Tag: NAPO. NAPO Chicago

When Your College Student Moves Home For The Summer

May is a busy month most years.  But this year, we added an extra layer to the already busy month, when my college student son who lives on campus (the other lives at home) moved home for the summer.  With all of his stuff.

I’ve published over 430 blog articles on my web page.  That’s a lot of articles.  But moving a young adult back home was uncharted territory.   Whoooo, boy.

My sons are either the luckiest people ever or completely tortured for having a mother who is also a certified professional organizer.   I prefer to go with “lucky”, they may have a different opinion.  But here is how we handled Moving Home For Summer!

The Move Home begins long before the big day.

  • The Moving-Home process really starts when your student leaves for the school year.  DO NOT take over your student’s bedroom or storage space when they go away to school. And
  • Keep an inventory of what moved to college with your student.
  • Clear as much out of the bedroom as possible before your student moves home.  I have spent a couple of hours in my son’s room while he’s been away, clearing out clutter, containerizing keepsakes, etc.  I know, ideally your children will do this themselves.  Ideally…
  • Plan for the Big Stuff:  In April, I cleared out one side of his closet to make room for the large storage boxes we sent off to school with him.  Expect to use under-bed storage, too.
  • In March, my son brought home a large suitcase full of stuff he knew he wouldn’t need anymore, to start the process.

Day of:

  • I did not help with the actual pick up / load up  / drive home day.  Son and husband tackled that day, bless them both.  Obviously, my son’s stuff did not come home from college nearly as tidily as it moved TO college, but they loaded up and got home in good time, so props to them.  The two packing tips I would share are 1.  zip-ties to bundle hung clothing together, and 2. reusable shopping bags for the last 10 minutes to toss the last of the random stuff into.
  • Unpack the car when you get home.  All of it.  Yes, all of it.
  • Accept that the mess will grow before it shrinks.

The Week After the Move Home:

  • I have to chuckle, my son just keeps saying he didn’t realize he had so much stuff, and so much he doesn’t need.  These have been teaching moments, to help review his belongings and determine what he does and doesn’t need.  There were a few days when stuff wasn’t getting put away, until he and I realized there was older stuff in his drawers that he had to make decisions about and probably get rid of, to make room for the stuff he does want to keep.
  • Unpack everything.  If food moved home, plan to use up what is perishable.  If items are shelf stable – dried goods, unopened hand soap or shampoo, etc. – consider repacking them for the move back to school to save $$ on restocking.
  • Wash everything (or mostly everything). Dishes, bedding, yep, just wash it all.  He cleaned the toaster and the coffee maker.  Review everything, and make sure it’s all clean.  You REALLY don’t want to find a dirty dish or old towel in three months.  Ew….
  • And, once the stuff is clean, re-pack it.  Kitchen items with kitchen items, books with books, room decor / cords / lamps, etc. all together. Most of the storage cubes in his closet are already re-packed and ready to go back so school in August.

Please, learn from our experiences!  And enjoy your summer with your family!

An Organized Person… Marches Forth and Actually Completes Tasks

Last week, we started looking at what Organized People Do.  We started with a plan, which is the best place to start.

The next natural step after planning is to ACT.

How about this for an acronym:
ACT = Actually Complete a Task.  Or, Already Completed a Task?  You choose!

The calendar says Spring is coming, though it’s a ridiculously brisk and sunny 5 degrees here in Chicago.   Despite the chill,  my internal motivators are all pointing to Spring, too.

My coaching friend Mark suggests there are 5 broad areas in our lives – Health, Work, Family, Social and Sleep – where we need to focus our energies.  I was thinking of those as I penned my list for the week, adjusting as needed, and you should adjust as needed, too.

Here are my areas of ACTion this week:   Wellness, Home, Family, Work and Spirituality.

