Last school year we had the kids’ clothes out and ready but tracking down shoes and socks that got lost while they were getting dressed took quite a bit of time while trying to get out the door. This year we’ve moved the backpacks onto hooks in the laundry room so that’s freed up lots of space on the toy cabinet. So I tried putting their shoes and shocks in that space.

This has totally changed our mornings. No searching for a missing shoe (or two). No running back upstairs to get a new pair of socks only to find the missing pair moments later. We can tell at a glance which kids haven’t gotten their shoes on yet so no almost leaving with bare feet. Honestly, I think that one simple thing alone – putting the shoes and socks on the toy cabinet the night before – shaves five minutes off the time it takes us to get ready and out the door in the morning.