The Property Brothers' Lighting Trick That Helps Families Stay On Schedule

The transition out of the summer season is a time for new schedules and habits, especially if you're preparing kids for school. On their website, the stars of "Property Brothers" share tips from their own lives on conquering the back-to-school season. A winning strategy for success is to have consistent morning and night routines, and for Jonathan, lighting plays a role in that. "I have smart lights in the kids' rooms, and I rigged them in the app to create a schedule so that when their lights turn yellow, that means it's time to get up," he explains (via Drew & Jonathan).

Smart lighting is one of those things that can level up your home because it takes an important element in any space — lighting — and makes it more useful and convenient to suit your home life. Smart lights help save energy when set up to turn off when not needed, and they can be operated when you're away in case you need to ward off intruders.

Being able to set your lights to work on a schedule is one of the top ways smart lights can be used to personalize your home, which is what makes Jonathan Scott's trick so relevant. If your family needs help staying on schedule when it comes to bedtime and wake-up time, opt for smart lights in the kids' rooms. All you need to do is to program the time you want them to come on in the morning and turn off in the evening. You can even sync the lights up with the sun to have a more natural and gradual transition between day and nighttime, which has great health benefits.

Jonathan Scott uses the lighting schedule to maintain order as well. "They're also not supposed to wake us up or come into our room before that light turns yellow. That used to happen a lot when the kids were younger, but we haven't had a problem since using this method" (via Drew & Jonathan). One could also use this strategy to program in study or learning time by setting up cool white light since it's good for staying alert. Combine this with decor ideas that help children learn like reading nooks and educational wallpaper and you'll create the best learning environment for them.