How would you like to be the organized mom this school year?

You know that Mom that shows up on time, has it all together, and doesn’t forget things?

I’m sharing my top 3 tips on how to start this new school year organized and on top of things.

Tip One: A Streamlined Morning Starts the Night Before

You may have heard this before, but it bears repeating because it’s just so true and so important. Mornings are often the most hectic time of day once school starts because you have to have your family up, dressed, fed, and out the door with everything they need by a certain time.

The key to making this morning time go as smoothly as possible is to start preparing the day before! This means you need a good solid after-school routine and before bed routine. Anything that you can do the day before should be done. This may look a little different for each family (and we do have suggested routines in our back to school printable pack that you can get when you attend our masterclass), but it should include:

• Having any homework completed
• Any papers signed
• Backpack packed and ready to go
• Outfit picked out and ready to put on
• Lunches prepared as much as possible the day before
• Breakfast dishes set out and ready
• Going to bed on time

I can tell you from experience that prepping the night before makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE to your morning. I don’t even have school age children yet. My oldest is going to preschool part time for the first time this year, but this still is CRITICAL to getting out the door on time. I have everything ready, diaper bag packed and in the car, the night before.

REAL TALK ALERT: I do want to remind you of one thing here. You can do absolutely everything right and be as prepared as humanly possible the night before, and some mornings are still going to be a little crazy! There are still things outside your control. It’s definitely not about being perfect. Remember that we’re not perfect and neither are our kids. (Yes, sometimes your two old will decide to show his or her true two-year-old colors and throw a ridiculous tantrum 10 minutes before you need to head out the door. It happens.) Remember not to beat yourself or feel like you are doing something wrong if you have a few rough mornings. Be sure to give yourself and your family some grace.

Tip Two: Prepare and plan for back to school ahead of time

Try not to wait until the week before school starts to start prepping. Start now.

And write it down. Phones and digital organization are great (and I use them all the time), but there really is no substitute for the act of writing things down to help cement it in our minds.

If at all possible, have a calendar that is hanging up somewhere visible to everyone – like a command center. That will keep reminding you daily of important things on your schedule.

Go ahead and get your school supplies early and beat the rush.

Tip Three: Set up Rock Solid Routines

This will help you avoid the daily battles and struggles of staying on top of everything and trying to get your kids to do their homework and their chores.

REAL TALK ALERT: I’ll be honest and tell you that in the beginning, it will probably take more effort to get a routine going, but once it is going it will be so worth it.

When you do the same thing every single day, then everybody knows what to except. It takes way less mental energy to stay on top of the everyday tasks because it’s just part of what you do.

Plus children really thrive on routines (and most adults do as well). It takes away those daily “will I or won’t I” battles (with ourselves and with our children) and frees up our mental energy to focus on what really matters like spending quality time with our kids.

Take the time to write down your routines. Even if it seems silly, having a written routine really helps keep you on track. Plus, I’ve never heard anyone regret being overprepared. Also, children really love getting to check things off a list. It will help keep them on track and motivated.

If there is one thing I’ve learned in the past few years as an organizing blogger, it’s that the ones who look like they always have it together have really rock solid routines and habits that they rarely deviate from.

Click below to watch my video with my top three tips!