Want to ‘Marie Kondo’ your back-to-school regime? Professional organiser Julia Barker, from Zen by Julia, tells Jo Caruana how you can do exactly that.
Only a few days now separate you from the lazy days of summer and the manic, often-frantic preparations that signify the return to school.
For some people, there’s no greater joy than that feeling of new stationery, pretty pencil cases, and month-long plans for packed lunches. But for others, that thought can strike fear right at the heart – helping to add organisational anxiety to an already-long list of reasons why the back-to-school period doesn’t sound like much fun.
But locally-based organisational consultant Julia Barker, who is currently completing her training in the world-renowned KonMari method (made famous by Japanese organising guru Marie Kondo), knows there is a way around this worry. After all, she is a whiz at getting things prepared, and she helps people with everything from sorting out their sock drawer to completely transforming their kitchen storage. In short, she adds zen.
As I press her on the topic of term-time organisation, Barker starts by explaining that – if you want to feel more relaxed about getting back into school mode – you’ll need to get a good routine going as soon as possible.
“Don’t leave it till the last minute and rely on a morning routine,” she stresses. “You are going to need an evening-before routine, however tiring the day has been. I’m a firm believer that getting ready for school is a shared responsibility and not just something else for parents to shoulder.”
With this in mind, Barker shares some helpful tips on getting the whole family involved. “Give your children age-appropriate responsibilities for the evening, every evening,” she suggests. “All children can wash and refill their water bottles, can check that their homework is safely in their bag before they get ready for bed, and can ensure dirty uniform items are placed in the laundry basket. It shouldn’t all have to fall to you, and it helps them to understand their role in helping your family routine to work well.”
She also suggests ‘training’ your children to know what time they need to set their alarms for. “Those first few days are easy,” she smiles, referring to the exciting start-of-term period. “It’s the time after that when you may need to check that their alarm has been set, ask them repeatedly, and then check again.”
It seems that routines take time to implement – with some studies suggesting habit formation can take anything from 66 to 240 days to become ingrained.
“Keep pushing,” Barker says. “Children will need help with this. Did you know that teenagers genuinely struggle with morning starts? Studies have shown that mental agility was improved with a school day that started and ended later. However, since that isn’t in our control, we need to help them.”
Forward planning is also key when it comes to those time-consuming lunch boxes that need to be prepared fresh everyday. “Don’t lean on a we’ll-have-everything-we-need mentality,” Barker suggests. “Planning school lunches and snacks in advance means you’re not going to be running to the local shop for sandwich fillings when you should be getting yourself ready for a busy day! When I’m doing the weekly shopping list, I usually plan our son’s lunches as well as our dinners and breakfasts. Life just seems to run more smoothly that way.
Getting ready for school is a shared responsibility
“In fact, making lunches the night before (however tired you are), and setting the table with cereals and toast toppings, means that the morning might even be quite relaxed. It will detract from that feeling of being time-poor, which is a huge cause of stress.”
There’s also the upheaval of the shift from summer to winter wear, so I am curious how best Barker recommends staying on top of this as the afternoons and evenings get progressively busier.
“My first step would be to minimise the ironing,” she says. ‘Where possible, opt for easy-iron (or non-iron) uniform choices.
“Next, spend a few hours decluttering your utility space before school starts. Camping and beach items will be used less frequently now, so some can be stored away. Declutter your laundry supplies too; if you’ve had a product for years and have never used it, you’ll probably find it’s expired so won’t be much use anyway. Focus on the items you use most regularly, so that you can have as much space as possible to do all the things you need to do.”
Barker suggests having three laundry baskets – for whites, coloured and dark items, and delicates that need a cool, gentle wash. “Label these and show your family members which is which. This eliminates sorting time that could be better spent doing other things.”
Meanwhile, proper clothes folding is one of the cornerstones of being organised, and Barker always recommends folding trousers, polo shirts and sweaters, as well as more formal button-down shirts.
“After a bit of practice this is actually faster than hanging,” she says. “When you have folded them, stand these items up alongside each other instead of stacking them on top of each other. This means that one item can be removed without unfolding and creasing all other items in that drawer! Check out Marie Kondo’s YouTube videos for great folding inspiration.”
Finally, Barker has some wise words about getting things done as soon as possible, and not leaving them until the last minute.
“Get those uniforms washed on Friday evening,” she says. “Sunday nights spent scouring bedrooms for shirts and sports kits are soul destroying. Show yourself some love and leave Sunday night free for other things.”
Roles and routines
Quick-fire tips for term-time organisation from Julia Barker
In our house we use Google Calendar to record upcoming events. Each family member has their own colour, so we can quickly see who has what coming up that week.
On top of that, you could use a family wall calendar or diary to note days where sports kit or extra items are needed. This applies for you too. Putting your gym kit in the car boot is just as important as your children remembering theirs.
Commit to writing this information on the calendar a term at a time. It’ll take about 10 minutes and will save you trying to juggle that information in your head. Allocate a colour for each household member, or even better, find a calendar with a column for each person.
Ensure your kids have a dedicated space and time to study. If you have a home office, make space for older children to work in there, free from the distraction of other family members making phone calls. If you don’t have the luxury of a home office, ensure that the dining table is free and clear at the same time each day for them to get into the homework zone.
If your child’s school issues a homework timetable, display this clearly and check in with them about what they’ve received that day. You don’t need to empty their bag for them – but encourage them by asking to read what they’ve written or see what they’ve designed. Your praise still means a lot, even if they don’t outwardly ask for it.
Finally, try to always shop with a list – even for stationery. Ensure your list has quantities too. Keep this on your phone for added convenience. The Cozi app allows you to share shopping lists with family members so they can all chip in and cross off anything they have picked up.