Back to School Organizing Tips with Caroline Roberts of The Simplified Island

Booth chats with Caroline Roberts from The Simplified Island about getting ready for the back-to-school season! Caroline shares insightful tips on creating functional drop zones, managing kitchen clutter, simplifying school lunches, handling kids' sports gear, and establishing realistic routines for your family. Get ready to learn how to organize your home in a practical way that works for you!

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• (00:00) - Intro
• (01:30) - Drop zones
• (07:17) - A functional and organized kitchen
• (09:31) - Dealing with Laundry
• (14:22) - Sports gear
• (17:38) - School lunches
• (23:16) - Homework zones
• (25:47) - Setting routines
• (28:15) - Creative ideas to make routines fun
• (30:55) - Organizing in a way that works for you

This podcast is produced by Rooster High Productions.

Creators & Guests

Host

Booth Parker, CPA

Financial guru by day; domestic diva by night and sharing it all in between.

What is MOM-enomics with Booth Parker, CPA?

Real moms. Real mom financial issues. Real moms in business. Real stories. I am Booth Parker. A CPA, wife, and mom that loves all things home and family. In this podcast, I talk all things money for moms, families, and small business. From tips to ideas to info you just need to know, I break it down so moms can apply it to their own families and businesses!

[MOM S3 E3] Back to School Organizing Tips with Caroline Roberts of The Simplified Island
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[00:00:00]

Intro
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Booth Parker: Today on MOM-enomics, I am joined by Caroline Roberts, and she is the owner of The Simplified Island, which is a professional organization service. So with back to school and all of the overwhelm it brings, Caroline is going to help us get our mindset ready and our homes ready for back to school.

Caroline Roberts: Welcome, Caroline. Thank you. Thank you. I'm excited to chat with you.

Booth Parker: All right. So,

Caroline Roberts: Back to school is my favorite

season.

Booth Parker: Oh goodness, well it is not mine, so I'm glad

you're going to give us

all some pointers here because I love summertime

and I'd like to say that, back to school is the most overwhelming when kids are little, but with one starting their senior year, I'm starting to think it might be the most [00:01:00] overwhelming.

So, this will be great. I've heard that; I've heard before.

Okay, so I've got kind of a list of topics to ask you about and let give us some tips. Maybe, what you see clients making the biggest mistakes with in these categories and things like that. So one that's hard for me, is the entryway and the kitchen kind of drop zone areas. So what,

how do you approach those two?

I'm going to give you the hardest one right off the bat.

Drop zones
---

Caroline Roberts: I know, gosh, okay. Well, my house is tricky too because we are like the classic beach house. So we're on stilts. And so we have two very high use entryways.The key that I have found is don't fight it. Figure out which one your people are going to use the most and make that work. Like it's really hard.

And when I say training our family, I don't mean that in like a bad way. I [00:02:00] know they're more than dogs. But you know, we have visions of how we want things to flow, and there will be some training involved as far as like, "Hey guys, join the team, let's do it this way," but at the same time, save yourself some energy, and follow the natural flow of how they want to do things. So in my perfect world, our drop zone entry would be on our ground floor, but that's not where the kids tend to come in. So I've had to pivot a little bit, and we created a drop zone. We have actually an elevator shaft that does not have an elevator and it makes the best closets in our house.

And so we've created one of those closets as our drop zone. And so that's where the sports bags go in, backpacks. Even my husband's work bag when he comes in, and sunglasses and keys and just all of those things, [00:03:00] instead of it landing on the kitchen counter, they go there. And sometimes, you know, if you look at drop zones on Pinterest, you're going to see elaborate, gorgeous mudrooms, and that's wonderful. But not everybody has that space, and so a drop zone could be a few hooks on the wall. It could be a chest with drawers. So it doesn't have to be anything elaborate or built in or custom. You can use the space that you have, use the flow that you kind of observe as naturally happening, and then add a few organizational type things to corral the stuff.

And then at that point, it's just a matter of reminding them very gently, hey, hang your stuff up, put your coat up, that's not where the backpack goes. I mean, you know, a drop zone is not gonna make your house neat, but it can create the structure. You [00:04:00] still have to remind them.

Booth Parker: Exactly. You definitely have to keep reminding them. The daddies too, they're like just another kid most of the time. So, I know for us, like the hanging up the coats and that kind of thing, isn't a challenge for us. Ours is more the surfaces that get stuff

put on them. So how do you kind of approach the surfaces?

