New York Family Magazine: Parental Guidance

Back to School time already? See Maeve’s feature in New York Family Magazine.

Organize, Organize, Organize

Every parent knows that beginning the school year with an organized home is one thing, while keeping it that way is quite another. We spoke with NYC-based personal organizer Maeve Richmond, who offers the following tips for devising and maintaining an organizational system that will carry you through the school year:

Don’t look for a solution in a store

“No beautiful box is going to manage your clutter,” Richmond warns. Before shopping for ready-made organizational systems, Richmond suggests families take a close look at their family’s schedule, home life and needs in order to devise a system that works for them. #systems #routines

Get the kids involved

Richmond encourages parents to harness what she calls “kid power” by including them in the process and letting them make decisions about how and where things are kept.

“Kids love responsibilities, so involve your kids to organize whenever possible,” she says. #kidpower

Create a desk space and a cubby space

Create a desk space where your child can complete homework and store writing, artwork and other assignments he or she brings home. Richmond also suggests including a cubby space in your home where kids can store incoming and outgoing items. In addition to giving kids a sense of their own space, cubbies help to make the connection between home and school feel more seamless. #workspaceforkids

Have a family meeting

Sit down as a family to discuss the new system and come up with a realistic plan for maintaining it. Richmond suggests setting a common goal, such as going on a family vacation, to encourage children (and parents, too) to keep their spaces organized. #communication

Set up a functional homework area

Keep the homework space stocked with a few basic items: pencils, pens, paper. Most importantly, Richmond says, make sure the space you create is quiet, with as few distractions as possible. #cozyhome