate a spot near the exit for items that need to return to school, such as library books and permission forms. “This reduces the number of decisions family members need to make and makes the right action easier,” she says. This homework station features a desk that’s adjustable at three different heights and has an add-on shelf unit. PHOTO BY IKEA CREATE AN AFTER-SCHOOL LANDING ROUTINE. While a designated drop zone is helpful, it’s most effective when paired with a short routine. When children arrive home, backpacks can be opened, lunch bags emptied, papers placed in the correct spot and devices connected to chargers. “A five-minute reset can prevent food from being forgotten, forms from going missing and supplies from disappearing into bedrooms or around the house,” says Terry. USE SEPARATE PLACES FOR DIFFERENT PAPERS. One paper pile can become unmanageable. Instead, create a few clearly defined categories, such as ‘parent action,’ ‘return to school’ and ‘keep for reference.’ “The system should be visible and easy enough for everyone to use. Once a week, review the papers, sign what is required and remove anything no longer…