Back to School with Office Max and Peter Walsh {Spotlight}

I used to treat the first day of school like a finish line – the whole idea was to get every pencil bought and sharpened, every blouse purchased and pressed so that we could sprint across some imaginary line at 8am on the first day of school and feel victorious.

I’m not sure what has changed so much over the years – it’s not like there are fewer summer days in which to prepare.  But for some reason, the first day of school is less of a finish line and more like a shifting of gears into order and organization.  That’s why for me, even though our school has already started, the advice and products shared in a recent Back to School blogcast with Office Max and organization expert Peter Walsh is very timely.

Peter Walsh – best known as Oprah’s organization guru and a host of TLC’s Clean Sweep – met during the blogcast with two average students, a teacher, and a mother to talk about challenges and solutions to keeping a routine of organization during the school year.  He gave three clear instructions on how to achieve desired success:

• organize your home
• organize your child
• organize your classroom

Here are the key elements I gathered from each of his instructions. Organize your home:  keep flat surfaces clear, involve your family in making organization a priority, develop and execute a particular vision for a given space.  Organize your child:  teach your children to finish what they start, communicate with their teacher on what is needed and necessary, and give them the proper tools to store and transport their belongings.  Organize your classroom:  use color-coding, words, and pictures to define and differentiate areas/uses of the classroom.

As part of my participation in the blogcast, I was sent a variety of back to school supplies Office Max‘s Schoolio von Hoolio collection.  One word:  A-DORABLE.

My girls loved the fresh colors, the hearts and flowers, and the bird/owl theme.  They’ve integrated many of the pieces into their standard back to school supplies for a little splash of personality.

Thanks so much to Office Max and Peter Walsh for including me in the Back to School blogcast.  I learned a lot and am putting many of the tips (and products) to great use!

You might also enjoy these related posts from Tree, Root, and Twig:

1. Review: Office Max’s InPlace System by Peter Walsh
2. CLOSED: Back to School with STAPLES and DoSomething.org {Spotlight & Giveaway}
3. “Ready, Set, School” Sweepstakes with Nestlé Family {Spotlight}

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