Archives for July 2023

The Surprising Lessons I Learned from Decluttering My Home

When I stumbled upon minimalism six months ago, I had no idea I would start a journey to declutter every space in my home. Six months later, I am still on my decluttering journey with no plans to stop! My decluttering journey has come with lessons, some of which were definitely eye-opening. We all know the saying, “If it’s easy it probably isn’t worth it.” This statement has been very true during the last six months. Although the journey has not been easy, I only have one decluttering regret. If I could start my decluttering journey over, I would have started the journey earlier!

Below are six lessons that I have learned from decluttering my home.

Decluttering is not a one-time event

Depending on your goal of minimalism and reducing clutter you will not declutter your home in one session. When we analyze our homes, we realize that the amount of clutter that we have accumulated was a process that happened over several years.

It can take months or years to fully reach your ultimate decluttering goals depending on your lifestyle. However, I have noticed that once you begin to see the benefits of decluttering, it becomes addictive and you will want to declutter daily.

Over the past six months, I have decluttered my home tremendously but I still have additional items that I feel like I can still remove from my home.

I now have a decluttering bin that I keep in my garage and add items that I no longer use to the bin weekly and plan a specific day on the weekend to specifically declutter a space.

Getting rid of some items will be hard

Many people detail how difficult it is to declutter sentimental items and this has been very true for my husband who has inherited items from very close relatives.

For me, clothing has been very difficult to let go of. I often have the burning question in the back of my mind, “What if I want to wear it again one day?” This has caused me to keep more clothing than I would like, but for me the question “Does this item add value to my life?” has helped me tremendously. Each day that passes, I recognize clothes and material things truly don’t bring me happiness or add value to my life.

If you have trouble decluttering, ask yourself the question above and also know that decluttering does not mean that you have to remove everything from your home.

Some family members don’t want to be a part of your journey

Every member will not be excited about your decluttering journey and that’s okay.

My husband has always been an organized person. I consider myself an organized person but didn’t learn the skill until I met my husband. He is a true model for an individual who gives a “home” to everything.

My husband is very organized, but he owns a lot of things. At the beginning of my journey, I would assume that he would see me filling up boxes with items and hop on board but that was not true.

He is okay at the moment with owning duplicates and items that he doesn’t necessarily use on a daily basis. I have to respect the fact that we both live in our home together and every journey that I embark on will not interest him and visa versa.

Although he hasn’t gone full rogue with decluttering, he has started to get rid of items and has loved the visual benefit of having less clutter in our home.

If you have a family member that doesn’t want to be apart of your journey respect their boundaries but don’t underestimate your influence as a model.

Decluttering will always have positive benefits even if you only declutter a few items

As you remove excess items from your life, you will create a sense of order and control. Your self-confidence will increase, your clarity will improve, and overall you will transform your life as a new mind shift often comes with your decluttering journey.

A clutter-free environment also promotes a sense of calm and relaxation, which can reduce stress levels and improve sleep quality. When your mind is at ease, you’re able to be more productive and accomplish so much more.

If you only have time to declutter a few items, know that you are making a difference!

Home organization and tidying will become so much easier

Home organization is my jam! I love to organize my home, my work area, and spaces for others. Through experience and trainings, I have learned that decluttering has to occur in order for a home organization project to be successful.

I often say, “If you organize without decluttering you are simply stuff-shifting.”

When you declutter your home, home organization will become easier as you will organize for your spaces not the items that you own. When this occurs the frustration in organizing will decrease. The time to organize your home and clean your home will also decrease. Besides deep cleaning my home, I can now tidy most spaces in my home in less than 15 minutes. This only happened by removing items from my spaces. Less items =Less items to manage, tidy, and clean.

This is a win for individuals with busy schedules or individuals who just want more time to enjoy life.

Click here for a free home organization printable and here for a list of items to declutter in each room in your home!

There will be seasons in life when you will have more

There will be seasons in your life where you will need more items.

As a mother with three kids there were seasons where my counters and cabinets contained baby bottles, food, and many gadgets. We also had baby bags, car seats, strollers, etc. There was no way around owning these items as they were needed for the safety and needs of my children.

