Back to school has me thinking – thinking about ways to make life a bit easier.  School mornings can be very hectic and stressful unless you plan for them.  And one of the easiest ways to decrease the craziness of getting the family out the door in the morning is to create a family launch pad.  It’s easier than you might think.

Set aside a space near your main entrance to use for this project.  Then to create an effective family launch pad, you really only need a few key elements.

And speaking of keys, the first element of a successful launch pad is a place for your keys.  Yep!  Nothing can turn leaving in the morning into a migraine faster than missing keys.  Having a set place near the door for your car keys and other necessities is essential.  A small bowl on the entry hall table or a hook on the wall will fit the bill perfectly.

Next,  a successful family launch pad includes a place for papers.  The average household deals with lots of paper including mail, school papers, newspapers and the like.  Make sure that you have a set spot for dealing with both the papers coming into the house, and the papers that need to go out on a daily basis.  Magazine racks, baskets or office-like in-boxes do the trick nicely.

Shoe, coat and bag storage is next on the list of launch pad essentials.  Having shoes at hand, backpacks or purses ready, and coats nearby saves valuable time, and keeps your family from having to search the house for these items when they’re trying to hurry to the bus or car pool.

Do yourself a favor.  Take a few minutes and create a launch pad.  Include the few items mentioned above, and you’ll be saving yourself time – and a lot of stress – every morning for now on!