Help Your Teen Get Organized!

Before I start, I want to reassure you of something.  It’s not just your teen.  They are all slobs.  Ok, maybe that’s a little harsh, but the fact is, they need help organizing their lives.  This includes their rooms, their closets and clothes, their schoolwork and their schedules.  Let me rephrase what I mean by “they need help.”  They always NEED help, but they never WANT help, unless they WANT help, but they don’t NEED help, so don’t OFFER help, unless they ASK for it, which they won’t, because you should’ve offered in the first place.  Simple as pie, right?

Well, remember, teenagers’ brains are still developing, and their logical thinking can often be as disorganized and chaotic as their living quarters.  While you may never get them to keep their space as tidy and hygienic as you’d like, you can empower them with the skills to maintain a reasonable amount of order amongst the chaos.

Address the Mess

First, let’s talk about this mess.  Did you even know your daughter owned so many different outfits?  Help her manage the clutter by providing a few closet organizing devices.  A laundry sorter can save her time and help her learn basic laundry skills.  Give her a designated laundry day, and make it a rule that it gets put away the same day.  If it sits in that basket overnight, I guarantee it will get mixed back in with the dirty pile.  Have her select her outfits for each day of the week.  These can be put in a hanging shelf organizer (IKEA), using one space per day.  Sunday is great for this, as she can prepare for the week to come.

Stock Supplies

Speaking of Sundays…to ease the agony of the Sunday evening homework rush, be sure your teen has his own space, well-stocked with homework essentials (pencils, pens, highlighters, printer paper, index cards, etc.)  Make sure he has trash and recycling bins (and that he understands what goes in each).  Check in with him early in the week to see if there are any big papers due or projects that require unusual supplies. Nothing is worse than trying to find a black 2-inch, three-ring binder with page protectors and colored tabs at 11PM the night before it’s due.  Most importantly, try to avoid those emergency midnight trips (in your pajamas) to Who-Knows-What’s-Open, by teaching him some basic time management skills.

Teach Time Management

Managing time is a skill absolutely essential for teenagers to begin to grasp.  Start simply, by helping your teen get her life organized in a daily planner.  Paper planners are perfectly fine, and can include daily activities like sports, music lessons and assignments, and may also include household chores like laundry day, recycling and cleaning the hamster cage.  If a big assignment is coming up, have her pencil in a period of time each day to work on it, rather than just noting the due date.  Review this with her each day until she gets the hang of it, and then do weekly checks.  You are there to guide her, but empower her to be in charge of her own schedule.

Accept Mistakes

Above all else, let your teen make mistakes, and offer support when it happens.  Being a few minutes late to soccer practice or giving a tube of lipstick a ride through the washing machine may upset them (and you) at the time, but could turn out to be the life lesson that prevents a missed deadline or flooded laundry room.  The organizational skills you provide your teens today will help them be more self-sufficient adults tomorrow.