Tip Tuesday – Back to School Survival Strategies

It is BTS time, and I don’t mean the K-pop boy band! If you are like me and no longer have a school-aged kid (or a child at all) don’t you STILL feel like “back to school” is a great time for a fresh start? BTS is a perfect point to shed the summer, and to refocus to end your year strongly.

First, focus on your routines and rituals. Do they need an update? Now is a great opportunity to plot out your “ideal week” (template from Parker Houston).

When sketching out this ideal week, plot out time for what is:

REQUISITE = Things you MUST do (sleep, work, commute, eat, etc.)

REASONABLE = Things you WANT to do (hobbies, socializing, sports)

RECHARGE = Things that HELP you do the above (exercise, journal, read)

It is important that your ideal week is also realistic and repeatable. As you set up a new routine that works for your needs (and for your family’s), be cautious of over planning.

Once you are working on this new routine, as you achieve your daily goals I really want you to REWARD yourself. These rewards can be small (a treat, time on social media, a bath), but they will reinforce that the routine is working and encourage you to honor your ideal week. You will know you have it right when the day falls into a natural rhythm that works well for you and your family.

IF your ideal week plan is unachievable, then you will need to REVISE it. Go back to the drawing board and see where the plan falls apart. Is it meal prep? Perhaps it makes more sense to subscribe to a meal service than to expect yourself to shop, prep, cook, serve, and clean up from each homemade meal?

The more you plan, the better your precious time will be spent: doing the things that are important and meaningful with the people who are important and meaningful to you.

BTS is now also your “Better Time Strategy,” and that is worth singing about (in unison with great choreography)! Let me know about your ideal week in my FB Group, Organizing Solutions for Busy Women.