It’s back to school season: here’s how to get organized without getting overwhelmed.
9/05/26
Every September I watch really well intentioned people do the same thing when trying to get organized. School starts, the overwhelm kicks in, and suddenly they decide that right now, in the middle of the most chaotic transition of the year, is the perfect time to pull everything out of the linen closet and start from scratch.
And then three hours later they’re sitting on the bathroom floor surrounded by seventeen mismatched pillowcases, two broken hair dryers, and absolutely no idea how any of this got so out of control. The kids need dinner. The homework isn’t done. And the linen closet is somehow worse than when they started.
I’ve seen it so many times. I’ve probably done a version of it myself.
So here’s what I want to say to you right now, at the start of September, when everything feels like a lot: this is not the time for big overhaul organization. This is the time to slow down, pay attention, and make a few very small and very intentional changes that will make your daily life feel significantly more manageable.
That’s it. That’s the whole strategy.
Notice the traffic jams first
Before you change anything, I want you to just watch. Watch your mornings, what happens when everyone comes home at the end of the day, notice where things pile up, where you’re searching for things, where the same frustrating moment keeps happening over and over.
Those repeated moments of friction? Those are your traffic jams. And traffic jams are almost always fixable with one small organized change.
You don’t need to tear apart your entire house. You need to identify the three or four specific moments in your day that are costing you the most time and energy and solve those first. Everything else can wait.
Now is NOT the time to pull everything out of your linen closet. Trust.
Some examples of small changes that make a big difference
I want to give you some really specific ideas because I think sometimes we know there’s a problem but we can’t quite figure out what the solution looks like. So here are a few of my favorites.
The keys situation
If you’re searching for your keys every single morning before school drop off, this is a fixable problem. One command hook by the door you leave from every day. Keys go there every single time you walk in. That’s it. No more searching, no more starting the morning already behind. One hook, one habit, done.
The shoe situation
If there are always three pairs of shoes at the front door and everyone is tripping over them, give them a home right there. A shoe rack, a cute basket that shoes can be tossed into, a boot rack for the winter months that catches the water so you’re not mopping a wet floor every time someone comes in from outside. Whatever fits your space and your family. The shoes are going to land at the front door regardless, so make that the system instead of fighting it.
The clothes on the floor situation
If your kids are coming home, changing into their pajamas, and leaving their clothes on the floor every single day, the answer isn’t more nagging. The answer is making it easier to do the right thing than the wrong thing. A hamper that hangs on the back of their bedroom door or mounts to the wall means the clothes have somewhere to go that is right there. Bonus points if it has handles because then they can haul their own laundry to the laundry room independently and that is a freakin’ game changer.
The rule I always come back to
Here’s what I tell every single client at this time of year: solve the problems you’re actually having, not the ones you think you should be having.
If your mornings are chaotic, fix the morning. If the after school drop zone is a disaster, fix that. If you can’t find anything in your pantry when you’re making lunches, fix the pantry. One thing at a time, in order of how much it’s actually affecting your daily life.
The linen closet can wait. I promise it will still be there in October when things have settled down and you have the time and energy to actually do it properly.
September is not the month for big projects. September is the month for small intentional fixes that make every single day a little bit easier. AND a little bit easier every day adds up to a completely different quality of life by the time November rolls around.
Start small. Stay focused. And be really gentle with yourself right now because this season is a lot for everyone.
Need help identifying your traffic jams?
This is exactly what our Back to Basics Mini Package was made for. Two hours, just us in your space, walking through your home together and solving the specific problems that are making your days harder than they need to be. No big overhaul, no overwhelming project. Just targeted, intentional fixes that will make a real difference right now. $189 and worth every single penny this time of year. Interested? Let’s start with a chat: tap here to book your connection call.
