Category: Motivation

Yes, You Really Can Recycle That!

This week, we see America Recycles Day on November 15th.  Follow this link to my previous America Recycles Day post:

Plus, one of my favorite Recycling Lists from Real Simple:

Because of what I do and who I am, clients and readers ask me questions about recycling all the time!  Here are the 5 most recent queries:

  1. What about Christmas lights: Yes, these can be recycled!  Check with your local Home Depot. My local HD in Oak Lawn will collect old Christmas Lights for recycling at the service desk from now until January.   Check your strings this week, and properly dispose of the old ones!
  2. Paint: Yes, there are ways to recycle paint, or at least lessen used paint’s negative impact on the environment.  If your old paint is still usable, contact your local Ace Hardware or Habitat for Humanity to donate it. If it’s not usable: for water based or latex paint, place the cans outside and loosen the lid,  then once the paint hardens in the can, you can throw it away; for oil based paint, there is an additive (like Waste Away Paint Hardener) you can purchase at your local hardware store to mix with the paint and harden it, then you can throw away the can and paint.  We just don’t want liquid paint to end up in a landfill, as it will seep into the ground and groundwater.
  3. License plates: Some states will let you keep your old plates or recycle them with scrap metal, but not Illinois.  Turn old plates in at the DMV, that’s the safest place for them.
  4. Collectibles:  Re-selling is the ultimate in recycling!  A client had a box of Christmas collectibles that she was no longer attached to.  She sold it and made a couple hundred $$$ doing it – more space and more money, Win Win!!
  5. Batteries: don’t actually have to be recycled.  These days, household batteries are made with less harmful materials than they used to be, and can therefore be thrown away with regular garbage. Some communities will still accept batteries for recycling, but it varies widely from town to town.

What’s the most interesting thing you’ve found to recycle?  Please share!

Prioritize your Big Rocks This Week

Pressure.  I’m feeling the pressure.  This week’s blog marks my 300th published blog.  That’s a big deal, right?  I mean, wow, a major milestone.  And my grand idea is… non-existent.  I have a vague idea to write a blog about the life on a solo entrepreneur some day, and I thought that would be today.  But I’m just not feeling it.  I want my blogs to be about You, MY Readers, not about me.

But…. still…. nothing.

After a client cancellation this morning, I found myself with a few free hours.  Presented with a few unscheduled hours  – what to do?  Being the responsible sort, I took care of A LOT of work, woo hoo!!  I followed up with clients, booked appointments, and scheduled a speaking gig for November 7th.  Of 2016!!!  Wow!  Cleared out 2 inboxes, yeah!  Plus mowed and raked, since it is a lovely day.

But mostly, today I wrestled with priorities and how to fit all the big rocks in my jar for the next 2 months ( click here if you don’t know the reference:  http://www.sparkpeople.com/resource/motivation_articles.asp?id=264  ) .

I wonder if any of you wrestle with your priorities, too?

Take 30 minutes this week to map out the last two months of 2015, making space for your important priorities!    Here are mine, for the next two months:

Family:  We sent out emails to our fabulous families over the weekend and today about upcoming events, dinners and holidays, to carve out and protect important family time.  (and my brother recently shared this article with me, love it!  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/secrets-danish-happiness_5630f211e4b06317991050dc )

Faith:  My Catholic Faith is very important to me, and with Advent and Christmas coming, I added daily Mass back to my calendar when possible.  And Christmas and all its wonder, of course, but I’m not ready to jump into that pool yet!

Money:  This morning, for the business I paid my bills and balanced my check book.  Better decisions come from being fully informed, so I started there.

Home: We ordered new bedding yesterday, which will get the bedroom paint project moving. There will be more to say in this category, but it was good enough to just put it on my list today.

Business: As mentioned, I have been very productive these last few days, professionally speaking.  I want to end 2015, my highest producing year EVER, strong.  So I cleared away some nagging to-dos, and made positive steps serving a lot of clients in the next few months.

Health:  After a weekend of over-consumption, I recommitted to eating healthier and avoiding sugar and white flour, and making time to exercise.

