Keeping Organized: Staying a step ahead of your school work

MACON, Georgia (41NBC/WMGT) – Pencils and paper may already be rustling about for your school-bound children as August comes to a close, but there’s still time to get a final few things in order to help ensure your little ones have a successful school year.

That’s according to professional organizer Andi Willis, who returns to give us a few quick tips on how you can help your student down the road toward being perfectly organized.

Andi’s first tip is make sure you have a place where all of those loose papers can find a home. From homework to notes from teacher, a child will become a magnet for papers that can easily get lost, never to be seen again. Having a bin or file folder for all of it gives a central location for easy reference, and fewer headaches.

The next tip Andi suggests is having a single calendar for everyone in the family to share. A wall calendar hung up near the kitchen is a good way to make sure school activities and important dates for everyone can actually be seen by everyone.

If you’re feeling less 20th and more 21st century, you can trade in the wall calendar for a digital one, usually located on a smartphone. Andi says the great thing about going digital is how easily those particular calendars can be shared with anyone in the household.

For middle and high school students, a spiral agenda or daily planner can still be a vital tool to keep anyone’s schedule from delving into chaos, making for fewer missed assignments or forgotten test days. Just make sure it’s sturdy enough to survive the trials and tribulations of an extended stay in the backpack, though!

And lastly, Andi suggests having a dedicated spot for a bin or basket to put any extra school supplies into, like spare pencils, notebook paper, or Post-It notes. When it’s time for a refill, your students won’t be left in the lurch and will know exactly where to go for anything they need.

If you have any suggestions for Andi to feature next on Good Life Organizing, you can email her directly at andi@goodlifeorganizing.net.

And for more suggestions on how to keep your life perfectly organized, you can also visit Andi’s website at www.goodlifeorganizing.net.