January 12, 2016

Frenzied SLPs: Favorite Organization Tips

start the second half of the school year off with revamping your organization


I'll admit it. Organization is not my strong suit. In my home life I live in what I'll call "organized chaos". There are usually a few piles of mail on my kitchen counter, a craft project might sit out for a few days before I put it away, and I usually don't have all my clean laundry in the closet before it's time to wash another load. But the good thing is that I typically know where things are when I need them. I've learned to accept this and love me for me.

At work, however, I operate a little differently. I'm a spontaneous SLP - meaning I typically don't plan out a day's or week's lessons in advance, but there are little tricks I use to help me stay organized and on top of things while splitting my time between two different buildings.


1) Clean up after myself.
At the end of each day, take a few minutes to put away your materials from the day, and clean anything "extra" off your desk. Sometimes this means I'll still make a pile of things that need to be immediately addressed the next day, but if they're there in plain view for me, I'm more likely to remember to get them completed. And it's so nice to arrive to a clean desk in the morning.


2) Keep supplies handy.
I keep a three-shelf cart of my most-used supplies right next to my therapy table. The cart carries markers/pencils/dry erase, magnetic chips, dry-erase sleeves, game tokens/dice, and student learning goals. That way, I don't have to get up to collect these small items in the middle of a therapy session, and since they are things I use multiple times per day I don't have to spend time taking them out and putting them away again.


3) Write everything down.
My memory is terrible. Really awful. I can't rely solely on my Google calendar to keep every due date and meeting and task in mind. I need to see things written down in front of me to remember. My Post-It Note lists were getting out of control, so I created a Sticky Note Command Center that is on top of my desk at both of my schools. It is a life saver to help me prioritize my to-do list and remember the important things each day/week. Download yours for free here.

I'm so excited to read through the organizational tips from the other Frenzied SLPs! We'd love it if you'd share your tips in the comments, or add a blog post to the linky below. Thanks for hosting this week Speech2U!






6 comments:

  1. I keep all of those "little things" in a box right next to my table. It does help, for sure! :)

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  2. Great advice! My memory is terrible now too. I have to set a timer while boiling water or I'll burn the house down. Too much multi-tasking, I think.

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    1. Yes! Too much multi-tasking for sure. I always start something (like laundry), then go do something else and forget what I was originally working on! Be sure to read the post from Dr. Karen Speech and Language - it has fabulous tips for prioritizing our to-do lists! Thanks for reading :)

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  3. Great minds think alike... I need to clean up at the end of the day too! It instantly makes me feel less stressed.

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  4. The cart is adorable, but the sticky note command center, genius! Must start tomorrow!

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