Saying Yes while Saying No:  I said Yes to events in 2016, but  I’m cautious about saying yes to any more 2015 events.

Fun:  I want something fun every weekend for the rest of the year.  When our travel plans changed this past Sunday, I sat at my computer all day and plowed through a long list of tasks.  Productive and necessary, yes.  Gratifiying, indeed.  Fun or family oriented? Nope, not at all.  So I want movies, hiking, road trips, etc.  Something fun every weekend.

What are your Big Rocks?  This week, plan the rest of 2015 and make room for your important priorities.

Kids and Organizing and Room Cleaning, Oh My!

Kids and Organizing and Room Cleaning have come up in many conversations lately, so obviously there’s a need for kids to organize and clean their space.  But we have to remember that very often, our kids need to learn how to do these things before we can expect them to just “go clean their rooms” when asked.

A few years ago, I helped a man organize his office, and he told me that I was the first person who hadn’t yelled at him to get organized.  His childhood home was not organized, and his frustrated mom would tell the kids to go clean their rooms without teaching the kids what that actually meant.  He had never learned how to clean or organize, and his own family got frustrated with him, too.

As children, we learn to speak, walk and eat on our own.  We learn to socialize and share and grow.  We learn how to study, play music or perhaps play a sport.  We learn to brush our teeth, cook a meal, mow the grass or sew a button.  But we’re not always taught how to organize, or to clean our room.  Some of us are born organized, but others have to learn to organize, and luckily, it is a learnable skill, just like anything else.  But we still have to be taught, or pick up the skills along the way.

Even though it is so much quicker and easier to just clean the room yourself, take the time to Teach your Children how to Organize and Clean their room.  Talk about why we need to clean and organize (saves time, saves money, inspires trust, boosts self confidence and mood, even if we don’t think it does).   Teach and model and encourage.
  • If you’re going to talk the talk, you had better walk the walk.  Make your own bed, pick up dirty laundry, put away clean laundry,  take out your trash.
  • Give every room the tools to clean and organize: a laundry hamper and a trash can.  Every room needs both, so clutter is less likely to pile up.
  • Have everyone start with the basics, every day.  Make the bed, pick up dirty laundry, and put away clean clothes.  EVERY DAY.
  • Create a few rules for everyone to obey, like No Food In the Bedrooms.  Simple, straightforward, and it will save lots of mess later!
  • Celebrate and corral treasures (defined here as objects that we don’t understand, but our child completely adores).  Priceless art, plastic action figures, trophies, plastic jewelry or a gum wrapper from a birthday party.  Some kids (and adults) value EVERYTHING and then clutter piles up.  Install a couple shelves for treasures, dedicated to for those loved objects. Then explain that once the shelves are full, something has to leave the shelf before a new item is added.  Or create a treasure box, and let the same rule apply.  Don’t edit the shelf or bin for your child, but stick to the rule and contain the “treasures”.
  • Cultivate the habit of periodic purges. For example, the Back to School Clothes Review every August.  Or, when our boys were younger, we would go all review toys and books every Fall in prep for the holidays and birthdays, tossing any that were broken, and donating any that were either “too young” for them, or that they just didn’t play with.  (Knowing new toys were coming made it easier for the kids to purge the old stuff).
  • Give your kids a process.  This is on a sign in my sons’ room:
    How to Clean Your Room (Do all of these in this order):
    • Hang up towel
    • Fold blankets
    • Straighten up bed
    • Pick up dirty laundry and hangers, put all in the hamper
    • Put away clean laundry
    • Close dresser drawers completely
    • Put away hats/bags / belts, etc. in appropriate places
    • Put away books on shelf – actually put them away
    • Tidy up surfaces on desk, dresser, etc.
    • Now we can dust, vacuum and take out the trash.
Take some time now to teach others how to clean and organize their space, and reap the benefits for life!