While some may feel guilty for owning more during these seasons Dictionary.com describes clutter as filling or littering things in a disorderly manner.

While there are periods of time where your spaces will be filled with additional items, the items can still be organized in a way that is neat and functional. When the items are no longer needed declutter those items from your spaces.

Final Thoughts:

Anytime we take a journey, there will be lessons learned. The lessons that I have learned from decluttering and simplifying my home has encouraged me to stay on the journey of decluttering. I am grateful for the lessons that I have learned from decluttering and simplifying my home and can’t wait to see what the next six months bring!

What lessons have you learned from decluttering your home?

Categories: Education

5 Tips I Wish I Had Known As A New Teacher

Back-to-school season is a busy time for teachers. Prepping lesson plans, trainings, and creating a welcoming classroom environment are only a small portion of the tasks teachers have to complete before students arrive on the first day of school. If you are a new teacher you probably are thinking about all of the above which may bring excitement but also nervousness and anxiety. Those feelings are okay and these back-to-school tips for new teachers will help you get ready to embark on your teaching journey!

1. Give yourself grace

I would do you a disservice if I did not say teaching as a career is hard. It’s even harder if you are a new teacher. However, each day will become easier as you will enter your classroom knowing more than the previous day. Also, remember every expert was once a beginner. As a teacher there will be days where you will experience trials due to lack of knowledge but remember as a new teacher there is no way you can know everything. Even veteran teachers don’t know it all.

Think about the path that students take throughout a school year. Many of the students will come to you at the beginning of the school year without knowledge of certain academics or social skills. Through time and instruction they grow and blossom and at the end of the school year, you will be amazed at their growth!

Use the same scenario with yourself. As a new teacher, you will without a doubt grow and experience many learning experiences.

Embrace those learning experiences and reflect often. Surround yourself with mentors and veteran teachers who can help you grow as a new teacher. They have a vast amount of knowledge and can relate to you as they were also once a new teacher at some point and time.

2. Set Clear Expectations and Rules

Before planning your lesson plans, think about and create a plan for your classroom expectations and rules. These areas in addition to classroom management (Tip #3) are vital. If you don’t have a structured system to include expectations and rules, it will be nearly impossible to teach an academic lesson.

One effective approach to setting clear expectations and rules at the beginning of the year is to involve your students in the process. By allowing their input you are creating a class community that encourages ownership. It also lets students know their opinions matter.

Have a class discussion where students can share their ideas and suggestions for classroom rules. Allow students to offer suggestions and keep a running record of their suggestions.

After all suggestions have been made, go through the list together, merging similar or identical rules together. Have a discussion and rank the rules by importance and agree on a set of 3-5 rules. As you agree on the rules, select expectations and establish rules that promote structure and positive behavior.

You can also have a discussion on why some suggestions were not selected.

Start this process and introduce these expectations on the first day of school and reference the rules often.

By clearly defining your expectations, you provide a framework for behavior that helps students understand what is acceptable, what is not acceptable, and sets the tone for a productive learning environment. When expectations are explicitly communicated, students are more likely to understand what is expected of them and are better equipped to meet those expectations.

3. Develop Strong Classroom Management Skills

Classroom expectations go hand in hand with classroom management. Management is important in any classroom but crucial in a new teacher’s classroom.

Classroom management occurs when you have certain structures and routines in place that promote a learning environment. Without classroom management, teaching is nearly impossible which can lead to burnout fast.

When developing your classroom management plan reflect on your physical classroom layout, transitions, managing student work, managing behavior, planning and organization, bathroom procedures, and voice levels.

These are just a few procedures that you will want to cover.

During the first two weeks of school spend the majority of your time teaching classroom management procedures allowing students to practice the routines. Provide on-the-spot corrections. This prevents students from practicing the rules incorrectly consistently which can form bad habits.

Revise the procedures as needed and be consistent with your classroom procedures!

The time you spend at the beginning of the year on expectations, rules, and classroom management, will pay off throughout the year.

