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Read more of the series of tips to get ready for back to school.
I read a fantastic article last year that I dug up in preparing for this school year. I am an avid follower of David Allen’s Getting Things Done (GTD) system. Last fall, there was an article by a fellow mom and writer titled “Back to school: GTD is the solution for parents.” In the article, April shared:
As I shuffled through more than 50 sheets of fliers, forms, and date-specific notices, I started to feel a little dizzy. The pile on my counter harbored a LOT of information, most of which needed my attention right that minute. I was tempted to break into tears or bury my head in a carton of Rocky Road, but then I thought, “Wait a minute. I’ve been trained in GTD. I was MADE for situations like this.” Within 30 minutes, the papers were completely processed, and I was ready to move on with our evening. And since I had such a glorious experience with my paper party, I thought I’d share some ideas that might help other moms manage the near-constant influx of papers that comes flying from their children’s backpacks.
Quick and easy way to sort and process school papers:
Empty your child’s book bag, each day, sorting the papers as follows-
- Trash
- If it takes 2 minutes or less, just do it now
- Write dates to remember in your calendar
- Make note of additional actions to take, supplies to buy, etc.
- Get the kids help. Most elementary school or older kids can help you fill out paperwork. This would be especially helpful if you have more than one child.
- Return forms, field trip permission slips, monies, etc. in your child’s book bag
- Toss any papers you’ve just processed
How do you keep your head above water in a sea of school papers?
Great post and good reminders!! Too many times I just put papers aside to look at later, but if it takes only 2 min, I should just get it done!
Betsy,
Thanks for your comment. You’re exactly right. I find that I spend way more than 2 minutes worrying about the things I need to do or trying to remember to do it. So, instead, I decided to JUST DO IT!!!
Great tips! My girls aren’t old enough to have papers coming home yet, but being a teacher, I know how much is sent home! Thanks for linking up with us at Dream. Create. Inspire. Link. every week!