6 Tasks to Create Organizing Momentum This Week!

October in the Midwest is my favorite time of year.  We enjoy crisp air, blue skies and amazing colors.  But if you’ve lived here long enough, you realize the beauty of Fall is God’s way of softening the blow of Winter.    Cold weather will soon be upon us, and that means, among other things, a lot more time spent indoors.So use this week as a super-powered jump start to your organizing projects, and try one of these 6 Tasks to Create Organizing Momentum!
  1. Get your closet ready for colder weather, and finish (or start and finish!) your seasonal clothes swap.  Pull out your summer clothes to make room for your cold weather ones, and critically review the summer stuff, tossing or donating anything you don’t need, use or love.
  2. Winterize your landing / launch pad, too.  Swap out the baseball caps and sunscreen by the back door for hats and mittens. Again, review the summer stuff critically and toss / donate the stuff you don’t need, use or love.
  3. Pantry shopping:  This time of year feels like the time to stock up, but I challenge you to instead clean out the pantry, fridge and freezer for the next few weeks. Use up what you have before buying more. Use food before it expires, save money by not buying new food, clear cabinet clutter –  the ultimate de-clutter strategy for your kitchen!
  4. Prep your car(s) for winter. Pack a safety bag including but not limited to: a blanket, sweatshirt, extra phone car-charger, umbrella, gloves, non-perishable snacks and a bottle of water, tissues, wipes and hand lotion, and snow scraper.
  5. Call and make appointments with your service people this week.  Call the handyman, the furnace guy or the carpet cleaners, and get on the schedule now before their schedules fill up with the holidays.
  6. Drop off Your Donations, and Recycle your Recycling.  Have you decided to get rid of something in your home?  Go ahead and move it along this week.  Selling that air hockey table or those Halloween costumes? Have bags of clothes to donate to a charitable organization?  Or a pile of old computer components and cords?  Send it all on its way! Making decisions is the hardest part of getting organized, so if you’ve made decisions about things that need to go – either donated, sold, recycled or just trashed – then please, spend an hour, load up the car and drop those items off.  Get them out of your house and on to where they will be useful again.

So, what’s it going to be?  Let’s send clutter on its way, and create organizing momentum to get things done!

Productivity Challenge: Get Up! Sitting at a Desk is Bad for You! 

“Getting Up and Moving Around at Work” has been my intended topic for this week, but I find it amusing that I’m writing it while standing because my hip is sore. I’m blaming the high heels I wore to a weekend wedding, though it could have been the Cupid Shuffle at the reception!

The research is in, and it shows just how bad prolonged sitting at a desk is for our health, our productivity and our happiness.  Too much sitting increases obesity, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer and depression; and decreases metabolism, circulation and energy levels.  This challenge is compounded by the fact that so much of our leisure time is also spent sitting – driving, watching TV, sitting at home computers, eating, etc.  This sedentary and seated lifestyle is taking a toll on our bodies.  On a personal note, last winter I went to the Chiropractor because of intense lower back pain, and sitting too long at my desk was part of the problem.

There is a lot of information out there right now supporting standing-while-working and increased activity during the workday.  Standing up and moving around counteracts those negative physical effects of prolonged sitting.  There are also productivity benefits to standing and moving around (just google “productivity benefits of standing work stations”).  My energy and focus increase, while my stress decreases and my mood improves. Just by standing and moving around.

If you need more convincing, please do your own research – I did and I was amazed.  But how to incorporate this strategy into our day?  Try these:

1. Just Pay Attention. Making a change makes us pay attention to our current situation, and this usually leads to increased engagement and productivity.

2.  Include activity breaks in your blocked work time.  The Pomodoro Technique suggests 25 minutes of work and 5 minutes of break; I’ve also read 50 / 10.  The premise is that our minds focus for a certain amount of time (25 minutes), and then our mind and our body need a break (and not just switching over to Facebook, or checking our phone).   A break means getting up and moving, stretching, breathing deeply.  My phone’s timer App can remind me to take my 5 minutes, or I can use my microwave timer if I’m home – it’s great because I have to get up to turn it off!  The 5 minute break could be standing, stretching, walking around the office; or if you work from home, play with the dog, toss in a load of laundry, make a cup of tea, etc.  Track your progress with a FitBit or activity bracelet.