I love to use this scenario: If you need to be out for a day or two, your students should be so familiar with your classroom expectations and management style that they can effectively run the class with minimal assistance from the substitute.

4. Establish Positive Relationships

In addition to setting clear expectations and rules, it is essential to establish positive relationships with your students. Building rapport and trust creates a strong foundation for effective classroom management. When students feel valued, supported, and connected to their teacher, they are more likely to engage in positive behavior and be motivated to succeed academically.

One way to create positive relationships is by getting to know your students on a personal level. Take the time to learn about their interests, hobbies, and aspirations. Show genuine interest in their lives outside of the classroom and find opportunities to incorporate their interests into your conversations with the students.

Questionnaires and break-the-ice activities are fun ways to learn about your students at the beginning of the year. Be sure to tell your students about interests and hobbies. Believe it or not, they really enjoy this part.

5. Develop An Organization Plan

Lastly, as a teacher, you will have many tasks throughout the day to complete. Taking the steps to become an organized teacher will help you conquer the many daily responsibilities that you will have.

Create a plan that tackles how you will organize the following:

Important Dates-Planners work great as well as alerts

Transitioning Subjects- Will you have folders for each subject taught?

Lesson Plans-Will you store these digitally or print them out each week?

Centers or Stations-How will you organize the materials in each environment?

Paperwork-Will you utilize a file cabinet or bin to store unit resources and other documents?

This article offers additional classroom organization tips that will allow you to rock your classroom organization.

Final Thoughts For Back To School Tips For New Teachers:

Being a new teacher starting a new school year is such an exciting time. These back-to-school tips for new teachers are meant to give you practical tips that have helped teachers not only survive their first year but also grow and excel in the profession of teaching. Use these back-to-school tips for new teachers in addition to support from your colleagues, and daily experiences, to kick this year off with a bang!

Categories: Organization

Why Every Home Needs a Home Organization Binder (Free Printable)

As adults, our lives are filled with countless responsibilities and never-ending to-do lists. In our homes, there’s always grocery shopping, finances, household chores, and house maintenance. If you have kids like I do add in school pickups and drop-offs, doctor’s appointments, and extracurricular activities. With a full plate of responsibilities, a home organization binder can bring some relief. In this article, we’ll explore the benefits of using a home organization binder and how it can change and help the way you manage your household.

You’ll also have access to free binder covers to help you create a home management binder!

What Is A Home Organization Binder

A household binder is a binder that contains and organizes all of your household information. This could include but is not limited to your budget, family and friends’ contact information, house maintenance contacts, emergency contacts, schedules, medical information, and pet information. Your children’s school information, your work information, and passwords are other pieces of information that would be beneficial to include in a household binder.

What A Home Organization Binder Is Not

A household binder is not a place where you will keep secure items. Items such as birth certificates and passports should be kept in a separate location. If you have a file cabinet or safe, these locations are perfect to keep those documents.

You also would not keep any home manuals (appliance manuals for refrigerators, washers, dryers, and ovens). These items should also go in another location. If you have another binder you could totally create a binder just for these manuals.

Also, with three kids, I have an overwhelming amount of pictures, cards, and crafts. Your household binder would not be the place to put these items in either. Create a sentimental box that can hold these sentimental items.

Why Have A Home Organization Binder

Many of the items that you will include in your household binder can be found in your phone, however, a household binder is the perfect place to store a hard copy of the documents which ensures that all of your important documents are in one place and can be accessed by other individuals.

A household binder is also perfect in the case of an emergency or in the case of your absence. If someone. In the event of your absence, the person helping your household could easily see the families’ schedule, know who to call for different services, and overall gain an idea of the flow of how your household is ran.

This is so important if you have children. Schedules and routines are very important and the household binder will help keep them on a schedule in case of a absence.

Lastly, having everything in one place will save you time and frustration when you need to quickly access important information.

How To Create A Household Binder

The first step in creating a home management binder is to gather all the necessary information in one place. Create categories by grouping similar documents together. For example group and place all of your maintenance contacts together.

