Back to school, back to normal—is your home ready for schoolwork?
It’s that time again. Back to school, back to normal—but is your home ready for schoolwork? Start the year right. Think ahead and get your students set up for success by rethinking your home organization. Alvarez Construction Company knows about smart design so here are some tips for organizing study spaces that get high marks for productivity,
Start without clutter.
If you haven’t already sorted through the piles of papers, binders, notebooks, and other things that came home at the end of the last school year, get it done while the kids are in school. Don’t attempt to keep too many things for sentimental reasons. Pick one or two items that are great reminders of their last year. The rest is—believe me—clutter! Not sure? Ask yourself how valuable this seemingly important treasure will be in 6 months? Will it even be used or looked at again?
Next, tackle your nests of clutter. The junk drawer, drop zone, and mudroom are likely locations for disarray. Empty them entirely, rather than wasting time picking through what’s there. Put everything in a box, sit down, and sort through it. Be merciless when deciding what to keep. How many notepads, pencils, and pens do you need? Pack things like paper clips and other small items in zip-lock baggies. Then, use a drawer organizer to keep the remaining supplies in place, at least for now.
Establish a landing area.
Incoming students are loaded down with heavy backpacks, sports equipment, clothing, and maybe oversized projects. They will drop it all when they enter the door. Give them a drop zone that makes it easy to keep everything in some semblance of order.
A mudroom is the ideal place, if you have one. A hall bench with cubbies is a worthwhile investment. Give every child their own hook and cubby, clearly labeled. Hang a family message center in the drop zone. It should have a place to hang notes, bulletins, reminders, and other things they need you to see—and advise each student to clean out their backpack every day and pull out those important papers. Include a calendar in the message center to add dates for upcoming events, activities, and appointments. Keeping everything in one central location is key to staying on track with your hectic lives.
Set up a study center.
Help your kids focus on their assignments by setting aside a workspace. When they flop on the couch with a laptop or sit at the kitchen table or breakfast bar to do homework, it’s a temporary place. That means they have to pick up and move, which leads to losing focus and important items (e.g., notes).
Find a place in your home where the family’s students can work uninterrupted. In an open floor plan, this could be an area in your living room. Place a desk, including enough room for a printer or other equipment. Add cabinets or shelves for storage. The goal is to keep everything they need within reach in order to avoid leaving their study space. We all know that these diversions can be disastrous to productivity! By keeping your children working in full view, you can see what they’re doing and be readily available for any assistance.
Pay attention to your smart home technology, too. Having a smart home management hub, with parental controls in place, is a great tool for curious minds of all ages.
Does your home earn high grades for productivity? That’s an important feature for everyone in the home. Talk to us at Alvarez Construction Company to find the family home that fits and take advantage of the current low interest rates for an affordable mortgage. We’re a family-owned homebuilder serving the Baton Rouge area. Look at our communities of new construction, single-family homes. Be sure to ask about our new construction homes for sale that qualify for a zero down payment.