3. Stay hydrated:  I have learned a lot since my first trip to the chiropractor last winter, including the fact that I was chronically dehydrated.  Add more water to your day, and you will get up and move a lot more, to re-fill your water bottle, and to use the wash room!

4.  Run your own errands.  Technology is great and convenient, but often it replaces actual activity.  Yes, you could send someone an email, but you could also get up and walk over to their work space.  Or drop off papers instead of using interoffice mail, or take a walk at lunch instead of ordering in.

5. Consider a standing Work Space, or other options.  The standing work space is gaining popularity (go to Amazon.com and check out the variety of options!).   We created standing work spaces in our home (here is what I am using right now),  and more traditional offices are offering standing options, too.   We don’t need to only stand, though – my massage therapist reminded me that standing all day could have its own negative effects.   So, change up your space, and include both seated and standing options.

Stand Up!  Don’t let that desk chair do you in, Get Up and Move Around to Feel Better and Work Better!

“How Do You Get Out The Door On Time?”

A client recently asked: “How Do You Get Out The Door On Time?”

I love this question for its universality – we all may struggle with this sometimes, whether getting the kids to school in the morning, getting out the door to go to the office or catch the train, or perhaps, like me, heading out to a client’s home or business.  So look at each suggestion, and determine how you can implement positive change!

I asked some fellow working professionals / parents for their best suggestions  – thanks to all who responded!  And here are the Top 5 Suggestions:

  1. “Prep as much as you can the night before” (this applies to us all, not just parents).  This was by far the most popular suggestion among the people I asked.  Spend time every evening getting ready for the next day.  Pack your lunch(es), lay out outfits, collect gear (coats, backpack, shoes, papers) from around the house and place it all by the door.   Look at the schedule for other activities coming up, and prepare your gym bag, band instrument, sports uniform, etc., too.
  1.  “Get up earlier than everyone else”. Be sure to get yourself up and moving in the morning before you are expected to get any one else up and moving.  Even 30 minutes gives you a chance to shower, start your coffee and a load of clothes, and spend a few moments strategizing your day.
  1. Establish What Time is “On Time”:   I really wish that some kind and experienced parent had told me 15 years ago how the school day really begins.   I know now, so learn from my experience.  “The school doors open at 8:00 am, and the Preschool day begins at 8:10” is code for  – “be there, waiting with your student, at 8 am, and your child needs to be in his seat and ready to learn at  8:10.”  No kid wants to be the late kid.  No parents wants to be the late parent.  Save yourselves some stress, and aim for Early.  A little league coach laid it out for us many years ago.  Early is On Time.  On Time is Late.

Here are some other questions to ask yourself, when determining What Time is On Time? Where are you going?  How will you get there?  How long will Plan B take if you have to use it?  What is the earliest you can arrive?  How long does it take for you / your child to get from the back door to buckled in the car and leaving the driveway (could be 5 minutes some days!)? How long does it take to get from the parking lot to the door?

  1. “Get off Facebook.” …and email, and every other screen until you and your children are ready to leave. Yes. every screen, for your family and FOR YOU.  ( I know, its scary, but it’s worth it).  When you’ve gotten better at getting out the Door on Time, perhaps you can add screen time back into your morning schedule.   (What makes this suggestion ironic is that I asked the question via Facebook on a school morning!)
  1. “A morning soundtrack”.  At a recent meeting, a woman mentioned her morning affirmations.  In passing, as in “of course, because everyone does these already”.  Which made me inwardly cringe because, well, no I don’t have morning affirmations.  And the thoughts start to spin – maybe I should have them, how am I going to fit one more thing in my morning, blah, blah, blah.  And then, as I usually do when I start to get stressed, I turned to a short prayer, a few deep breaths and then music.  And the lightbulb went off in my head!  A-Ha!!  Prayer, deep breathing and music ARE my affirmations.  I was loading up my Morning Mix playlist just this morning, adding the songs that make me dance and sing along (loudly).  What music would get you moving in the morning?

So, try one of these suggestions this week, and see what helps you Get Out The Door On Time!

Productivity Challenge: Time Management!