Caroline Roberts: Yeah, so, a few ways. That's where, like, in your entry, if you have a chest with drawers that can hold the things, that's awesome. And even if one of the drawers has, like, a space where a laptop or like a Chromebook for school could be put in and charging, or, a place for, and this may be a little bit more for younger kids, but like a place for artwork to go, or those folders that, you know, moms and dads need to see to return things, like, a top drawer could be empty, and it is solely for holding those school things when they come in, rather than [00:05:00] those items be put on the counter. You know, in a perfect world. And usually opening one drawer isn't so much friction that a kid won't do it, you know.

Booth Parker: Right? Especially if there's like a place where they know they can put their things down. So it's truly a designated space.

Caroline Roberts: Yeah, because we're not asking them to go up to their room or to go in some place they're not already going. It's right there. And another thing we do is, so I love the ELFA system that the Container Store has. And in our drop zone, we have the, I think it might even be called a drop zone. Anyway, it's an ELFA long standard that you attach to the wall.

And then you can choose, do you want baskets, do you want like narrow shelves? You can have deeper baskets. You can have hooks. And so that's great. We have one of those shelves is just for or it's actually like a basket that's about four or five inches deep and that's where like [00:06:00] sunglasses and sunscreen and like that kind of stuff goes and then they hang their backpacks under it. So it's kind of like one area where all types of things can go. And then they know that I want them to pull out the stuff that I need to see because I don't want to have to dig in their backpacks. That's gross.

Booth Parker: It's kind of scary. You're, you're afraid what you might touch. So, I love your approach of really thinking of the way you use the space and how your family gravitates to it because we so often get caught up in the Pinterest pictures or the catalogs and they have these beautiful entryways and mudrooms and you want to create that, but it's not going to work for your family.

So, I really like that.

Caroline Roberts: No, yeah, and it can be so frustrating too, to see something that you either try and it doesn't work and it was never going to work. You were trying to fit a square peg in a round hole. Or you see something that you're like, well, that's [00:07:00] definitely not going to work and you just throw your hands up and you're done. Like, so use it as inspiration maybe, but I would totally focus on your natural flow and what you have, because we can make a drop zone out of anything. If you're open to some different ideas.

A functional and organized kitchen
---

Booth Parker: Excellent. Yeah. So while we were kind of talking about surfaces: in the kitchen, aside from just the daily clutter that comes in, the kitchen counters can oftentimes just

be the holder of all things,

whether it's cooking related or whatever. So what are some of your tips for keeping the kitchen, you know, functional and working

for the space it's supposed to be?

Caroline Roberts: Yeah, I love, and this is, this is tricky, so you might need to declutter a little bit first. I love to have an empty drawer or an empty-ish cabinet that is almost like your, holding space. So, if you've got a project, like you have a flashlight and [00:08:00] you need to change the batteries. And so oftentimes that flashlight is going to sit on the kitchen counter until those batteries get changed. And it's great, it's a visual reminder, but it's also visual clutter. And once you have one thing on the counter, then other things start appearing.So if you have like a holding space, that, it's almost like your to do area. That's where you can keep those things, that's like, they're in progress. The item doesn't need to be put away. It's not ready, you know, it's not actually in use. But, I like a holding space that's behind a cabinet or in a drawer. Again, a drop zone type area could work for some of these things. I think about, like, when I come in, I almost always put my sunglasses on the kitchen counter, and then as I walk back through, I'm like, no, put them in the drop zone.

And so it's just, it collects. So if the counter is collecting, like, non kitchen items, really evaluate what are those items. Are they [00:09:00] projects? Are they things that you need to handle at some point? Then a holding space would be a great thing. Or is it your drop zone not being used well? Then you might just have to remind yourself to use it. Or is it a proximity situation or something that might could be tweaked a little bit to make it more, easily accessible.

Booth Parker: Okay. Great, great tips. I'm going to have to start rolling some of these out in my own house today, especially with school coming back and there's already stuff all over the kitchen counters, and I want to get to cooking.

Dealing with Laundry
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Booth Parker: So, another big thing for moms, and I'm sure it's for girl moms too, but I know boy moms, it is the overwhelm of clothes.

One, they outgrow them super fast. And two,

to all the boy moms out there, they're really stinky. So, how, how, do you approach the clothes clutter problem?

