wanted to reorganize my kitchen. Before jumping in, I thought about what items I would be organizing. Would baskets, bins, or drawer organizers be helpful? Could I rehome items that were no longer needed? Did I need to make a list before heading to the store? Successfully reorganizing my kitchen required knowledge, but it also needed to come from personal motivation. Why am I wanting to reorganize my kitchen? The answers to all of these questions helped me move forward.

This may be paperwork, tools, hair accessories, or art supplies. Identifying what is being organized well or being done correctly can provide insight for carryover to the next item or aspect needing attention. For example, one of my high schoolers continually asked for plastic bins to store items. When she purchased a new set of acrylic paints, I immediately asked if a bin would be helpful, and we drove to the local dollar store. Recognizing what is being done well is motivation to move forward.

We discovered a higher rate of success when we engage our learners to take responsibility (for example, initiating shopping for items they feel will help them organize their paperwork, tools, and space). Items our learners found helpful included:

• Crates. Each used a plastic milk crate they could easily carry around the house making learning portable. It was easy to tuck a crate under a desk when not in use.
• Backpacks. Their backpacks stored current books and were ready if we needed to take school on the road.
• Baskets. They were perfect for storing current textbooks and reading resources.

The time together problem solving and gathering needed items set a foundation of “I’m interested in what you are doing,” but also gave the individual buy-in to the method or task at hand: helping promote organization. For learners preferring digital record keeping and online study, we ensure they are proficient in using data spreadsheets and required platforms to avoid any obstacles to study and accurate record keeping.

This is a hard one for me. Art corners, a room for equipment or projects, cabinet or closet space, or a corner of the garage means I need to reorganize and potentially purge to help my learners organize. Coming alongside and providing space has motivated our learners and encouraged efficient work. Trial and error, and mistakes and regression are a part of the process, but eventually we begin to see progress over time—particularly when we need content for portfolios, curriculum vitae (CVs), and resumes whether they are academic, career or athletic.

I’ve learned that when I model organization, others follow. For example, several of our kids use binders, spiral bound notebooks, and ruled notebook paper. I set up a shelf in our laundry room for educational paper products including construction and copier paper. Everyone has access to what they need, when they need it. No waiting for me to help them.

Likewise, we have a drawer for the stapler, staple remover, White Out, hole punch, compass, rubber bands, paper clips, rulers, tape measure, transparent tape, masking tape, and permanent markers. The drawer below our office supplies is home to various sized Post-It Notes, 3×5 and 4×6 cards, small note pads, and extra zip drives. Knowing where items are and experiencing how organization brings efficiency and convenience is helpful in motivating our learners.

The answer to this question is different for every family. My high schoolers help me with record keeping, some logging titles and authors of books and resources. Others are recording community service hours. High schoolers can:

• Log community service/volunteer hours on a spreadsheet, recording dates and hours served, supervisor name and contact information
• List titles and authors of any reading materials, including independent reads
• Create a photo summary of projects—box gardening, woodworking, quilting, etc.
• Take, edit, and compile photos of artwork or digital design work for social media, college or institute admission or scholarship
• Edit clips for athletic highlight videos and video resumes and place them in folders by playing season
• Record titles, authors, and ISBN numbers for NCAA Core Course Worksheets
• Place certificates and awards in plastic sleeves to be referenced later for resumes or applications

As my kitchen became more organized, I became increasingly motivated. Each time I made a change, I accessed progress, adjusted, and moved forward. Productivity improved, my excitement heightened, and my mindset about being in the kitchen improved.