The children are back in school and thanks to you – it was a seamless process.
You handled back to school shopping for your 10 year old who grew three sizes over the summer. You helped your 13 year old navigate the first few days of middle school drama – without any drama, AND you’re getting your 16 year old to go to sleep by midnight. Hey, it was 2am during the summer – high five!
And you are making progress too. You’ve made lunches for 3 weeks in a row and you have not yet thrown the sliced turkey out the kitchen window. Give it time.
You’ve been to 1 PTA meeting, 2 back-to-school nights, met 14 teachers and said no when asked to lead the spring school fundraiser – well done.
Homework is happening, piano is practicing, you’ve scheduled a few play dates and (no surprise) you are already hearing about potential Halloween costumes. Kudos! The kids have had a seamless transition from summer to school – thanks to you.
Now what about your seamless transition? Whether you work inside or outside of the home – fall is a time to regroup and focus on your priorities.
Summer comes and goes every year like a balmy tornado – stirring our schedules and our souls. We stay up late, play with our kids and eat too much. Our to-do list may or may not be shorter, but our personal projects and work priorities will probably take a back seat so that we can be more available for our children during the summer months.
This is true if we have our own business, are SAHM’s or work for a large or small company. No matter what our situation is, during the summer, there is a tendency to put certain priorities on the back burner. And now it’s time to move those priorities to the front of the stove and get cooking!
Seamless Transitions:
1. Let’s start with you.
Yes, it is this important. Nothing is seamless when you are falling apart. Where have you let your self-care go? It may have gone to camp with the kids, but it’s time to get it back on track now. What is one small self-care change you can make in your schedule today? You may have an elliptical machine in your future or perhaps it’s a much needed neck massage? Could be that the self-care you need is to say no? Now you’re speaking my language!
2. Get rid of Jabba the Hutt.
You know that project that is staring back at you from your desk, kitchen counter, bedroom floor or closet? It may need organizing, compiling, sorting, stuffing or tossing, but the longer it sits there – the more of your precious mental energy it will use. Jabba the Hutt projects just sit there, getting fatter and fatter, demanding your attention. Let’s make this easy. Block out one hour (make sure it’s in your calendar) and commit to taking one action. When you get to the end of that hour – schedule another hour and identify one more action. Pretty soon Jabba the Hutt will simply slither away.
3. So what’s new?
Do you want to start a business, optimize the one you have, look for a new job or take up the banjo? The time is now. What stops us is the fact that we don’t know all the steps that are needed to get from here to there. But here’s the secret; you can’t know them until you start taking them. So, what is one step you can take this week to learn more about the next steps?
Remember that you will probably choose to put some items on the back burner when the holiday season rolls around. Now is the time to make some progress – so none of your projects and priorities get over-cooked.
Seamlessly transitioning in L.A.,
Jamee