  • I signed up for and started a wellness challenge today.  I weighed in and measured up this morning, (gulp) posting my weight and measurement in a closed FB group for 30 complete strangers to see.  In the spirit of this challenge, today I will also clean the fridge, make our menu and create our grocery list for this week.
    Any ACTions you could take this week for wellness?
  • The painter is scheduled to stop and give me an estimate on repainting our bathroom.  And when I’m done with this article, I have a handful of calls to make for tree removal and planting, awning cleaning and other Spring Cleaning tasks.  Mainly, today I want to get on people’s lists for ACTion when Spring actually arrives, to get our work done sooner rather than later.
    What ACTions could you take this week for Home Maintenance?
  • This month our family will see both celebrations and challenges.  Today, I am sending RSVPs, scheduling events and making plans for those events.   Looking at your schedule,
    What ACTions can you take this week to make room for Family?
  • Not to neglect work, I have quite the long list of tasks to complete for my business and for professional development this week, too.  However, I find that work is always there and I tend to always make time for work to the detriment of some of the other areas of my life.
    What work ACTions have been awaiting your attention lately?  What Work ACTions would move you towards your goals this week?
  • This Wednesday is Ash Wednesday, and I take my Lent seriously.  This week, I will add Lenten prayer and reflections to my morning routine, and today and tomorrow,  I will prayerfully discern what other Lenten observations I may want to undertake.
    What ACTions can you take this week to make your efforts more meaningful and spiritual? 

What ACTions can you take this week, friends? March forth!!

Managing Transitions: Your Daily Commute

Where do you go every day?  And how do you get there?

Do you drive for your commute?  Maybe it’s 3 minutes, maybe an hour.   Perhaps you take the train, or perhaps you work from home.   No matter what your situation, you probably spend at least some time every day or week in transit.  So, let’s spend some time this week managing the transitions of your travels!

First, some environmental organizing.  Meaning – Clean out your car,  for goodness sake!  You wouldn’t sit on the couch or sleep next to a pile of garbage, why drive around with it?  And if you carry a bag (or many) with you, take a few minutes and clean that out this week, too.  Don’t carry around with you what you don’t need!

Create routines and hacks that make your commute flow more smoothly.  If you drive,

  • Take guess work out of your gas tank.  Some people aren’t bothered by the low fuel light, but I am!  I’ve found that filling up once a week, typically on Friday morning (my errand morning), means I don’t have to think about it any other time of the week.
  • Invest in an IPass if you haven’t gotten one already.
  • If you drive more than 15 minutes, check your route before you go, or use Google or Apple Maps or the Waze App every time you drive.  I have a client 40 minutes away, and Google Maps has routed me 5 different ways (that I never would have known) to her home based on traffic and construction congestion.

What You Can Do On Your Commute:

  • Get informed. Listen to your news of choice IF and ONLY IF it enhances your day.  If your chosen news source is negative or creates more stress in your life, consider other options.  I like NPR.  If you take the train, load your news sources, podcasts or newspaper subscriptions onto your kindle, IPad or smart phone and read or listen on your way to work.
  • Read up.  Check out Play-Away books at your local library, or purchase audio books on ITunes or Amazon.
  • Pray.  I carry a rosary with me.
  • Practice your deep breathing.  Get energized and arrive at your destination relaxed, for a change!
  • Dictate emails or articles.  I start a new voice memo on my smart phone while I’m still parked and talk through article ideas as I drive.  When I’m back at my laptop, I can transcribe the ideas and content.
  • Eat breakfast.  I make my smoothie (yogurt and fruit) before I leave and drink it on my way.
  • Listen to music.  I sing professionally, so I’ve been learning new wedding music as I drive.
  • Charge your devices.  I have charging cords in my bag for my devices and accessories (my fitbit, blue tooth earpiece, etc.).
  • Think deep thoughts.  If I have a problem I’m trying to work through, some days I will dedicate my commute to considering different solutions.
  • I have to insist on hands free, people.  If your phone and car can pair up, take the time and set it up.  Holding a phone 6 inches in front of your mouth instead of up to your ear is NOT hands free and IS ILLEGAL in Illinois (and elsewhere).  And getting stopped and a ticket, or worse, getting in an accident with distracted driving, can be the WORST way to spend your time!

So, this week, think about how to make your travel times more organized and maybe even enjoyable!