Caroline Roberts: Yeah, so I'm a boy mom too, and I don't,have personal experience with [00:10:00] girls who, or boys for that matter, who are very particular about their clothing. Like, my kids are pretty easygoing. The younger one gets tons of hand me downs, and it does not matter to him. He's fine.So as far as the daily laundry goes and all of that, you know, we have our hamper in their bathroom. You know, ideally clothes make it into it, but it's definitely more than once a week, I have to say, "Hey, why are there clothes all over the floor?

There's a hamper right there." So, you know, you can have a hamper all day long, but whether it's used or not, I don't know. Yeah. I've found with organizing around and with children, you just have to learn your battles and laundry is not one of mine. But as far as like the outgrowing of the clothes and the changing, you know, seasons and all of that, we have one big bin, like the big plastic totes, that clothes that my [00:11:00] older son has outgrown, they go into. But they only go into it if they're not already stained, if they're not ripped. Like to me, there's no sense in handing down those. So I try to be pretty picky about what gets passed down. And same with, donating or giving them to friends. Like donation centers don't want stained and ripped clothes. They will end up throwing them away. So let's save them the time. And then our friends, they don't want our kids stained clothes. Like let's just save them the time. And then, you know, in North Carolina, seasons are so weird. You know, we don't really change out our clothes seasonally until like October, if not November even. So when we do that, we drag the bins out and pull through. And I just try to make the decision of keep or donate or recycle as quickly as possible. And we don't have all this excess.And ultimately, I don't know about your son, [00:12:00] but my kids wear the same stuff over and over and over again. So I try to have the quantity to give me some wiggle room if I don't do laundry or if they don't do laundry quick enough, like they've got some backups, but we don't have so much to wear, like we're putting on fashion shows because they don't care. So I think in that case, you know, know your child, know if clothes are important to them, and have a system.

So in my younger, child's closet, he has bins. So one is outgrown and then one is next season. And he's 8, so, he dresses himself. So if he puts something on and it's way too big, like he's not even close, I just take it out of the closet and put it in the next season bin. Like, because I don't need that distracting him when he's trying to get dressed. And I also, will find that he'll take it off and then just throw it on the floor. And then I see it in the laundry and I'm like, I know you didn't wear [00:13:00] that. I love yours. You're smiling. You know, this, you've seen this.

Booth Parker: I've washed a lot of clean clothes, but they almost, just get dirty by touching the other stuff where they got thrown on the floor.

So

Caroline Roberts: Yeah. And then if he pulls something out or if he's wearing something and I'm like, ooh, child, that's way too small. And we just immediately take it off and put it in the outgrown bin. And so that's how I keep him kind of organized. And so clean clothes don't end up going through the wash again.

Booth Parker: Great tips. I'm sure that girl moms have more clothes to deal with than the boy moms, cause girls don't want to wear the same thing every day, but I love the next season bin so that they're not in the way of the current things getting so especially with the younger kids. I really like that idea

Caroline Roberts: Well, and sizes, yeah, sizes are so hard too. So like sometimes, you know, there's the big bin that we hold things that he's nowhere near wearing. And then that like next season is like, okay, sometime this year, he might be able to wear it, but [00:14:00] not right now. And I'm not dragging the big bin out,

so let's just leave it there as like a last minute pull, but yeah, that's our flow. And I think you know, it would work for girls, but potentially on a larger scale.

Booth Parker: For sure for sure love it. Well, the girls don't make as much dirty laundry either, so there's a trade off there. So

Caroline Roberts: Oh, okay. Okay.

Sports gear
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Booth Parker: So, sports gear. I know girls,

and boys alike these days participate in a lot of sports. So what are some of your tips for tackling all the sports gear? Is it the garage? Is it the entryway?

Caroline Roberts: Yeah,

I think, You again, you need a drop zone and approach it similar to school stuff, as far as what things stay in the bag and what things have to be pulled out and are rotated? So, you know, for soccer, for example, if you've got a bag, your cleats will stay in it or [00:15:00] near it. The ball will stay in it or near it. The shin guards usually do. They might need a little refresh every now and then, and then, you know, the socks and, the jerseys and all of that stuff will certainly need to go inside. So I think, again, finding that flow of, okay, when you get out of the car, is there a place that's a natural spot to leave those items that works for you? You know, that's not going to be tripped over, that's not by the front door as a welcome mat. Like, you know, is there somewhere? So I like the garage or, you know, in an entryway that's maybe not your front door. Smells can be kind of funky so you might want it outside you know. And then, you've got your routine of I try to wash things as quickly as possible and then get them back in that gear zone. So then when it's time to go to practice or it's time to go to a game, [00:16:00] everything they need is right there. And, you know, depending on how independent your child is or wants to be, you could create a checklist and have it near the bag of like, these are the things that you have to have before you can go to practice. And all of that is just training them to, you know, think about what they need and be responsible and all of those things.

