Organize + Energize: Are Your Kids Following Your Lead & Becoming Disorganized?
Tuesday, August 30, 2016
Are you frustrated with continually telling your kids to straighten their rooms? Take a look at how you function in your home. Do you think they are picking up on some of your traits?
Most of the kids I work with have parents that are disorganized. The parents want their kids to get organized, but they are unable to help them because they don’t have the skill set to transfer to them.
Most kids are hesitant at first and others are very excited to get organized! After working for a little with the hesitant ones, I find they are completely on board with the process. Initially, they don’t want somebody going through their belongings, which I can totally understand. I also think they don’t know enough about the process to see that it’s actually not as painful as they think.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIt’s exciting to watch their reactions when we complete the project! They feel excited, refreshed and happy to start over with a fresh space and new organized systems that we designed together.
Here are 5 areas that your kids may be following your lead:
Clothes. Are you constantly telling your kids to get their clothes off the floor and into the hamper or put back into their closet? When was the last time your kids decluttered their clothes closet? I’ve worked with teens that have donated at least four large garbage bags full of clothes. How are you functioning with your clothes? When was the last time you went through every item of clothing in your own closet? Do you have working systems in place and a home for all of your clothes? Do you leave clothes all over your bedroom?
Shoes. Are your shoes thrown in a pile by the door or in baskets all clumped together? How long does it take you to find a match to a shoe? It’s frustrating when you’re searching for something and can’t find it. It’s ok if you want to keep shoes by the door, but contain them in a better way than having them thrown in a bin or in a pile. Once you set up this system, when you need a pair of shoes, you will find them immediately.
Systems. When you tell your kids to straighten their room, they have no idea what that means if there aren’t any systems in place. Do you have a system for everything you do in your home? If you don’t have these systems in place, your kids will be following in your footsteps.
Toys. Kids have their toys and so do adults. It’s a matter of setting up a working system according to how everybody functions. Create routines and then those routines will form habits.
Paper. Are your kids school papers thrown everywhere in the home? Think about how you function with your bills and important documents. Do you have a filing system in the home? Do you keep track of your bills and important dates on the calendar? It’s never too early or late to set up your kids with a filing system and a calendar of their own.
The next time you are quick to jump on your kids to straighten up their rooms, pick up their belongings, or get a handle on their paper, take a look at what you have going on and how you’re functioning in your home. You may be surprised at what you see.
Developing working organized systems is the key to getting organized. When there aren’t any systems in place, chaos will prevail. Check in with your kids and see how they are functioning. Are they following in your footsteps?
On Tuesday, September 20th at 6:30pm, I’ll be giving a free presentation at Cumberland Public Library. Organizing Hacks for Teens. This is going to be a presentation given in a laid back, hang out type atmosphere. I’ll be talking with the teens about how their functioning now and giving them tips to become organized and efficient this school year. Please join me. Please call the library to register at 401-333-2552.
Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, is an organizing & efficiency expert and owner of Organizing in RI. Kristin teaches her clients that living an organized lifestyle will save them time and money, decrease their stress levels and help them become more efficient and productive. Her articles have been published in local and national magazines. Kristin's CD, Organizing Basics, is a 1-hour guide for the person who wants to get organized but doesn't know where to begin. She is also available for organizing workshops.
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