This week’s Productivity Challenge is Time Management!
My associate writes:
“As a small business owner, we wear so many hats and have to stay on top of so many tasks.  
  • There are daily tasks, weekly tasks, monthly tasks; 
  • There are “big picture” issues to address – new product lines, new marketing ideas, personnel issues, all of the “where is our company headed?” type-stuff ; 
  • There are “small task” issues – placing orders with vendors, scheduling service calls, handling customer service issues, and even just answering the phone; and then of course
  • There are the “fires” that occasionally pop up that require me to drop everything and handle immediately. There is only so much time, and we work with a skeleton crew – so how can I better organize to stay on top of it all?”
As a fellow business owner, I can totally relate to all of these!  So, let’s tackle them one by one!
Managing the “daily tasks, weekly tasks, monthly tasks”.  With these recurring tasks:
  • Keep a Master To-Do List – a running list of everything that needs to get done.  I maintain my To-Do list in Evernote (a cloud storage notebook), so that I can access it from all of my devices.  I can even share my To-Do list (and other Evernote documents) with others, if I have info to share with staff or co-workers.  I have clients who use MS Outlook for the same purpose.   When I finish a recurring task for today on my Evernote list, I cut it and pasted it to the next day, week or month or whenever it is set to recur (For example, daily habits, weekly errands, and monthly billing and client care).
  • Actually block out time on your daily, weekly and monthly schedule for these tasks.  Make an appointment on your calendar, so other things don’t squeeze out these important tasks!  A client mentioned that her bill-paying was slipping and she was starting to incur late fees because she hadn’t blocked the time to manage her daily and weekly bookkeeping.
  • Attach paper / ideas / tasks to your time blocks, too.  For example, my Friday afternoons are blocked for bookkeeping tasks.  As bills come in, or tasks come up that are related to bookkeeping, I add them to Friday’s to-do list and tuck any paper bills in my Friday folder.

There are “big picture” issues to address – new product lines, new marketing ideas, personnel issues, all of the “where is our company headed?” type-stuff .

  • Big picture Issues:  We need to block time to make these big-picture discussions happen, too. They may not need to happen every day, but they are still important.  Have weekly check-ins with everyone involved, in person / Face time or via email, to touch base.  And once in a while (monthly, quarterly, etc.) Think BIG THOUGHTS!!! Set time aside, invite all the players / decision makers, go off-campus, set a time limit, and dive in!

There are “small task” issues – placing orders with vendors, scheduling service calls, handling customer service issues, and even just answering the phone.

  • There are no small tasks.  These “small tasks” are Our Work, whether they happen daily, weekly or monthly.  Communicating with our vendors and our customers – This Is Our Work! Even when these tasks seem small, they are really the most important tasks we can complete.
  • However…. we can still manage the flow of our work, to get more of Our Work done!
    • Phone calls can go to voicemail, or we can keep our calls polite but brief.
    • Emails rarely require an instantaneous response.
    • Do Not Reinvent the Wheel!  Figure out the best way to do something, and do it that way every time.  Those are your Standard Operating Procedures, and they create a uniformly excellent experience.  Start by creating standard email responses to frequently asked questions, and build from there.

And then of course there are the “fires” that occasionally pop up that require me to drop everything and handle that immediately.

  • Communication:  I received an email last week from my graphic designer: “I should be done putting out fires by XXX o’clock, I’ll call you then”.    Great way to handle it!
  • Flexibility is critical to time management success.  Having a Master To Do list means if we can’t get to something today, we can move it to the top of tomorrow’s To Do list.  Using Time Blocks are great, but we can block time later in the week just as easily as this afternoon.
  • Let me let you in an insider tip:  If you handle recurring tasks when they recur, manage the Big Picture and Small Tasks regularly – you will:  A. Have fewer fires to put out; and B. Be more prepared and able to quickly manage and put out the fires that to arise.

So, look at your task list today and this week, and consider how to manage your time and tasks to get your important work done!

Productivity Series: What to Do With All the Receipts?

