A Long Break

I meant to pick up yesterday, but things got away from me over the long holiday weekend.

My husband and I drove our son back to school yesterday morning and helped him get his stuff upstairs. Walking into his dorm room was like walking into the Tenth Circle of Dante's Inferno. So we spent fifteen or twenty minutes (once again) helping him organize. But a system is only as effective as it is easy to stick to.

He clearly has difficulty in seeing the big picture…how will putting his books, toiletries, dirty laundry, etc. in the same place all the time help him in succeeding. Well, in our efforts yesterday, we came across loose paper in the bottom of the closet that turned out to be something he would need as a study guide for one of his finals. So yes, he needs to master the art of organization.

This is what we ended up with: a box with snacks and the like in the bottom of his closet; the laundry basket (you put dirty clothes in that) on the other side of the closet; a plastic container on the side of his desk with bathroom and shower items (soap, toothbrush, deodorant, etc); a plastic bin under his bed for extra books, DVDs and games; slots in the desk organizer for current class work, often-used games, etc. Finally, I know you might find this hard to believe, but he’s generally been using the floor as a trash and recycling receptacle, even though there is a handy trash bag on the bedpost and a recycling container near the door. We encouraged our son to try and use those; the dorm room definitely looks nicer without stuff all over the floor.

You see how I cleverly reinforced where everything goes by writing it in this blog (and hoping he looks at it)?!