Have you ever had the dream where you’re late for a test at school? It doesn’t matter if you’ve been out of school for 15 years, that dream will still shock you! That dream could also be an indication of unnecessary scrambling in your own life. If you find yourself constantly running late, then you have to make some changes in your routine. Nowhere is this more important that with your kids going back to school. This could be the school year where you reboot everything and get the whole family into better habits. Here’s what to do:

The Night Before

A lot of prep work for the school day should actually begin the night before. First step: Get the outfits sorted. Way too much time is wasted deciding what to wear. If that decision is made before bedtime, then things will run smoothly in the morning. This step can also help out moms and dads who have to dress for work.

You should also get ready to breakfast and lunch. Decide what’s on the menu for breakfast and put out those items like bowls and cereal boxes. Get a coffeemaker with a timer so you can have your java jolt ready. As for the kids’ lunches, as much prep as you can do the night before, the better off you’ll be in the morning. You might discover the night before that you’ve run out of whatever it is you were planning to make for their lunch. The school cafeteria is always a viable backup when that happens.

Homework Time

After school, you need to designated homework time. This might take some figuring out. Some kids do best to sit down and knockout the homework right when they come home from school. Others prefer to wait until after dinner. Either way, you have to set the rules for homework time. The most important rule is “no distractions.” That means cell phones are off and computers should only be used for research. Checking on the progress during homework time is vital.

Once you get these habits established, you’ll find that you have more time for important things like actually talking to each other as opposed to figuring out what is happening next. It will also help to start with a house that is free of clutter. There are probably a lot of things in your kids’ rooms that could be tossed out. This will make the important stuff easier to find. The same might be said for your closets. One session with Junk King Chico and you’ll have all that clutter cleared out in a matter of minutes. Back to school means getting organized and that requires a decluttered home. Junk King Chico can help you with that goal today.