Last week, I started this Productivity Series with solutions for the desk dumping ground! A related question was “What to Do With Receipts? specifically receipts for filing business taxes?” I understand the connection  – I’ve seen dozens of desk cluttered with receipts!
Think about this.  Generally, we need to keep receipts for three reasons:
1. for the information contained on the receipt;
2. as a reminder of a next action to take; and
3. as a physical record of an action, in case you need to prove how money was spent.
Next, think about basic accounting. Money spent moves out of “Cash” and into a different category.  For example, buying a printer at Office Max / Depot moves money from my checking account into my office supplies / assets.
Reason #1: Manage the information contained on the receipt.  How much, to whom, for what?  And make it meaningful.
For example, my business recently spent $$ on:
  • a new printer and toner, a lamp and pens
  • advertising in the form of a charitable donation  / sponsorship
  • gas
  • day-care expenses
  • lunch at Panera
  • annual dues for my professional organization
  • UPS for shipping, on behalf of a client
Each expense I mentioned above would be listed under different Expense categories in my Quicken software.  Office supplies, advertising, Dues and Subscriptions, Meals and Entertainment, Automotive, etc.  These categories are pre-set in Quickbooks and Quicken, and you can also create new ones specific to your business. (I’m not recommending one type of software over another, just reporting on what I know).
Since my friend’s question was about Managing Receipts for Tax Time, I strongly recommend discussing category questions with your Accountant as you set up your system, to make tax time easier. 
Manage your bookkeeping regularly (and if you need help with this, I can suggest a few great people!).  My business books are simple.  I track my expenses and sales daily on a spreadsheet, entering it all into Quicken once a month with my bank statement reconciliation.  My next step is to streamline that process, and enter the daily info directly into Quicken.   Some businesses will need to do this daily, some can stretch to weekly or monthly.   Regardless of how often, We HAVE TO DO IT!
Once the categories are created, and your information for the year is entered, preparing for tax time is a matter of running your reports, and handing the reports and receipts over to your accountant
Reason # 2: Take The Action Required:
For example, in my list above, the actions are to input the information into Quicken, and then with the UPS expense, I need to collect payment from my client, for services rendered and also for the UPS expense.  When I manage my bookkeeping, I need to make sure the two items are entered separately – one for sales, and one for reimbursement.
Manage your bookkeeping, send the invoice, submit the expense report, etc.    JUST ACT!!!
After you record the information, and take the actions required, storing the physical records is easy.
 
Reason #3: Keep your receipts in a monthly folder.   This makes it easier to reconcile your monthly bank statement, and in the rare instance that you actually need to produce the receipt as proof of an expense, monthly files will make your items easy enough to find, without wasting too much time on filing.  Don’t bother with specific vendor files, chronological files should be detailed enough, since you’ve already recorded the information.
Wrap up your receipts with your tax returns, and store them for 4-7 years.  Random receipts for printer toner from 3 years ago should not be floating around your office!!
Imagine how clean your desk will be, with all the Receipts managed and easily filed away!`

Productivity Challenge: My Desk is a Dumping Ground!

Last week, I asked professionals to share their Organizing Challenges.  The first response was:

“My desk!   Working from home, I’m so busy keeping the rest of the house organized, everything gets dumped on my desk! (thanks MG!)”

Has this happened to you?  You’re ready to get down to business, but your motivation and energy drain away as you face a desk cluttered with

