Interview with Stephanie LH Calahan - Founder & CEO Calahan Solutions, Inc.
309-826-5263
www.CalahanSolutions.com
www.ProductiveAndOrganized.net
www.ProductiveAndOrganizedHome.com
2008.08.05 Back to School Tips
As the
carefree days of summer are coming to a close, it’s time to start thinking
about sending the kids back to school. While some parents are jumping for joy, others view this time of year as
hectic and stressful. Now is the time to
pave the way to a good school year by setting up an organized routine and an
organized house.
The key
is to have everyone in the household involved in the daily tasks. Encourage independence. Let them help in what ever age-appropriate
tasks they can. “The more kids are
involved in the household, the less strain there is on the parents,” said professional
organizer Stephanie Calahan, president of Calahan Solutions, Inc.
“Organizing
is about finding what you need when you need it,” Calahan said. “Different people have different thinking and
communication styles. The science of
organizing is the tip; the art of organizing is in knowing which tip will work
best for you.” She offers the following
tips for reducing your anxiety level and making the school days run more
smoothly.
Ensure Each Child Has a Task List
The list should include all of the activities that need to
be accomplished in order to be ready for a great day at school. The list helps you provide structure with out
having to nag your child. Feel free to
customize each child’s list by adding or deleting tasks as appropriate.
- Empty backpack – Each child should empty their own backpack into a simple system. Don’t overwhelm your kindergartener with an elaborate filing system. Consider using a plastic vertical file that hangs on a wall next to your backpack storage. Designate a specific spot for each child as well as an “ASAP” spot. The “ASAP” spot is for any paperwork or homework that would require immediate attention (notes from the teacher, items for the parents to sign, permission slips, etc.) This provides you some guarantee that notes and papers get to you in a timely manner. Parents remember to review the files daily!
- Put backpack away – There should be a designated spot in your home for backpacks. This could be a hallway bench, hooks in a garage, shelves in a laundry room or any location close to where the children will be exiting the house. By placing the backpack near the door before bedtime, you eliminate the mad rush backpack search in the morning.
- Do homework & put in backpack – This may seem obvious, but often, kids notify their parents about assignments as they are being tucked in for bed. By including it on the assignment chart, it is harder to overlook. Each child should have a designated study time. It does not matter if you are an adolescent or an adult, you benefit from a routine.
- Make lunch – Even if your child is too young to make his/her lunch by themselves, they should be able to help pack fruit, beverage, dessert or chips. By making lunches the previous evening you will have one less thing to do on the morning.
- Choose clothes – Teach your child to listen to the weather forecast for the next day so that they can pick out appropriate clothing. Make a rule that they must stick with their clothing choice the next morning – no stalling because they did not feel like wearing what they chose the night before.
- Pack for extracurricular activities – This might include sports equipment, band instruments, or field trip extras.
Have a Designated Study Area
After establishing the morning and evening routines,
parents need to make sure that they have an area set aside for their child to
study. Just where and when a child
should do their homework depends on the child, but again, it should be a part
of the routine. Make sure that each
child has a designated study area – not at the kitchen table or the computer
desk (when possible). Ensure that they
can spread out their materials and preferably it should be away from the T.V.
and radio. While some students work well
at a kitchen table around noise, most require quiet, low-traffic areas to
study. You may need to try a few
different areas before you find the one that works best for your child.
Once you have designated a study area, make sure that your
child has all of the materials and resources needed. Make sure that the study area has a
dictionary, thesaurus, pencils, erasers, paper, assignment book, glue, stapler,
rulers, calculator, pencil sharpener,
tape, scissors, index cards and whatever else he/she needs that is age
appropriate. Also make sure that there
is adequate lighting for proper concentration.
As you are setting up the area, remember color. Color affects our mood and memory. Let your child pick out the colors for their
folders and notebooks. If blue reminds them
of science, they will be able to pick out the blue folder right away for their
notes.
Consider a Color-Coded Master Calendar
Record each family member’s activities on the master
family calendar in a different color. That way, your kids can easily pick out their own activities and parents
can see conflicts at a glance.
Once you have put these items in place you should find
that your days run more smoothly and everyone gets out the door on a positive
note. If you would like more free ideas for how to make your home, work and
life run with less stress, visit the Calahan Solutions, Inc. Web site at www.calahansolutions.com.
The U.S.
Department of Education’s daily homework guidelines are 20 minute maximum for
grades 1 to 3, 40 minutes maximum for grades 4 to 6 and two hours maximum for
grades 7 to 9. The National Parent
Teacher Association has recommended 10 minutes of homework per grade
level.
Other
ways you can help your child get off to a good start with schoolwork include
these guidelines from the U.S.
Department of Education:
- Set
a good example – let your children see you reading and writing.
- Show
an interest – ask your children questions about their homework. Ask them about what they are studying in
class. Ask them about their friends and
what they did that was fun.
- Monitor
assignments.
