So you’re all stocked up for back to school. You’ve gotten yourself or your young ones all the 3-ring binders, college-ruled notebooks, neon sharpies and trendy lunch bags your cart could carry (kidding, “carts” are just a different screen on Amazon whose capacity is limitless). You or your people are going to rock it in the classroom this year.

I’ve got a question for you though, you school supplies junky you; how’s your home going to fare in this whole process? Or, more accurately, how are you going to fare if your home environment is not property equipped to support the in-class activities?

Huh?

Let me tell you: not good is how.

Lucky; I’m here to purposefully and lovingly direct your buns towards Live Simplyland.

So here they are, the four things you actually need for an organized school year.

XL Calendars & Memo Boards

The combination of multiple schedules existing simultaneously, shared rides, and constant due dates will head you straight towards chaos in a hurry.

A large wall calendar and/or memo board (best to go for one with both options) is, in this case, nothing short of a vehicle to sanity.

Track everyone’s schedules in one place, list important dates, and write each other little reminder notes. You can even assign each person a different colored pen or marker so as to easily differentiate between schedules.

My picks: 1. Calendar sheets // 2. Three by Three Magnetic Glass Dry-Erase Monthly Planner & Memo Board

Timekeepers

What you need: clocks. How many you need: lots. Where you need them: all the places.

Helpful locations: by your bedside, near your workspace.

Non-negotiable locations: in the bathroom.

My picks: 3. Zelco Aquatime Rope Clock // 4. Covent alarm clock 

Incoming Paper Tamers

Teachers have a great propensity for printing documents and giving them to their students. Said students obediently truck home these papers home daily, so much so that it becomes more of a case of “the student came home with the papers” than “the papers came home with the students.”

Listen to me: you can no longer get away with not having an incoming paper system. It’s too dumb and causes too much disorganization unnecessarily. Get some paper trays or sorters as a way to corral them.

Assign each child a section and train them to deposit all papers you’re meant to see in that slot. Or have a system going for each student, with sections for things like: homework, permission slips, etc. 

My picks: 5. Magazine sorter // 6. stacking letter tray 

Entry Essentials

Your entryways sets the tone for the rest of your house.

Do not overlook the importance of having proper accommodations for things like backpacks and lunch bags, as well as coats and hats and shoes and so on.

A simple rack of wall hooks can be easily installed and just as easily, establish order.

My picks: 7. White sticks multi-hook rack // 8. Wire wall cubby