Back-to-School Season is Here! Whether you have kids or not, you always KNOW when it’s back-to-school season! Just walk into any grocery store and the backpacks, lunch boxes, and crayons are ready to go!
For anyone raising kids, kids going back to school is always a big deal and a big transition for the whole household.
Depending on your unique situation, this might be a time where things free up for you to refocus on your business goals. Or, on the contrary, it might be a time where life feels more crazy coordinating schedules, events, and dealing with the extra stresses of kids back in school.
So, whether you are ready to refocus back on your biz or whether you are just trying to keep up, here are some tips and tricks to help you navigate through this transition.
The Philosophy of Work-Life Integration
In a previous post, we introduced one of our favorite philosophies called “work-life integration.” Work-life integration, at its core, is “all about prioritizing things based on what you and your family want and need.”
We are over the “leave your personal life at the door” mindset when it comes to business and work. With the philosophy of work-life integration, “rather than setting up hard boundaries between work and life, it encourages flexibility and ‘gentle pivots’ between work activities and life activities throughout the day.”
Work-life integration is a great model to look into when you are trying to navigate running your business and getting kids off to school and all of their extracurricular activities. Click here to read how the work-life integration philosophy could help simplify your life.
Back to School Organization Tips
Obviously, making sure that the kids are prepped and ready to go to school is a top priority. But it can be a lot to juggle! Here are some tips on making that transition run more smoothly.
Plus, the smoother things are getting to and from school and activities, the more energy and space you have to focus on your business.
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Organize the family calendar in one place. “Is soccer practice on Monday’s or Wednesday’s?…I thought you were picking up the kids! No, I thought you were!” Woof! Those moments are the best, aren’t they? Don’t leave it up to memory and last-minute planning! Have a household calendar that everyone can access. Whether it is an online calendar or a big, handwritten one in the kitchen, make sure all extracurricular activities, school events, work events, and family events are on the calendar!
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Create a structured morning routine. No one wants to start the day off with a crazy morning, am I right? Sometimes it’s inevitable (like a dog with an upset belly or spilling coffee on yourself), but other times it’s not! A great way to create a morning routine for the kids is to create a Morning To-Do List. You could even laminate it so they can mark tasks off as they do them! You can make an order that works best for your family and include things like showering, getting dressed, eating breakfast, brushing their teeth, etc.
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Create a structured evening routine. The same concept as above, this time just set it up for evening tasks! Based on the kid’s evening activities, spell out their expectations of when they should be doing homework, helping around the house, cleaning up for bed, etc. The next point should also be added to this list!
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Prep the night before. Another way to keep morning craziness to a minimum is to prep things the night before. For indecisive kiddos, have them prep their outfit for the next day the night before. For all kiddos, have them pack their backpack the night before and keep it by the door. Is it Show and Tell tomorrow? Make sure their item is in the backpack or right next to it the night before. Lunches and snacks can also be prepped the night before to create an easier morning too!
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Set up a launchpad. To help with the Night Before and Morning Routine, set up a launchpad! This could be in your mudroom or by the front door! This is the stop where everything they need for the school day is all in one place. Their shoes, coats, backpack, lunch box, sports bag, everything. No more running from the living room to grab shoes, then off to the bedroom to grab the backpack, then back down to the kitchen for the lunch box. If they need it for school, put it in the launchpad!
Back to Business…
Ok, phew! So you’ve made it through the first crazy mornings and evenings of back to school! Once things start to feel familiar in that arena, perhaps now your time and energy can shift over to your business.
In a previous post, we chatted with Rachyl Kershaw about finding clarity and alignment within your business.
In this post, she gave some great tips and tools on clarifying your vision for your business, such as:
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Start with a clear vision: Envision yourself and your business in 3-5 years and get clear on what you want that to look like.
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Set a timer: Try setting a timer for specific tasks to help keep you focused.
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Work Backwards: Once you feel clear on where you’re going, create a plan by working backward.
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Pause for Reflection: Carve in some time to pause and reflect on how things are going. Reevaluate if you need to make some shifts.
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Take Small Steps of Action: Moving forward doesn’t have to be a leap! It can be small steps.
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Be Open to Change: Keep in mind that things will change, including your vision as time goes on. Be open to keeping what is working, eliminating what’s not working, and adding in things that are missing.
Click here to read the full post!
Hire Help
Whether that means hiring some staff, outsourcing tasks, or hiring someone to help with the household, don’t feel like you have to do it alone!
If you start to feel bogged down by all the administrative tasks that your business requires, it might be time to look into hiring a virtual assistant!
Click here to get valuable tips on how to successfully hire and work with a virtual assistant.
Let it Go! Let it Go!
How many times have you heard that song?!
For real though, with running a business, managing a household with kids, and everything else we all have going on…sometimes you just have to let some things go….
Maybe you’re behind on laundry, maybe there was a typo in your last email blast, maybe dinner was take-out food most nights one week…to each your own!
It’s up to you to decide what takes top priority to get done during the day – and every little thing cannot be on that list. So if it’s not at the top of the list that day, our advice is to let it go…
How Haven Collective helps business owners with the Back to School Transition
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Flexibility – Having access to a coworking space is a great way to add flexibility to your life. With our membership, you can come and go as you please, giving you the opportunity to create a routine that works for you and your family!
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Community and support from other business owners and parents!
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Resources to help grow your business! From our Community Membership to our Resource Library, we have tons of resources to help you grow your business.
We know that running a business can be a challenge! Transitions of all kinds, including kids going back to school, can add to the stress and chaos. Click here to find out how Haven Collective can help.
Written by April Warner
Sources: Gideon Math & Reading Center, Bluevine, American Express