Love it or hate it, it's that time again. Store shelves are crowded with notebooks and pencils, educators are starting to prepare lesson plans for a new year, and kids sense something different about to happen. If there are students in your life about to head back to school, or if you're returning to the classroom yourself, here are a few tips to keep everyone as sane and organized as possible.

#1: Do a Supply Inventory Before You Buy
Yes, August and September mean great deals on school-related supplies, but before you stock up, take a moment to see what you already have on hand to avoid making purchases you don't need. In addition, many schools now issue lists of recommended supplies, so before you bring home that 100-pack of pencils, make sure your student will actually use them.

#2: Clear out the Old to Make Room for the New
No matter what you buy new this season (clothes, shoes, bags, supplies), chances are last year's versions are still hanging around. Keep clutter at bay--and avoid blending no-longer-useful stuff with things that will actually be put to use--by doing some weeding before bringing new things home. Have your kids try on last year's clothes and shoes, take a close look at last year's backpacks and gym bags, and recycle those notebooks with 4 remaining sheets of paper to make space for their replacements.

#3: Set up Study Spaces
If your kids don't already have designated homework spots, now's the time to set them up. (The same goes for any workspace you might need for your own studies.) For recommendations on how to create an effective homework spot, read my article on setting up a study space, which features suggestions from my friend Mike, who teaches English to 9th and 11th graders in New York. (See Related Links below for a link to the article.)

#4: Create (or Update) a Family Management Center
The start of school also tends to mean the start of sports, after-school clubs, and other activities. Keeping track of all of these is much easier if you have a central spot where the whole family can see what's happening each week. A family management center should include a calendar (ideally one with enough space for everyone's activities; dry-erase versions are always a good bet), a bulletin board to store things like invitations and event notices, and a message center (such as a chalkboard) where family members can leave notes for each other. If you already have a family management center in place, now's the time to clear it of old activities and info to prepare it for the school year ahead.

#5: Start Thinking About Routines
Though it can be challenging to truly get into the swing of school until it's back in session, it's not too early to start planning your family's daily routines so you're ahead of the game in a few weeks. If you have young kids, consider creating charts that detail (in words and pictures) all of the things they'll need to do each morning before heading off to school: getting out of bed, getting dressed, washing up, having breakfast, brushing teeth, etc. Enlist their help in creating these charts so they're more familiar with them (and perhaps more invested in using them). If your kids are older, you might encourage them to start shifting their sleeping schedules now so that early mornings are less painful when it comes time to go back to school. And no matter what age your kids are, take time now to start looking for time-saving measures that can make school mornings less hectic, such as making lunches and getting supplies ready the night before.

Here's to a fun, challenging, and organized school year!