Back-to-School Reset: 7 Simple Systems to Help Moms Run Their Homes More Efficiently

Back-to-school season is like a fresh slate — a natural time to rethink and reset the systems that keep your home running smoothly. As moms, we juggle a lot: managing schedules, meal planning, keeping up with chores, and more. But with a few simple, practical systems, you can take control, reduce stress, and create routines your whole family can stick with.

Jenny Dietsch, founder and Chief Executive Organizer of Getting it Done Organizing, recently joined The Bubble Lounge podcast—based in Highland Park, TX, and hosted by Martha Jackson—to share some of her favorite tips for helping busy moms organize their homes ahead of the school year. Here’s a breakdown of what she recommends:

1. Master the Family Calendar

Keeping track of everyone’s appointments, school events, sports, and meal plans can feel overwhelming. Jenny suggests using color-coded, shared family calendar apps like Skylight Calendar, Cozi, Hearth, or Google Calendars. These tools help reduce the mental load by making the “invisible” workload visible — so everyone knows what’s coming up.

Benefits include creating and assigning chore lists, building habits with rewards, and personalizing routines for each family member.

Master the Family Calendar

2. Streamline Meal Planning & Grocery Shopping

Meal planning doesn’t have to be complicated! Set a regular time for weekly planning — Sunday evenings work well for many families. Create a reusable meal template like Pasta Night, Crockpot Night, Taco Tuesday, or Leftovers Night to simplify decisions.

Jenny also recommends using calendar apps with built-in meal planners or keeping a shared grocery list in Apple Notes so the whole family can add items throughout the week. Don’t forget to shop your pantry and freezer first to avoid waste and save money.

Shop Your Pantry First

Looking for easy and delicious family friendly recipe ideas? Check out @thebakermama on Instagram! 

3. Manage Your Grocery Budget

Apps like EveryDollar or YNAB (You Need A Budget) are great tools to track your grocery spending and stay on budget. An organized pantry helps you see what you have and what you need — using clear bins and labels makes it easier. Check out our blog post about all the pantry products we love!

Limiting trips to the store and trying curbside pickup can save both time and impulse purchases.

4. Structure Weekly Household Tasks

Assign chores to kids and yourself using a weekly chore chart, and encourage consistency with a reward system. Jenny emphasizes embracing “good enough” cleaning rather than perfection, and letting go of the urge to do every chore yourself — this teaches responsibility and teamwork.

For those looking for a good read on this topic, Jenny recommends Cleaning House A Mom’s 12-Month Experiment to Rid Her Home of YOUTH ENTITLEMENT  by Kay Wills Wyma, which offers practical advice on teaching children responsibility over a year-long experiment.

5. Tame the Paper Piles & Create After-School Habits

Set up an “inbox” near the door for backpacks, forms, and mail to keep clutter in check. Create a routine where kids empty their backpacks and parents check the inbox daily — discipline starts at the top!

Hang Backpacks Near the Door

For important documents, apps like Trustworthy offer a cloud-based way to organize and access papers anytime, anywhere.

6. Organize & Preserve Kids’ Artwork

Kids’ art can quickly take over your space! Create a “Holding Tank System” with labeled bins or drawers for each child to collect keepsakes throughout the year. Digitize artwork using apps like Artkive and turn favorites into yearly photo books or keepsake boxes — keeping memories without the mess.

7. Manage & Organize Digital Photos

Just like physical clutter, digital photos can pile up. Move photos into albums, delete duplicates with apps like Clean My Phone, and set monthly reminders to tidy your digital library. If you need more storage space on your phone, move photos to albums on Google Photos to free up space. 

Bonus Tips to Lighten Your Load

• Delegate or outsource tasks where possible — include spouses, kids, grocery pickup, and cleaners. Sharing the load teaches teamwork and responsibility.

• Use visual cues like clear bins, labels, and color-coded calendars to create “systems that shout” and make it easy for everyone to follow.
  

Ready for a smoother, more organized school year? These small changes can make a big difference in your daily life.

For more organizing tips, follow us on Instagram @gettingitdoneorganizing or visit our blog regularly for fresh ideas.