The best way to find something is to check the last place where you put it. That’s easier to say if things are neat and organized, right?

Well, if you are getting ready to send your child off to college, the best thing that you can do for them is to help them create an organized, well-structured dorm room so that they can find what they need, when they need it.

Organization is the key to good managing and good structure. How can they have a space that’s accommodating and functional at the same time? Here’s how:

- Make spaces multi-task. That means if there are cubes used for storage, stack those cubes atop each other so as to take up less floor space and increase the storage space. You can also do this with televisions and other electronics that they have in their rooms. Place as many things atop each other that’s feasibly possible.

- Make the storage space under the bed and along the walls. Use hooks, tapes and curtains to make spaces more functional. You can use the bed space to store drawers and boxes for clothes and shoes.

Have fun with the room too by brightening it up with fun colors and pictures. Hang pictures above the bed, the television and on the back of the door. Use these same spaces to hang car keys, book-bags and purses. You can also get entertainment inside your little room. Go to www.direct.tv to learn more about your options about this.

The dorm rooms in many colleges are small and house no less than two students at a time. Unless of course that student is the residence manager, they will have a roommate with whom to share their space. With this type of living arrangement, things can get pretty cramped and unorganized quickly. If your student learns to create an organized space, the next four years of their lives can be a little easier in the habitation department.