Next you will need to purchase or find a binder. In the binder, you can separate the categories with labels, dividers, or colored paper. Color-coded labels or colored paper can help differentiate between each section in the binder and also help you locate the documents easier.

The size of the binder will depend on the number of documents that you have.

Click HERE for five free home household binder covers!

What To Include In Your Household Binder

Below are categories that you can include in your binder. Your family may need fewer or more categories. It truly depends on the needs of your family.

Contacts:

Family contact information

Friends contact information

Emergency contact information

School contact information

Budget

Current spreadsheet

Financial contacts

Bill payment tracker

Subscription renewal dates (Amazon, etc.)

Insurance contacts and/or Insurance policies

Schedules

Working hours (if you have a set schedule)

School hours

Days and times of extra curricular activities

Monthly household schedule

Medical

Medical history of family members

The name of medication taken by family members

The time that the medication needs to be taken

The name of vitamins taken by family members

Primary care providers name

Dentist’s name

Preferred hospital’s name

Allergies of family members

Pets

Veterinarian’s contact information

Medical history of pets

The name of medication taken by pets

The time that the medication needs to be taken

These are just a few categories that you can include in your binder. Remember deepening on your needs your categories will be different!

Final Thoughts

Creating and having a home organization binder helps you organize your home by having a central location for all of your important documents!

Start today and take the first step towards a more organized and stress-free life in this face paced life. Create your home management binder and watch as it changes how you manage your household. You’ll no longer have to worry about where your documents are, finding the items with ease.

As the saying goes, “A place for everything, and everything in its place.” Embrace the power of organization and reclaim your household.

How To Be More Productive In Life

Categories: Organization

Conquer Pantry Chaos: Strategies to Organize Your Small Pantry

This past weekend, I finally organized our pantry! It has been on my to-do list for a while and I am so glad that I finally conquered it. For a few months, I have wanted to organize my pantry. I was ready for a slight upgrade in containers (I had a few mismatched containers) and I also knew that I had no real system for our family pantry. In this article, I’ll share how I organized our pantry and overall how to organize a small pantry. I had a few zones, but most of my food items were just randomly placed in the pantry. By following these practical tips, you’ll be able to reclaim control over your pantry and enjoy the benefits of a clutter-free and functional pantry. So, let’s dive in and conquer pantry chaos together!

Plan

Before jumping in and actually organizing your pantry, it’s important to have a plan. Without a plan and actually thinking about how to organize a small pantry, you may become frustrated and not organize your pantry to your fullest potential. Your plan can be super simple, but these are some things that you will need to include in your plan:

Schedule a time where you can devote a minimum of three hours to organizing your pantry. The steps to organizing your pantry can be time consuming and you don’t want to rush the process (It only took me approximately an hour and a half but I enlisted help from my family).

Take measurements of your pantry. This will allow you to purchase appropriate storage tools for your bins.

Have your materials ready. You will need cleaning supplies, a trash bag, labels, and a box as you may want to donate some items.

You may want to add additional steps as the organization of your pantry will be tailored to your kitchen.

Now that you have a plan you are ready to transform your pantry!

Take Everything Out

While you may be tempted to just shift items around when organizing your pantry, please don’t do it.

You will need to remove everything from your pantry. Yes, your kitchen will look cluttered and will be a mess for a few hours but this step is necessary. Taking everything out of your pantry allows you to touch each item in your pantry, making decisions if you should keep or discard of the items.

Categorize

Once everything is removed from your pantry create categories of the items by grouping like items together.

This is a practical and foundational organization tip. By placing like items together you can find items quickly and do not have to search for items in multiple places. You can also complete a quick assessment to see how many items you have in one category when grouped together.

Clean

Once everything is removed from your pantry give your pantry a deep cleaning. Any cleaning solution should work. If you are in doubt about the cleaning solution, clean a small portion first and observe for an adverse action.

This is also a great time to sweep and mop the bottom of your pantry.

It was only when I took out every item from your pantry that I realized our pantry shelves definitely needed lots of TLC in the area of cleanliness.

