It’s that time of the year friends! It’s back to school season and all that goes along with it…navigating new schedules, afterschool activities, jam-packed weekends, oh my!
If you’re like me, there are lots of mixed emotions. Summer is my favorite time of the year, but I also love fall and watching {and coaching} my kids on the field!
Maybe you’re anxious and overwhelmed with all the to-dos and the start of fall activities.
Maybe you’re sad to see the long summer days coming to an end.
Perhaps you’re feeling excited to get back into a routine.
Maybe you’re counting down the hours until your kids go back to school, because you just want some quiet during the day. HAHAHA!
Maybe it’s a combination of the above or another emotion entirely.
Whatever’s coming up for you, here are five strategies you can try out to ease your way into the fall season {or jump head first if that’s more your style}!
1. Go to SBUX and order your favorite beverage- it will make everything better. JUST KIDDING, it won’t make anything better, despite its deliciousness.
For real this time…
1. Decide how you want to show up for yourself during this transition period.
What emotion do you want to feel?
For example, if you’re anxious and overwhelmed with the upcoming schedule shift and that has you worrying and spinning your wheels, what emotion would you need to feel to move forward? For example, getting the kids’ activities onto your calendar, making a plan for getting them to and from activities while still maintaining your FT job {and your sanity}, getting out the door in the morning on time, making time for the things that are important to you, etc…).
For me, I choose to feel calm as we transition into the new season.
And that feeling actually drives me to prepare, organize, maintain the activities and habits that are important to me, and be responsive to my kids needs as they make the transition to a new school year.
The result is that I show up for myself in a multitude of ways and am able to show up for those around me without sacrificing myself in the process.
2. Get clear on your priorities and focus on what’s really important to YOU.
This is another aspect of showing up for yourself.
Here’s a quick exercise to help you get clear on your priorities:
Make a list of your top 5 priorities, in order.
Consider why you prioritized those 5 things. Why is your #1 so important to you?
Consider what’s on your to do list {I know you have one or many ;-}.
Do those tasks reflect your priorities AND how you much time you want to devote to them? This will vary day-to-day, for example you may spend more time during your work week on work and more time on the weekend with family {the latter might be you’re number one priority}. And that’s okay. Consider how you spend your time over the course of your whole week, collectively, when you do this exercise.
Simplify your to-do list! Identify what you really want to do, based on your priorities and what you can ditch {postpone it or simply don’t do it…you always have that option}.
We each get to decide what we want to prioritize and how we spend our time.
Remember: you don’t have to do everything and you don’t have to do anything perfectly, which leads me to #3…
3. Let go of “perfect” and “all or nothing” thinking.
Raise your hand if any of the following sounds familiar:
You either follow your “plan” perfectly or throw in the towel and give up.
You've told yourself, "I’ll just start again tomorrow or next week.”
Or maybe you’ve said, "This isn’t working, so what’s the point?”
These sentiments have come up for so many Moms I’ve talked to {myself included}.
Ditch the "all or nothing" mentality, it doesn’t serve you.
Instead, be consistent {and persistent} to achieve your goals {big or small}.
There’s no room for perfect {whatever that means} when we talk about making consistent forward progress. Give yourself grace and KEEP. MOVING. FORWARD.
4. Consider your “pain points” and pick one to focus on.
Where are your pain points in your daily life? What is causing you to feel the most stress, overwhelm and worry? What do you want to do, but are having trouble putting it into action?
Is it your AM routine (or lack thereof)?
Is it navigating your kid’s sports/activities schedules?
Are you scrambling each night to figure out what’s for dinner?
Do you want to move your body more, but your exercise routine is inconsistent {or non-existent}?
Or, is it something else entirely?
Or, is it all of the above {totally normal by the way ;-}
Whatever it is, focus on one “pain point” to address first.
Write down {brain dump} what’s coming up for you when you consider that particular “pain
point”. What’s working and what isn’t working? Why? What emotions are coming up for you? For example, are you discouraged, annoyed, unmotivated, or frustrated?
Next, decide whether you want to commit to make changes and WHY it’s important to you {the more reasons the better}. Your “whys” will act as a source of motivation as you implement those changes.
Next, decide on your ideal plan. What will it look like when things are going well in that area of your life? What will you be thinking, feeling and doing (or not doing)? Plan out exactly what you need to do to make it happen and start taking action. Refer back to #3 as you implement your plan.
Click the link below to get my {FREE} Goal Setting Guide for further details on this process:
And, if dinner time is a “pain point” check out my {FREE} workbook {Problem solved: a guide to what’s for dinner}:
5. Create more time in your day {without sacrificing sleep}.
Take your to-do list {the one based on your priorities} and add the tasks to your calendar with a start and end time. EVERY. SINGLE. TASK. It doesn't matter what type of calendar you use {paper, an app on your phone, an app on your computer, whatever}.
Once they all have a home on your calendar, you can throw away your to-do list, because you’re going to follow your calendar and get them done!
When we plan ahead to do something, we have a much better chance of actually following through on that task. This is because our primitive brain {our survival brain} will always choose what’s easy in the moment {totally normal, because that’s its job}, instead of something that it perceives as “hard”.
By planning ahead and scheduling tasks on your calendar, you will create more time in your day, with less stress, less overwhelm and less worry.
Click the link below to get my {FREE} guide if you’d like additional examples of how you can create more time in your day:
Remember, we all have the same 24 hours each day and we each get to choose how we spend it!
In closing, while these are the strategies I use to navigate the change in seasons {and life in general}, I want to be crystal clear: I do NOT always have my “sh&%” together. BUT, I remind myself that I don’t have to do any of it “perfectly” (there’s no such thing) and I ditch the “all or nothing” mentality and just keep moving forward one step at a time.
As you put any {or all} of these strategies into practice, reach out if you have any questions or if you’d like feedback to overcome any barriers that come up. I’m always happy to help trouble-shoot!
Wishing you all a great start to the new school year!
