3 Ways to Manage the BTS Paper Overload

by admin

Tackle that growing pile of back to school papers on your desk with our three easy tips.

Anyone else drowning in back-to-school paperwork? The very first day my three kids came home from school with at least 30 pages each of forms and information and calendars and supply list and aaaahhhhh! We're already a few weeks in now and already my desk has a growing pile of soccer schedules and artwork and classroom reminders and permission slips. Sounds familiar? Here are 3 ways to manage the back-to-school paper overload.

Related: Journals and planners to get mom organized

1. There's an app for that.

You live on your phone so make it work for you by getting important dates and times on a digital calendar now. Toss the paper soccer schedule and school snack calendar and put it all on a calendar app. Color code after school activities by kid, share calendars with your spouse or S.O., and set reminders for items like buying snacks for Girl Scouts or what days you are helping in the classroom. Using a digital calendar will help you stay on top of things and keep your desk clean(er).

2. Make it digital.

If you need to save the information but want to toss the physical paper, pick up one of these space-saving portable scanners. I use this one that connects seamlessly with Evernote so that info about how to log on to see my kids' grades online or the outline for the monthly book report is saved - digitally. Then instead of digging through a mountain of saved papers looking for that one piece I need to reference (because that's always fun), I can easily search Evernote with tags and keywords to bring up the needed doc with ease. This can be a great way for kids to save important info for their classes too.

3. Preserve with a pic.

I saw this brilliant idea for managing artwork on Instagram recently from graphic designer and mom of three Ashlee Proffitt. She laid out her kids' favorite artwork on white poster board and snapped a picture. Then she uploaded the pics to Shutterfly and made a book at the end of the year! No trying to decide which art projects are save-worthy. No trying to figure out how to store that life-sized silhouette tracing of your toddler. And best of all - No. Glitter. Projects. So put that collage on the fridge for a week and enjoy it. Then snap a picture to save for the end of the year and "file" the original in the good ol' "circular file" (aka the trash).

What are your tricks for managing the back-to-school paper overload?

MORE ORGANIZING TIPS FROM MOMTRENDS

  1. Spring cleaning and organizing the home office
  2. Set up a stylish an organized closet
  3. Organize your house to maximize space and productivity

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Need more ideas on what to do with the kids? Be sure to follow our Organization board on Pinterest here.

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