Booth Parker: Yeah, you got to love the running back to the house cause they forgot the blue jersey

and they took the gray one or whatever, right?

Caroline Roberts: Always,

Yes. Or yeah, scrambling for something, trying to borrow something.

Booth Parker: Exactly. Well, I like that of just going ahead and getting the items out of the bag, getting them washed and putting them back in instead of them sitting in the laundry room. Cause I know I'm guilty of getting the laundry done and then it's folded in there. And that's how things get forgotten because there was no little bypass through the laundry room to pick them up on the door.

So,

Caroline Roberts: Yeah, and you know, it doesn't always make sense to run a load of laundry at that time, [00:17:00] but I've just found it just, it saves me so much brain space to get it done quickly, even if it's a small load, get it done and get it done. So it's taken care of rather than, you know, three hours before the event, then scrambling to do laundry.

Like, that's not fun for

anyone.

Booth Parker: Yeah, you just check it off.

Caroline Roberts: Then I'm

bitter.

Booth Parker: You're good. You're good. Yeah. I like that. Well, I'm going to have to do better about that this upcoming baseball season. Because we have forgotten many of things going to the game because they're still in the laundry room. Gleam, they're still there, so.

Caroline Roberts: Yeah.

Booth Parker: OK, switching gears from sports.

School lunches
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Booth Parker: Let's talk about school lunches and getting those lunch boxes, you know, packed and then unpacked and...

Caroline Roberts: Oh my gosh, I... okay, simple, simple, simple is what I tell myself all the time I'm not trying to win school lunch awards. Let's lower the bar. Yes, I want them to have healthy [00:18:00] meals, but it also has to be simple. And as long as I'm the one packing the meal, I'm going to pack what I want to pack. So, yeah, it's evolved.

So when we first started doing school lunches, you know, I tried to like make them cute and, you know, focus on making sure he had all the different things. And now I'm kind of like, I'm tired of emptying carrot sticks at the end of the day that he didn't eat. So now, keeping it simple, we have a few of the same type of container.

So we have like three or four, but it's always the same containers. And I focus on like some type of main course and then usually like two fruits or fruit and a veggie and then something crunchy and call it a day. So I've created like a formula that works for my family. I mean, I can do it before coffee. It takes very little thought. I can look in [00:19:00] the pantry and see like, or in the refrigerator to see like, do I have the pieces of lunches?For me just keeping it really simple, using the same types of containers. My younger son does have one of those like Bento Boxes by Planet Box, so it's big and metal and that I like because it just gives me structure.

It's like, okay, every meal there's going to be probably a sandwich and a fruit and a fruit and like a cracker or something. So my advice to moms is to stop over complicating it, to know what they enjoy. And sometimes before school years, we'll even make a list of like, okay, tell me the things that you would be excited to see in your lunchbox. And kind of do the same ones for a week or two weeks and then switch it up. To me, it's anything that like eases the friction. So I'm not like [00:20:00] creating star sandwiches anymore.

Booth Parker: Uh, I get that.

Caroline Roberts: I do, I do, I do have a cookie cutter near like where I make sandwiches, but yeah, we've just lowered the bar a little bit and it's just created a much easier morning. Having everything close by is really nice. So I love to have snacks and things in clear canisters so I can quickly see when I'm making the grocery list, if they're out or almost out.Similar with like the sandwich making stuff. Like we'll have bread and the peanut butter, tortillas and stuff like that in one bin. So I can pull it out and take it to the counter to make things.And then at the counter where, we stand to make the sandwiches and all the lunch stuff is a cutting board and a knife and, the shaped cookie cutters, if I'm so inclined to cut the sandwich. They're all right there together. So [00:21:00] it's just, very streamlined, and I try not to let the perfect lunches that you see on Instagram make me feel like that's what I need to do.