- Ask
about the school’s homework policy – what kinds of assignments will be
given? How long are children expected to
complete them? How does the teacher want
the parents to be involved?
- Be
available – attend all regularly scheduled parent-teacher meetings.
- Look
over completed assignments.
- Monitor
television viewing.
2008.03.26 Interview
What is a Productivity & Organization consultant?
A Productivity & Organization consultant or coach enhances the lives of clients by designing systems and processes using organizing principles and transferring organizing skills.
- We help you, establish priorities make that it easier for you to decide whether to keep something or let it go.
- We help you to physically weed out, sort and arrange your belongings in such a way that enables you to use and/or store those items in the most effective and efficient way.
- You learn both short term and long-term techniques for maintaining your new system, and ways to prevent clutter from building up again.
- Experienced, trained experts will develop customized systems for your needs
What the true definition of "organized" is and why your definition may be different from your coworkers, spouse, best friend, etc.
Finding what you need, when you need it, with little effort. To check to see if your system works for you, you can ask the following questions:
- Do I like it (the system)
- Does it work?
- Does it work for others?
- How quickly can I recover?
How long does it take for a person to get organized and is it possible to stay that way?
Productivity and organizing project timing varies by project and person. Here are some factors that impact the length of time a project may take:
THE PROJECT:
To De-Clutter or Not De-Clutter. Some projects require major de-cluttering before systems can be put into place. Other projects only require systems to match the person.
The Project Goals. Some individuals are looking to get organized for life strategies (e.g. keep the chair clear so guests have somewhere to sit.) Others are looking for function over form, while some want their version of visual "perfection."
Budget. Some people would like to get the project done quickly and are willing to pay for additional people to help move the project forward. Others have a specific amount they can spend during a given time period. When that occurs, the project is spread out over a longer period of time.
THE INDIVIDUAL PERSON:
Number of People Involved. The more people involved in the decision process the longer the project will potentially take.
Learning Style. Every individual has different methods of learning. Some can read a one line statement and immediately implement it, while another person may need to experience the activity before it makes sense to them.
Decision Making Skills. There are many different ways and rates that a person can make a decision. For example, one person may need to verbalize why they have an item and why they have kept it before they decide to let it go; while another person may look at the item and immediately let it go.
Desire. Individuals that are passionate about completing a project will do so faster than those that are working a productivity/organizing project at the request of someone else.
Focus on Homework. Some people are willing and able to work on the project in between appointments while others prefer to work on the project while with the consultant.
Medical Condition. Some individuals are struggling due to situational disorganization, while others are experiencing medical conditions that make it difficult to get and stay organized. (See Chronic Disorganization for more on that.)
You say there are questions you should ask yourself before throwing anything away. Would you be willing to share them with us?
Clutter is postponed decisions! So, why do we do that? Well, part of the reason is that when we pick up a piece of paper, we try to make too many decisions at once.
What is this?
Where does it go?
Do I have a file for this?
Where did I put the file tabs?
And the list goes on…
Then we default to – keep it.
Instead, consider asking the following 8 questions:
Does it require any action by me/us?
If an item requires action (a phone call to make, a report to write, an outfit that requires altering) then it is an "ACT." Keep everything that requires action in one location, so that when you have time, you will be able to go through and check the items off of the list!
Is it recent enough to be useful?
Is the address book that has not been updated in 3 years really current? Just like food has an expiration date so does the things in your life. If you are keeping things that are no longer current, you are not allowing yourself the space for new and better things to start.
Is it difficult to obtain again?
Birth certificates, legal documentation, marriage licenses, company incorporation papers, the list goes on and on. If there are items that are difficult to find or obtain again, you may want to consider keeping the item in a container designated for that type of item.
Are there tax or legal implications?
Have you talked to your council about the information you keep and how long you keep it? If not, you might want to consider doing so. Each industry has different documents that should be retained as does residential paperwork.
Can I identify specific use?
Do you keep things because you might "need them someday?" That is fine if you #1, have the space to keep the items and #2 know what you are going to do with the item. If you are keeping something for the express purpose of keeping it, consider that item a little harder.
Is it beautiful, useful or loved?
Are you keeping something that you think is hideous because it was a gift to you from someone special? Don't. Only surround yourself with things that bring you joy. Most likely, the person that gave you the gift would not want you to keep it if they knew you did not like it.
Does it reflect the person I was or the person I am now?
Are you keeping things that were important to you in the past, but really do not have the same meaning anymore? Does your space reflect who you are or who you were? Get rid of things that no longer hold meaning for you.
What is the worst possible scenario if I toss this?
This one is one of my favorite questions! If you can ask yourself this question and find that you can live with the answer, then it can make it easier to let go.
How can our listeners learn more?
They can call us at 309-826-5263 or find us on the web at
www.CalahanSolutions.com or www.ProductiveAndOrganize.net or www.ProductiveAndOrganizedHome.com
We are also offering free 20-minute telephone consultations to all of WGCY listeners! Just call our office and we'll get something scheduled.