Create Zones

Now that your pantry is empty and clean (Hooray) create zones for your categories inside of your pantry. By dividing your pantry into specific areas, you can easily locate the items in your pantry and keep everything in its designated place. This prevents items from getting lost or forgotten.

As you create zones make sure that your most used food items are readily accessible, placing these items in the front and at eye level.

For example, I make coffee every day. My bin that has all of my coffee supplies is the first thing that I see when I open my pantry.

In the back of my pantry, I have staples such as flour that do not get used on a weekly basis.

Consider organizing your pantry into zones based on categories such as food staples, appliances, canned goods, baking supplies, snacks, and spices.

By creating zones in your pantry, you’ll be able to make the most of your limited pantry space. Zones will also help you maintain your organized pantry long-term.

Use Various Storage Bins and Labels

One way to clearly establish zones is to use storage bins and labels.

Bins are awesome because they literally group your categories together.

Labeling your containers, bins, and shelves allow you to quickly identify your categories, which takes away any guesswork or rummaging through piles of food items.

This is especially helpful if you have family members who you feel are often in the pantry more than you. My family members are often looking for snacks in our pantry!

If you are organizing your small pantry on a budget, there are stores that have inexpensive bins. Dollar Tree continues to have inexpensive bins and you could use a permanent marker to label your categories.

Our number one goal when organizing a small budget is function.

Use Every Space Available

Having a small pantry with an abundance of materials means that we have to be strategic with the space in the pantry.

Use stackable containers to maximize vertical space. Stackable containers are a great solution for maximizing every inch of space in your small pantry especially if your pantry has deep shelves. Stackable containers allow you to neatly stack various items, such as grains, cereals, snacks, and even canned goods. By stacking these containers vertically, you are using every space available.

Remember to measure your space before purchasing any containers to prevent from buying bins that are too small or too large.

Over-the-door organizers are another way to use every space available.

Over-the-door organizers come in different sizes and styles. You can use them to store everything from spices and snacks to kitchen tools and cleaning supplies. The clear pockets in the over the door organizers make it easy to see what’s inside and prevent items from getting lost in your pantry.

Final Thoughts

Organizing a pantry is work and understanding how to organize a small pantry can take extra planning but you can without a doubt reach your goal!

With the tips and tools discussed, you’ll be able to transform your small pantry from a crowded pantry into a well-organized and functional pantry that works for you and your family.

Now that you know how to organize a small pantry, tackle and organize with confidence your pantry.

6 Incredibly Easy Tips To Keep Your Kitchen Organized

Categories: Education

Classroom Organization 101- Declutter Your Classroom

Looking to transform the physical appearance of your classroom for the upcoming school year? The biggest task you can do to transform the physical appearance of your classroom will only cost you time and is free! Declutter your classroom and without a doubt, you will transform your classroom.

Clutter distracts you and your students from learning daily. From outdated books to paperwork, clutter will build quickly in your classroom without a plan from you as the teacher. In this article, we’ll look at five common items in your classroom that can produce clutter quickly and discuss how to tackle these areas. With that being said, let’s clear the way for a clutter-free classroom.

Back to School Tips For Teachers

What Is Clutter?

Before we list the common items you can clear and declutter from your classroom, it’s important to understand what clutter is.

Clutter is an abundance of materials in a given space that doesn’t serve a purpose for us.

Often clutter consists of items we haven’t used in some time or do not need. While it may be hard to let go of items we have acquired over time, I promise you won’t miss the items!

When I first started decluttering items, I thought I needed to keep the items just in case I needed them down the line. I also thought about the money spent on the items. This was so far from the truth! I never used the items and although my classroom “looked good” on the outside, behind my classroom closets and cabinets was a cluttered mess.

Why Declutter?

In organization, decluttering is the first and most important part of the process. If you are looking to change the physical appearance and organization of your classroom, decluttering has to be included in the process.

While the physical transformation of a classroom will occur when you declutter your classroom, removing the clutter from your classroom has many other awesome benefits. When clutter is removed from a space, stress and anxiety in individuals decrease. Decluttering also allows individuals to save time when cleaning and promotes productivity (I literally cannot focus with a cluttered desk).

