The air is crisp, the leaves are turning, and we can only hope you’re settled into your home with a little pumpkin spice, and everything nice. Feeling “settled” can be hard to come by after a hectic summer with the kids, so how can we get organized and tackle the new school year?

School looks different this year. Some districts adopted hybrid models, while others are remote learning. Work may look different for you too! You may be working from home or have limited office time. No matter what circumstance you are in, it is important to have a conducive environment to ensure happiness and success for all family members. Let’s snuggle in!

Start Fresh: being able to focus in your home is important! Make sure your workspace is clean and conducive to the work you need to do. Clear off your desk, use a Lysol wipe and wipe everything down. Spend a little time organizing so you everything you need is at your desk.

Keep Work Spaces and Personal Spaces Separate: Whether it be for yourself or for your kids, it is important to practice work/school/life balance. To do this, having desks or workspaces right next to your bed is not the best option. Even a simple curtain will do, as it divides your space. When it’s time to get to work, pull back the curtain and start your day. When you ae finished, close the curtain so work is out of sight and out of mind.

Set a Routine: No matter how organized you are, it is easy to get swallowed up with your work load. Keeping organized will help you. Invest in a planner, a filing cabinet, a paper shredder, or potentially extra cloud storage for documents. Having all of your documents organized, and a schedule set, will help you be your best self!

A Place for Everything: Whether it be for yourself or your family members, it is important to have a clutter-free workspace. Spend a couple minutes each day to make sure everything is in its place. This stimulates a better work flow and helps you focus to stay on top of your work load. The last thing you need is to be spending 10 minutes running around your home looking for a stapler!

From Books to Backpacks- a place to stash it all!

How often do your kids run in the door and ditch their backpacks on the floor? Look no further, we are here to rid you of the eye rolls and frustration from picking them up constantly.

You don’t need a mudroom and a large home with conducive storage to make organizing possible, just a small wall! Try hanging simple hooks on a wall as you walk in the door. If you want to get creative, hang a corkboard above them with each child’s name. You can use this corkboard to post practice schedules, permission slips or any document you don’t want your child to forget. This way, their backpack and all of the information they need will be in one place, saving you from having to run to school to drop off something forgotten!

Make use of your garage space. Where your kids take off their shoes, hang hooks there! This will help them remember to hang the backpack up before they walk in the house. You can guarantee they will be able to find their school bag on the way out the door in the morning, when they put their shoes back on.

Stinky Sports Equipment… Where does it go?

Fall means football season! While we are excited to enjoy some fresh air under the Friday night lights, we are not excited about the stench that is sure to follow. How do we keep sports equipment organized, and keep an odor free home? Here’s how we do it:

Closets! Keeping everything contained in one closet will reduce stench from the rest of your home. Wrangle up all loose balls into a large laundry basket so they aren’t rolling around, hang up jerseys and dedicate a separate basket for pads and gloves.
Cubbies may be the simplest invention, but the most useful! Having cubbies in your garage will organize equipment and keep it visible. Designate each cubby to different sports equipment. Your bottom cubby may be for cleats, while the middle for your jersey and pants, and the top for your helmet! This way you can see everything laid out and it all has its place.
Try pegboard! Installing pegboard in your garage and hanging baskets from the pegs provides a neat and “off the ground” approach to equipment organizing. Put balls in the hanging baskets, hang helmets and jerseys on pegs and you’ll say goodbye to tripping on the way to your car!
Entertainment Prep! Get your kitchen organized before the holidays.

Oh, the holidays! While you may be thinking, it’s only October… it’s never too early to start preparing your home for your merry guests. Ready, set, go!

Deep Clean: start the holidays off right with a deep clean. You don’t want guests to use plates and utensils that haven’t been dusted off since last year. Taking pride in your kitchen starts with cleanliness!
Where are the plates? When having guests over, they will ask where to grab a glass, plate, or maybe a seasoning. While you are cleaning, make sure you organize your cabinets and know where everything is! Have each item in one place so you can guide your guests accordingly.
Stock up: the holiday season calls for pies, cookies and other sweet treats. Make sure your pantry is full of the ingredients you need for baking. The last thing you need is to be scrambling last minute to the grocery store when you realize you don’t have brown sugar!
Clean Sweep: Set aside some time to clear your fridge and freezer. While you are prepping for guests, you will need ample cooling storage space. We can’t forget the leftovers! We will need plenty of room for those.
Menu Planning: the most important question may be, what’s for dinner? Make sure you know! Planning out what you are going to prepare, what ingredients you need, and for how many guests, will help you stay organized and stress free. After all, you want to enjoy the company of your guests and the holiday spirit!
Last, but not least, when it comes preparation and organization, don’t forget your friends at Creative Housing Solutions can help! From making sure your home is properly equipped with furniture and fixtures, to even cleaning, baking and kitchen supplies. And, be sure to try our concierge services when you don’t have time or when you would like an extra hand. We’re here to help make every season simple and seamless.