Organize + Energize: Organizing Your Teen for Back to School

Organize + Energize: Organizing Your Teen for Back to School

Teenagers are old enough to know what it means to be organized and how it will affect them going forward. An organized teen will go on to be an organized adult. High school, college years and their careers will thrive because they’re organized, efficient and productive. Their employers will have more confidence in them, which in turn will lead to more promotions, recognitions and a better quality of work-life.

Teenagers need structure, especially in today’s world where everything is fast-paced and they all seem to have a lot on their plate. It will be much easier to handle everything that is thrown at them if they are organized.  Most want organized systems in the home, but when both parents are disorganized, it becomes a little challenging to transfer the skill set to them.

Teenagers that are disorganized will often have mental clutter. Mental clutter will cause stress and overwhelm. Think about everything your teenager is juggling on their schedule. Aside from school, are they involved in after-school activities, sports, dance, or household chores? To a disorganized teenager, this can be information overload. If they are organized and have systems in place, this creates a smooth flow to their lives.

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Take the time to sit down with your teen and ask the following questions:

• How are you functioning in your room?
• What systems are working, if any?
• Do you have a place for everything in your room?
• How are you handling the paper you bring home from school? Is it just thrown in a corner or is there a system to handle it?
• Are you keeping track of project due dates and events, etc.?
• Do you feel overwhelmed in any area of your life?

 

Listen, take notes and then help your teen develop working organized systems to help them with their daily routines. Transfer the organizational skill set to them. Most adults I work with grew up in disorganized homes where the skill set was never learned and then most grew up in a home where their parents did everything for them, never allowing them to learn the skill set. Do you want your teens to follow in your footsteps?

Give your teen a chance to see how their quality of life will improve once they become organized. They will thank you for it, trust me on this. You can start the process with your children before they are teenagers. Start creating systems for your young ones to follow. Remember, routines become habits.

Kristin Carcieri-MacRae, is an organizing & efficiency expert and owner of Organizing in RI. Kristin teaches her clients that living an organized lifestyle will save them time and money, decrease their stress levels and help them become more efficient and productive. Her articles have been published in local and national magazines. She has also given over 70 presentations throughout the state. Watch Kristin LIVE every Thursday at 3pm here on GoLocal LIVE with Molly O’Brien.