Booth Parker: I love that. I mean, and I, me being someone who loves to cook, I do like to try to do like kind of the fancy sandwiches. Now, granted, he's going into his senior year, so I don't cut them out little stars anymore either. But, it is fun. And I like the way that you're doing the bins. I have done the same thing for a while.

And even in the refrigerator. I have one clear bin that has all the stuff in it. So instead of the mayonnaise being in the door and the lunch meat being in that little drawer in the middle of the refrigerator, I have that. And he loves apples, you know, in the bag of apples. I have all that in one clear bin.

And I just take that one bin out in the morning to make the lunch instead of having to, you know, try to wrestle 10 things in my arms at one time.

Caroline Roberts: Yeah. That's really helpful. And, you know, it could be that some seasons, you know, like in the [00:22:00] winter, my younger son loves soup. And so, like, I'll try to put leftovers in a thermos and stuff like that. And sometimes I have the capacity for that. But I like having a system in place. of this is how it will run. I've taken the thought out of it at this point. We know exactly what lunches will look like, and there's a, little variety within it. And then, you know, if you wake up and you're feeling spry, or if, you know, maybe it's a two hour delay, and you're wanting to, you know, spice things up a little bit,

like then you can do those things. that's what we do in all, in our clients' homes, is we create a system. So this is how this will go unless you want to change it up, but like this is your baseline. And I think that's so helpful.

It helps you when you're tired or you're pulled in a million directions or you have a meeting and you just need them to get to school.

Booth Parker: Exactly. I know. It [00:23:00] is funny how some mornings you wake up and you're really inspired to go make those little star shaped sandwiches. And then some days it's just, it's not happening. So,

Caroline Roberts: It's not, it's not. You just, yeah, you just need everybody in clothes and that's the baseline.

Booth Parker: Some eatin' and clothes. I love it. I love it.

Homework zones
---

Booth Parker: All right, one that we kind of struggled with for a while, especially in our old home because the space was limited, was a homework zone for my son. So talk to me about how you create a homework zone.

Caroline Roberts: Yeah, so, again, I like when you can find your natural flow of where the child is going to do homework. So, like, I don't like to force it. Because that usually doesn't work. And it will evolve as the child gets older, I feel like. So at this point, my older son does homework in his bedroom. He has a desk and, computer and all of that stuff. So he usually takes his backpack straight upstairs. [00:24:00] My younger son is eight. And so he still does homework downstairs because I usually need to help him with it. And he usually does it at the kitchen table and not at the counter. And so we created or we, made space in a built in cabinet that's near it. And, just like you were saying with the sandwich making stuff, we've created a bin that has pencils and scissors, markers, crayons, and then that's where his flashcards are stored for, you know, different math and he doesn't have sight words anymore, but that type of thing. And so it's finding that path of least resistance, where your kid is naturally going to, want to do their work. And also where does it work best for you if you're still helping your child, is really important.

So, we found a cabinet. It's great because we can start neat. It never ends neat, but we can shut the doors and it's okay, you know. But a [00:25:00] drawer might work even, you know, taking that drop zone area. As long as you've got everything that you need in a portable bin, then you can kind of create a drop zone anywhere, anywhere you need. Not a drop zone, a work, homework

Booth Parker: I get it. I get it. I love, I love that path of least resistance mentality because homework is already going to be a battle with most children, especially, you know, when they're little and you're having to help them, you don't want to be running up and down the stairs. back to their room every time they need, you know, just a question answered.

So that is a great approach to, you know, path of least resistance and we'll get it done. We'll get it done as best we can.

Caroline Roberts: That's what it's

all about.

Booth Parker: As low stress as possible.

Setting routines
---

Booth Parker: So another topic a lot of people struggle with is a routine. A routine for morning, maybe a routine, even supper or evening time.

What are some tips that will help people stay [00:26:00] organized and just, you know, lower the overwhelm?

Caroline Roberts: I like to, and we do this with clients when we're figuring out how to organize their space is they walk us through like, okay, well, what does your morning look like? How do you use the counter in your bathroom? Like, you know, brush your teeth and put makeup on. So it's similar with kids. You think about: what are the things that they need to do in the morning? Some kids shower in the morning, some kids don't.We have a strict rule in our house that they do not come downstairs unless they are done with upstairs. And that just helps with that, like, having to go back up to get something or having to go back up to brush teeth or having to, you know, and it's like it just becomes chaotic.

