Back to School - Locker organization tips

Lockers can be used to store a lot of important items, many of which have to be easily accessible because they’re used every day, and there isn’t enough time to search around for them. To start the school year off right, take some time before or after class, or during a break, to clean out your locker and set it up so that it functions properly for the rest of the school year.

-       Get rid of clutter: It can be easy to stash loose papers, old wrappers, and containers or non-essential items at the bottom of your locker, but they’re only creating clutter and taking up valuable space. Take some time at the end of each week to quickly scan through your locker, and either throw out, recycle, or take home the items that you don’t really need.

-       Designate space for school supplies: Don’t keep extra paper, pens, pencils, or other school supplies sitting loose in your locker. Instead, store them together in a case that you can take with you, or in magnetic holder on your locker door (like this one) so they’re easy to access and don’t get lost.

-       Hanging space: Keep your hanging space free for your bag or backpack, coats, and sweaters – don’t just throw these items onto a shelf or on the floor of your locker. This will keep your locker clean and tidy, and free up space for your books and other items.

-       Floor space: The bottom of your locker should be left for shoes, gym strip, or sports equipment and your lunch bag – anything that is potentially dirty, smelly, or takes up a lot of room. This will keep the items separate from your books and supplies. These items and others should also be stored here because they usually aren’t used as often as your books and don’t need to be within easy reaching distance.

-       Books: If you have a shelf, organize your textbooks and notebooks or binders by your class schedule and line them up with the spines facing you. This way, books are easy to identify and take out when you’re heading to your next class. Also consider colour coordinating your different subjects in case your books to get mixed up.

-       Schedules: Keep a copy of your class schedule on your locker door so that it’s always there for reference, especially during your first couple of weeks of classes. It’s also a good idea to keep a magnetic notepad or mini-white board to keep track of important assignments and deadlines, as well as anything that needs to get done like forms signed, supplies you’re low on, and other information.

Back to School - Get your dorm room ready!

Moving into a dorm room, whether it’s for the first time or with a roommate(s), can be a difficult task. There are usually a lot of things that need to be placed into the small space that will be your home for the next year, and there often isn’t a lot of time to organize and keep track of all of your belongings. Below we have some tips on how to set up and organize your dorm room in a way that will make it easy to store and find the items you need on a daily basis, and maintain organization throughout the school year:

-       Labelling: not only is it important to label all of your boxes and bags when you’re moving into your dorm room, but especially if you are living with a roommate or more, it’s important to make sure that you can clearly identify the items that are yours. Consider colour coordinating bins and containers that you use, or simply sticking your name on a label onto your items. It might also be handy to label what items are shared as well, especially communal food items and supplies. This can also be done with labels or tape.

-       Checklists: It’s important to make sure that you have all the essentials with you, as it can be easy to forget or hard to find the time to pick up items especially if it’s an emergency. Aside from the obvious items like clothing, bedding, furniture, and food, it’s also important to consider the essentials like a first aid kit, small tool kit, flashlights and batteries, sewing kit, and school supplies. However, because your space is limited, don’t buy more than what you think you might need – keep these essentials to a minimum and store them altogether so they’re easy to find when you need them. There are many college essential packing checklists that can be downloaded for free online, like this one.

-        Under the bed: The space that is available for storage under your bed should not be overlooked. Containers and racks for shoes that fit under the bed can be stored there, as well as containers for items that aren’t used every day like seasonal jackets and clothing, sports equipment, suitcases, and other bulkier items. To increase the storage you have under the bed, consider purchasing a bed raiser, like this one from Bed Bath and Beyond, which also has an outlet to charge your electronics.

-       Doors and walls: Your wall space in your closet and dorm, as well as behind your main door, closet door, and even cabinet doors can be used to hang storage units or hooks that can hold laundry baskets, clothing, towels, robes, and more. By hanging items on cabinet or vanity doors, your items can be stored out of sight and out of the way, cutting down on clutter in the other areas of your room. This also leaves your surface areas, like desk and dresser tops, drawers, and floor space free for other items that you may use more often.

-       Command centre: This is a great idea especially if you’re living with roommates. Set up a small space or area for a calendar and/or whiteboard to keep track of important dates, as well as anything that needs to be purchased like groceries or other shared items. Time for organization and decluttering of your room can also be scheduled in for everyone to see. Even if you’re living on your own, it’s a good idea to have a place where you can keep track of the important things that are happening or need to be done. 

School is almost in session - make sure your home is too!

The school season is now upon us, which means it’s time to make sure that not only are you and/or your children are ready, but also your home. 

It’s important to make sure you have all the necessary supplies, but buying extra items and storing them in your home isn’t always necessary. These extra supplies often sit unused throughout the year and are eventually forgotten, so only buy what is necessary, and take stock of the items you already have before you do.  

Once you have all of the essential school supplies, you’ll need a place to store it all – backpacks, lunch kits, water bottles, homework, textbooks, etc. To make your home and your family more organized, set up a designated area for school work and prevent these items from creating clutter in other areas of your home. [INSERT TWEET THIS LINK] 

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• Hang backpacks up and add individual white boards and file folders or bins to keep each child organized. The white boards can be used to keep track of homework, tests, and assignment deadlines, as well as any due dates for forms and permission slips. The folders and bins can be used to store textbooks, homework, water bottles, and other school supplies so they are in easy reach each morning before leaving. 

• A portable homework station or caddy can also be useful if there isn’t space for a permanent area. Use a caddy or a portable tray that can hold school supplies, and set up a mini whiteboard or calendar on the fridge or another area that is easily accessible so important dates and tasks can be seen. 

• Over the door shoe organizers or wall/door mounted file folders can also be used to store homework and important papers and supplies. Not only will you maximize on storage space, but you can keep the items out of sight over the weekends and holidays when they aren’t being used. Objects can also be organized based on priority or organized by person. 

• School lunch items can also have a designated bin or area in a pantry. This will help you keep track of what you have available and will also prevent others from using them up outside of school lunch. Food and supplies like Tupperware containers, utensils, and lunch kits themselves can all be kept in one area to save time and increase efficiency when it comes to packing lunches.