You are also creating a calm environment for your students, which promotes academic readiness.

clutter free classroom

Where To Put The Clutter?

When decluttering your classroom, grab four boxes or bags. You will also need labels or a pen. For each box or bag provide labels or write the following on the bags or boxes: trash, keep, donate, or save for later.

Next, choose a space in your room that is cluttered and needs TLC. Remove everything from that space (It will get worse before it gets better but you can do it).

Sort and touch each item, deciding to either throw away, donate, keep, or save the item for later. If you have a teacher buddy or family members that can help ask them to help you. It will make the process go by so much quicker!

Tip: As you pick up each item, make decisions quickly. Often if you give too much thought to an item, you will hold on to that item and the decluttering process won’t be efficient.

Outdated Books

While books are a valuable resource for teaching, take the time to look through your collection for books to declutter from your classroom.

Many teachers have a class library that is often used to foster a student’s love for reading.

Based on your student’s needs or interests, there may be books that are not being used and can be stored away for late use.

Also, look for books that are torn and no longer in good condition. These are books that you can easily discard.

If you have any professional books that are no longer valuable to you, give the books a new home. New teachers may benefit from the books. Sharing is caring!

If your district has transitioned to online versions with digital resources of textbooks and you have outdated textbooks, purge the old textbooks. Ask if there are specific protocols you need to follow but definitely get rid of the books.

Excessive decorations

I love a decorated classroom! As a former teacher, my classroom was my second home, and I took pride in my decorations. In hindsight,

I realize now that certain decorations and themes in my classroom were overly distracting.

Take a few minutes to do a visual assessment of your classroom. Are most of your walls covered in excessive decorations? Are you using multiple colors to decorate your room?

If so, are there items that could be removed to help promote a calming and peaceful environment?

Tip: When decorating your classroom, focus on 2 prominent colors as too many colors can be overstimulating. Functional decoration is also a plus!

Unused supplies and materials

At the beginning of the school year, stores are filled with school supplies!

The abundance of school supplies often transitions from the stores to where? School classrooms.

Take stock of what supplies and materials you have in your classroom and store away the extra supplies in a designated area. Don’t leave the items in students’ desks or just lying around the classroom.

Students will go through the materials throughout the school year. Set specific times throughout the year to go through students’ supplies swapping out worn supplies with new supplies.

Also, look throughout your classroom for school-issued furniture that is not needed. If you have desks, chairs (save a few), and tables that have not been used in months, ask if you can remove the materials. If you have personal furniture that hasn’t been used by you or your students in months, take the time to remove those items from your classroom.

By removing just a few furniture items from your classroom, you will instantly have more space and clarity.

Tip: At the end of the year allow students to take their materials back home. As a Title One teacher, my parents were appreciative as they could allow their children to use the supplies for the following year.

declutter your classroom

Excessive Paper Paperwork:

Papers without a plan can become a huge source of clutter in a classroom.

In recent years, students now complete a large portion of their classwork on computers and laptops. However, even with technology, there are times when student papers are necessary.

Create a system that allows students to take their papers home after you have reviewed and assessed student papers.

Another way to reduce papers in the classroom includes alternate methods to assess. Class discussions, group work, whiteboards, and verbal assessments are all ways to assess students and helps reduce clutter.

Reduce the clutter in your personal space by using resources like Google Docs to create and share lesson plans with students, other teachers, and administrators.

Digital Clutter

Lastly, don’t forget about digital clutter. Go through your emails from the previous year. Delete any emails that you no longer want or need. Organize and delete any documents that you will use this upcoming school year (this would be a good time to also organize your desktop on your desktop).

Final Thoughts On Decluttering Your Classroom

Classroom organization is vital for an environment that nurtures and promotes a learning environment. Decluttering books, excessive decorations, unused supplies and materials, and unnecessary paperwork are crucial in creating that space. When you declutter your classroom, you are not only changing the environment you are providing your students with a space that allows them to focus and thrive. Take the time today to declutter your classroom and witness the difference it will make for your students!