So, we try to create a flow. Again: the path of least resistance. A flow of like they wake up upstairs and they kind of work through the things that they have to get done upstairs and then they come down and then what are the things that they have to do when they're downstairs. And we talk [00:27:00] through it:

"Okay, when you're upstairs, you get dressed, you brush your teeth, whatever else they have to do. And then so they know when they come down, all of that stuff should be done. And then they come down and I, in my head, I have a time on the clock of like, okay, if they're not down here by this time, like I need to start yoo hooing them.

Booth Parker: And I can promise

that gets worse the older they get. And I try not

Caroline Roberts: to be a nag about it, you know, but, we also, when one's running late, we're all running late. And so, you know, you do have to stay on top of it. And then, you know, as they get older or when, once they learn how to, you know, use the clock and get a sense of time, then you can tell them, okay, by this time, you should have done these things. And I think that's really helpful so they can start to learn how to self regulate the time and where they should be in their routine. So if one of them wants to wallow in bed a [00:28:00] little bit longer, then that means the rest of their routine needs to be a little bit quicker. Andit does not matter to me how they spend their time as long as they get the things done that have to get done.

Booth Parker: As long as they're on time, they can spend their time doing whatever.

Creative ideas to make routines fun
---

Caroline Roberts: Exactly, exactly. And that's part of, you know,we're raising adults, you know, we're not raising children. We're raising adults who can leave the home and, know when they need to leave for something, know how long it takes them to get dressed. And so, yeah, it's a little painful in these early years, but that's our job.

Our job is to teach them how to do those things.So once they get downstairs, then they eat breakfast and, make sure all the things are in their bags. One thing we learned last year after leaving the Chromebook home one too many times, is they charge their Chromebook while the Chromebook is in their backpack. So when they go to get the backpack, the Chromebook's already in it, they just unplug it and take it rather than [00:29:00] having the Chromebook being charging somewhere else and then having to remember to put it back in there. That was a that was a tough lesson learned.

Booth Parker: Oh, that's, that's a good idea though, because that way they finish their work, they put it away and let it be charging. Everything really is ready for the next morning.

Caroline Roberts: Yeah, yeah, and I've heard of people who've created acronyms that, like, stand for the different tasks that they have to do. So, let's see, if you had brush your teeth and getting dressed and then eating breakfast. So, teeth. TDT or or or TDB. And so then all you have to say is TDB. And have you brushed your teeth?

Have you gotten dressed, have you had breakfast?We, we say in our house, Hawaii, and that means in our house, "Take your shoes off. Because we, you know,we're not a shoe free house, but we try not to walk through the house with shoes [00:30:00] all the time, especially when they're dirty. And we always say, "Gosh, if we lived in Hawaii, we'd never wear shoes." So our word is Hawaii, and that means take your shoes off, go put them where they belong. So if there's a fun phrase or something that means something in your family, or you can make it mean something in your family, it's just a nice way of reminding other people, like, "Hey, take care of this," without having to be like, meh, meh,

meh.

Booth Parker: Love that Hawaii though.

That's a great way to look at it. So, yeah, I want to live in Hawaii too. That sounds good. So I

Caroline Roberts: So yeah, you'll hear every once in a while, Hawaii, and it just means, take your shoes off, go put them away.

Booth Parker: I love that, but that is great. That is great.

Caroline Roberts: It's a nice way to remind someone without nagging, you know?

Booth Parker: Right, I know, because nagging just does not work on the kids.

Caroline Roberts: It doesn't. Yeah, and you know, they think it's like, oh, yeah, okay, and it's still, it's got some novelty and it's kind of fun, so.

Organizing in a way that works for you
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Booth Parker: Yeah, that is great. Well, I want to ask you one last question. So, [00:31:00] you have, gone into a lot of clients homes and helped them with their organization, their routines, all those things. What is the biggest mistake you consistently see people doing that is disrupting their flow, their organization, all of those things?

