Summer-Ends-School-Begins (Sanity Tips Series)
If you missed any parts of the back-to-school series, you’ll find all 4 tips below.
Tip 1]
Summer-ends-school-begins. It’s time for the 2018 marathon. Ready or not, it’s time to move. Let’s lace up your shoes!
I started doing something different for the summer-ends-school-begins event. In this series, I’ll show you how to make this transition better. Picture the next few weeks as a marathon instead of a sprint. Depending on where you live, you may not be quite in the midst of back to school shopping and preparation as we are right now in the Atlanta area. But hang on, your time is quickly approaching.
This time of year brings extra madness to our routine because my daughter Jessa’s birthday is this month. When I was given the choice of the date to be induced for her birth, I had no idea I was choosing a date in the middle of the summer-ends-school-begins craze.
Each year, I tweak our routine, and instead of thinking of it as a sprint, I now picture a marathon. When you run a marathon, you must pace yourself and get prepared for the 26.2 miles ahead of you. Rush out from the start and you’ll end up on the side of the road somewhere. But, when you pace yourself, you are reserving energy to finish–and in some cases finish strong.
Keep that analogy in mind as you consider the first tip to keep your sanity:
Tip #1: Shift your expectations. Yes, school will start on August 1st for us. But, I don’t have to get EVERYTHING done by then. I’ve prioritized what I need for 8/1, the other must-have’s or must do’s will be spread out over the next few weeks.
Have I sold you on this alternative method yet? I hope so. Check-in next week for Tip #2 if you’re ready to finish strong in the 2018 summer-ends-school-begins marathon.
Tip 2]
Being a school volunteer; the thought makes you happy or gives a sense of dread.
My Summer end-school-begins sanity Tip #2 is about what you say, or rather don’t say. What you give and what you don’t. In the context of time, not money.
Tip #2: Give your best yes! Before you consider taking on any commitment to volunteer here’s how you decide if you can or should.
Picture this–school shopping and errands are done. It’s time to show up for the parent meeting.
This may also be a time when parents are asked to volunteer or you learn about commitments for the school year. This may be a point when you simply need to listen. When you may be tempted to say yes, perhaps you need to say no.
I am not talking about school events when we MUST be there. I know many a mom who became a school volunteer although they didn’t have the time. The yes was given out of guilt. It’s hard to say no to people when it involves our kids.
No is a word that has become a big part of my vocabulary. People don’t get it when I say I can’t do something that seems simple. When I’m asked to do something, I think about what that yes will cost me. Do I have the time? Will it make a difference to what I think is important?
Some of this I learned in the book The Best Yes by Lysa TerKeurst. Most of it came from trial and error from having too much on my plate. Sometimes, adding one extra thing can be too much.
Keep your sanity intact. Listen, evaluate, and say no to the summer-ends-school begins commitment that may not be right for you. Give your best yes.
Tip 3]
Need to get organized for school? Chances are you don’t have time to read a long list of tips to help you get ready. No problem. There is a simple way.
Summer ends-school-begins sanity tip #3 is something that I won’t do without. Create less-hectic days with this simple idea that helps you get organized for school.
Tip #3: Make a plan and keep it. Translation– make a place for everything and put everything in its place. This doesn’t take a lot of time, but having a PLAN for where things will go, or how the home/school transition runs will help keep you sane.
Want to feel like you’re going crazy and can’t keep up? Simply stay unorganized. Our routine is fairly simple, but one misstep is quickly noticed and can make the difference between a good day and a bad one.
When I veer from our routine too much or attempt to multitask, things start to go badly. Here are some ideas to help you get organized and keep your sanity intact:
1) Have a simple routine for waking up and getting out the door.
2) Set up a drop zone if you don’t have a mudroom. When kids come into the door, all items should have a place where they belong and go there right away.
3) Start an afternoon routine that is easy to duplicate; for my daughters, its Shoes, Backpack, Hands. These steps ensure all things from school get where they belong. Then, we move into the afternoon to get prepared to start the next day successfully.
4) Make a home base/command center; I’ve seen fancy versions of these, but simple trays that hold homework folders and papers get the job done.
5) Think simple and then dumb it down even more from there.
Tip 4]
It is easy to resist change because constants are comfortable.
Unfortunately, we don’t always hold the control that we think or wish we did. Special events and big transitions, like the annual back-to-school season, offer every opportunity for change.
This week’s sanity tip is one that has come as a long, difficult lesson for me.
Sanity tip #4: Embrace change as a constant. Let’s face it, things are going to change around us. Sometimes a change in a job or relationship is a welcomed one.
When change is unwelcome or unexpected–like finding out your kid has a rare neurological disorder, it’s easy to resist change. What feels like ages ago, I read the bestseller Who Moved My Cheese by Spencer Johnson. Spoiler alert, the fabled mouse story in the book is a call to acceptance for those who resist change.
My resist-change antidote is simple–I’ll handle the change better when I expect it. Say what? When you get in your car to drive, at some point you’ll be forced to slow down or stop. That’s change.
It’s coming, it’s going to happen. It’s as constant as the day is sure to start. When a change slaps me in the face, I give myself a moment to re-group. Then, I look at the positives that the change will bring.
As school begins and we start another academic year, some changes have already happened. And more are right around the corner. I just don’t know what they are yet.
Will they be uncomfortable? Probably. Will I want to adjust, Probably not, but I will. It’s the surest way I know to keep some sanity from changes that are surely coming my way.
I won’t resist change, I’ll just make sure to slow down to adjust and deal with it when it comes.
What antidote do you use to deal with change?
