Whether you’re ready or not, school is back in session in the St. Louis region. Regardless of where you send your kids (private, public or you decide to homeschool), returning to school schedules after a “lazy” summer, can be super stressful. I’m a mom to two elementary-aged kids who I homeschool so trying to find routines that work for me are especially necessary as I find balance between educating, running Rare Vision and tending to the list of house chores.
We started school mid-July which has given me a handful of weeks to try, evaluate and find the best routines for our family in this season of school. Here are a few questions I found valuable as I processed to see what routines were best for me.
When am I my best?
Most people know whether they are an early bird or night owl so utilize that timeframe to your advantage. If you’re not an early bird (like me), spend the evening prepping the next day by making lunches and getting together things for the next day. When you do this, you’ll feel more prepared and not have to stress if you snooze your clock once…or twice.
What are my top three?
I began using the Full Focus Planner early this year after another planner I thought would suffice left me wanting something more robust. This planner has a ton of helpful insights into my quarter, week and day that help me feel organized and ready to take on the day. One of the things the planner gives you on the task list is to name your top three tasks. If you could only do three things, what are they? While I can get to more than three on most days, there are definitely days when I don’t have margin to do more.s question has helped me rank my priorities and make sure those tasks get done and I think it’ll help you in your daily to-do lists too!
What worked and what didn’t?
Again from the Full Focus Planner, this weekly reflection question has helped me see areas in my life that are beneficial and areas that are not. For example, evening schedules. I am extroverted and love connecting with people, but I recently realized that too much time away from home wasn’t working. While I had a lot of fun connection with people, I realized communication at home suffered and I missed my kids and husband. While I usually felt filled by all the connection, this week in particular left me depleted. Asking this question, helped me realize the importance of a more balanced week and the importance of saying no to some things.
I hope these three questions will help you as you set out to establish routines for the school year.
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