Caroline Roberts: You know, we've touched on it already a little bit, and I think it's organizing based on, what you think you should be doing versus what would would really work for you. So, we've been in houses that have everything organized down to, I mean, just like a bin for every single thing. And once we decluttered, I mean, we had enough bins left over to furnish a container store. I mean, it was incredible. But that's what she thought she was supposed to be doing. I'm getting organized, right? So I'm going to buy a bin for everything. We actually have a vision exercise on our website in our free [00:32:00] resources where, before you purchase a thing, before you declutter anything, before you buy an organizational product, you can reflect on what is working in your home, what's not working in your home. How do you want to spend your time? What feels harder than it should? Where's that friction? You know, that's like, why am I having to, you know, bug so and so about this every single day? Or why, you know, why is this pile forming here all the time? And the vision exercises really help you reflect on what's important. And a lot of times what's important is not organizing every single little thing. It's creating the systems in your home. So when everyone comes in, they know what to do, and it requires from the mom or the dad, a gentle reminder, [00:33:00] not a nag. So, I really encourage people, you know, I love decluttering and I love organizing, but, if you've got your vision clear... And I don't mean how you want your home to look, it's more of how you want to use your home, how you want to live in your home.

If you're clear on that, then it's so much easier to declutter. Because if you can look at something and say, "Okay, was this supporting what I am interested in or is this just stuff? And you know, it just makes that decision so much easier. And then when you're thinking about how you want to organize it and where things should go, well, if you're a mom of a young kid doing homework and sight words and all of that, then a homework zone is going to take priority. Probably above, you know, some elaborate entertainment area or, you know, like some fancy spread, you know, like right now we're in [00:34:00] homework season, guys, and this is what is going to take priority. And, you know, in five years, ten years or whatever, if you need to reevaluate, okay, I've got some space opening up in my home or I've got some bandwidth because I'm not the chauffeur anymore, you know, then how you use your home may change.

So yes, to answer your question, is, are folks organizing their homes and decluttering based on what they think it should be, not what really works for them?

Booth Parker: Yeah, I'm definitely guilty of that, and I'm definitely guilty of being that person who decides, okay, I'm going to get organized today, and I'm going to declutter and organize all these things, and you go out, and you buy all the pretty new bins and baskets, and then you buy so many bins and baskets, you can fit all the stuff in the bins and baskets, and you really don't get rid of anything.

You just have stuff hidden in bins and baskets now.

Caroline Roberts: Oh look, organized clutter is still clutter.

Booth Parker: Right. I know. And you really, like I said, like you don't get rid of anything. So all you've done is just put lipstick on a [00:35:00] pig, so to speak. And...

Caroline Roberts: Yes.

Booth Parker: Yeah, that is so great about really trying to evaluate how you use the space in the house and what works for your family, not what's the prettiest picture you've seen in a magazine,

so,

Caroline Roberts: Totally, yeah.

Booth Parker: That's a really great way to approach it and the different seasons of life, you know, like you said, so, you know, we don't need the homework zone in the kitchen anymore, but that's where it had to be when he was younger as well, so, I like that as well. So you just mentioned your, that was one of your free resources on your website.

So tell us a little bit about the services you offer directly to clients.

Caroline Roberts: Yeah, sure. So, we work with one on one with clients, in person. We can do a hands on, one on one decluttering. That's the training that I've had through the KonMari method is that we can walk closely with you and help you figure out what you want to keep and what you don't want to keep. That's a really beneficial [00:36:00] service for people who have collected a lot of things over the years or, you know, maybe they've had a radical lifestyle change and they're, you know, a lot of things in their home just aren't part of who they are anymore. We can work with clients in organizing. So we actually often will go into people's homes and organize while they're at work or not even there. They know what they want it to look like. They know that they have already decluttered. And so we go in there and make it beautiful.

Make it functional. And so that's, really rewarding for those folks. And our team, we're all moms, so we love working with families. We have one of our team members, Laura, her two boys are in college and one's about to get married. She's the classic, like, sandwich generation. So you know, they're taking care of parents who have dementia and have just downsized into senior living homes.

And then, our other team member, Meredith, has three kids and they are in the throes of baseball and all the [00:37:00] activities. So we just, we really enjoy working with busy families who value, they know something's not working. They value a functional home. They just don't have the capacity to do it.

Booth Parker: Well, that is fantastic. I will link all of your information, your website and your social handles and everything in the show notes. So everyone can find you there. And thank you so much for all of these helpful tips today for all of us mamas getting back into back to school mode.

Caroline Roberts: Yes!

Booth Parker: It's been great.

Caroline Roberts: We'll make it!

Caroline Roberts: We'll make it.

Booth Parker: We will.

Caroline Roberts: We will! It takes a village, right?Oh my gosh, it takes a village, that's for sure. And a lot of patience.

Booth Parker: Yeah, it does. Well, thank you again.

Caroline Roberts: Yes, thank you. [00:38:00]