Back to school planning tips
Remember when we were counting down the days for summer break to start?
If you are like me, you are now counting the days for school to start and looking forward to a little more routine and structure in your life again.
Starting back to school is always a big adjustment for the whole family and if we are not careful, it can end up being a very stressful and frustrating time.
Here are three tips to help your entire family have a smoother transition back into school:
1. Don’t schedule anything the first weekend after school starts.
By Friday afternoon of the first week of school, our family is usually ready for some serious sleep and downtime. I already have Saturday and Sunday after the first week of school blocked out on my calendar reminding me to avoid scheduling anything that weekend. That allows the entire family time to adjust, rest and regroup. It also protects your time that weekend in case you need to get any additional school supplies, fill out more paperwork, etc.
2. Start adjusting sleep schedules the week before school starts.
Summer break is a great time to catch up on sleep and enjoy late summer night fun. It is so tempting to approach the last week of summer break with the desire to “squeeze it all in” before summer ends. This means that the first day of school can be a very harsh wake up for your kids if they are used to waking up late. I always recommend to start slowly bringing bed time a little earlier and waking up a little earlier the week before school starts to help your kids adjust better to the first week of school.
3. Create an evening routine.
As you progress through your first week of school, make note of the recurring tasks that are adding stress to your mornings. Then, identify what tasks you can actually do the night before to help make your morning run smoother. For example, can you pack lunches and school bags right after dinner? Can you ensure clothes are picked out the night before? Can the kids pick out their snacks ahead of time and have them ready to go? Can you lay out dishes or food for breakfast ahead of time?
One last piece of advice is to be thoughtful on how you spend the week and weekend before school starts. Just as I recommend keeping your calendar clear the first weekend after school starts, make sure you reserve time for back-to-school shopping, rest and relaxation the last weekend of summer. It is so tempting to squeeze in “one last trip to the beach,” but if that creates stress and anxiety due to last minute shopping and prep work, it often just isn’t worth it.
Triangle mom Megan Sumrell is a former corporate executive turned entrepreneur. As a Time Management Expert for women seeking Work+Life Harmony, Megan teaches specific strategies to help women get on top of their time, calendar and goals while getting rid of stress, overwhelm, and exhaustion. For information on her upcoming live annual planning event, visit https://www.megansumrell.com/plan.