  • Mail
  • School papers
  • Shoes / socks / clothing / dry cleaning
  • Legos (maybe that’s just me)
  • Receipts
  • Other people’s keys, wallet, phone
  • Office supplies or craft supplies
  • the list could go on and on …
Whether you work from home or in a more traditional office setting, trying to work at a cluttered desk can be a struggle.  Sometimes other people drop the stuff, and sometimes we ourselves do the cluttering.  Sound familiar?! Here’s what to do!
  1. When you sit down to work, spend the first 10 minutes of activity putting the dumped stuff AWAY, and the last 10 minutes putting your own stuff AWAY.  Most of us work better in uncluttered space, so that is a great place to start!   If you can do this every day, the piles will be progressively smaller, and you won’t need 10 minutes anymore!  Dedicate that small block of time at the start and the finish – seriously, set a timer if that helps!
  2. Make sure important things have a home.  For example, everyone needs a special place to put their cell phone, keys and wallet.  Establish a home for these important items NOT on your desk top.  Near it, perhaps, but not on it!
  3. Carve out “My Space” and “Public Space”, if you can.  For example, I recently rearranged my work space, and added shelves. I’ve moved the items that other people need to the shelves next to my work space instead of on the shelf over my work space.  In theory, this will cut down on interruptions and also encourage others to put things away!
  4. Establish containers for regular offenders, to direct stuff to other places:  An In-box for papers coming in; trash / recycling / shredding bins close at hand for papers going out; an errand bag for mail to mail or library books to return, items to drop off to other people, items to be returned to the store, etc.
  5. Act on your action items: In a client’s home office last week, most of the desk top was occupied by items that required action or an errand.  For goodness sake, ACT on your action items!  Invest an hour or two to take the actions or run the errands that will clear away those piles, then revel in the uncluttered space.
  6. Do you drop the stuff, or do other people?  If other people are the problem, set the example: Respect your own boundaries!  Clean off your desk and your own clutter, so the offending items are very noticeable when someone else drops them on your work space!

Keep you work space as sacred space!  Give it the respect it deserves, and expect others to do the same!

Back To School: Setting Up “After School” For Success

Back To School is a great time to review and update our time management routines, and the time window between 3 pm and dinnertime is a busy one!  Make positive changes this week, and  create a routine that works for everyone.  Here’s how:
Build in a little decompression time when you (or your student) arrive:
There are often rituals attached to this, like changing out of work or school clothes, and/or having a snack and a quick break upon coming home to help make the transition from work or school back to home.  A little down time gives our brains and bodies time to rest and then jump back into action!
Assess your afternoon and evening plans:  
Check the calendar for events or games, and the school Planners for work or homework assignments.  It is important to do this early, in case someone forgot something at school or the office – there may still be time to retrieve missing books or resources!
Assess tomorrow, too:  
Take just a few moments to look ahead to tomorrow’s schedule, too, and identify any potential snags or changes.  In addition, planning ahead can help avoid a 10 pm washing of the gym uniform or shopping for surprise supplies or snacks (is this just me?)!
Make Space for Homework:
Dining room table? Kitchen counter? A desk in each bedroom?  Establish a regular place for your students to complete their homework.  Keep in mind, too, that these days homework involves technology.  So in addition to a work space, comfortable chair and good lighting, make sure there is computer access, too!
Since tech is so important, as your student comes home with website info, log into and bookmark the various resource websites, create your accounts and then note usernames and passwords on a page or spreadsheet per student.
Create a Homework caddy:
We have a homework caddy basket on the kitchen desk that holds homework supplies.  Create your own, including but not limited to: crayons, markers and colored pencils; pens, pencils and highlighters; scissors, glue and tape; calculator, ruler and index cards (google “Homework Caddy” if you want more ideas).
Set Up Your Landing and Launch Pad:
What door does everyone use? Set up your Landing and Launch Pad at the favorite door. Hooks for outerwear and accessories, and some for backpacks and sports bags, too.  I have written many blogs about this topic, check them out here!
The key to Landing and Launch Success isn’t the space, necessarily, but the HABITS created around our comings and goings.   The most fabulous cubbies or benches or hooks or organizational tools in the world are a waste of time and money if we don’t create habits to use them.
EVERYONE can create a habit to:
  • Hang up coats and bags when they come in the door
  • Keep shoes by the door
  • Put keys and wallets and other important items in the same place every day
  • Take out and deliver-to-parents papers that require parental action every day
  • Place completed homework and books back in the back-packs when work is completed, and backpacks at the Landing and Launch Pad for easy departures in the morning
  • Review tomorrow’s schedule today and line up stuff accordingly (like band instruments, soccer uniforms) at the Launch Pad tonight

Dedicate some time and thought to your after school / home from work routine this week, and make your days work better for you and your family!  You CAN do this!  Have a great week.