Back-to-School: 8 Tips to Help You Plan Ahead and Reduce the Morning Stress

I know this post is a bit of repeat but it's back just in time for Back-to-School! For more Work for Me ideas, visit We Are THAT Family.

Think for a moment how your family starts off the day. How would you describe the mornings in your household once school starts? Do they tend to be calm and peaceful or rushed and stressful -or, somewhere in the middle?

I found that planning ahead really helps to curb the morning madness. This month, I'm sharing 8 quick ideas to help make your mornings less of production for you and your family.

1. Give yourself time to get up and ready to go before the children need to be up, even if it's just 15-30 minutes before the kids. I find that when I do this, I am more relaxed and able to focus on helping my children. The day is more likely to start off with conversation rather than prodding and nagging. I also feel better about myself. When I feel good about myself, it has such a positive impact on my day and those around me.

2. Make sure the kids have adequate time to get ready for school without being rushed.

3. Empty the backpacks after school, not in the morning to avoid any last minute surprises.

The Night Before
4. Have your children pick out their clothes for the next day. Make this part of their bedtime routine.

5. Make sure the backpacks and school supplies are ready to go near the door. Maybe even the shoes and jackets, too. In the winter I get all the snow gear get out and ready to go as well. What about the lunches? Can they be made ahead of time? Does money need to go to school to pay for hot lunch?

6. Determine the breakfast menu and set the bowls and cereal out after dinner. A healthy breakfast really adds a positive start to your child's day.

7. Develop a bedtime routine that works for your family and stick to it the best you can.

8. Double check your calendar, including the car pool schedule and after school activities. Think about what tasks or errands you want to accomplish the next day. I'm not talking about a major to-do list but maybe 2-4 items, or maybe just one part of a major project.

Don't Forget!
Another part of planning ahead is getting the school activities on your calendar or planner. This includes the school calendar for the year, any sports, activities, scouting schedules, etc. You can use a wall calendar, a personal planner or computer, but try to limit it to one.

I like to use Outlook on my computer. At the start of each week I print the 7-day view and post it on my refrigerator so everyone in the family knows what's going on. I tend to color-code activities by type of event (personal or child-related). You might want to color-code by member of the household.

Do you want ideas for organizing, displaying and maintaining your child's school papers and artwork? When you order my Tickler File System , I'll also send you my popular e-book, Maintaining Childhood Treasures: A Mom's Guide to Organizing School Papers and Artwork!

Is This Missing From Your Summer Calendar?

Me Time!!!

Taking a little time for yourself will allow you to give more to your children and family. This means doing something just for you that you enjoy.

You may give yourself the time to read a good book, work on a favorite hobby, exercise, or have a cup of coffee with friends. You could make a date with your spouse, join a Bible study group, get a massage, or spend some quiet time alone.

If we want to be the best we can be in our roles as parents, co-workers, spouses, friends, and members of the community, we must remember to also take time for ourselves.

What's top on "Me Time" list? Reading, going for walks, and getting together with good friends. How about you?

Focused and Balanced: 4 Great Ideas for the New Year!

Are you looking to make some changes this year? Hoping to feel more balanced? Wishing you could be less busy? Do you want more time for those things that are most important to you? Don't spend your time hoping and wishing; take action!

Look back. Take time, even if it's just 10 minutes, to look back to 2009. Write down your excitements, accomplishments, your frustrations and your letdowns. Now make a list of everything you would like to do or improve upon in 2010. There is no wrong answer here; allow your thoughts to spill out onto the paper (or computer screen). Pick one or two of the most important areas you would like to work on in the coming year.

Think ahead. In other words, plan ahead as much as you can. I believe this is one of a mom's most useful strategies. For example, plan your meals out for the week and then make your shopping list. Take time to plan your next day the night before. Planning also includes grouping like activities and tasks together to make the most of your time. For example, it makes sense to do all your errands on the same day.

How you spend your time will be determined by your priorities not your availability. Too often we forget to look at what is truly important to us and our families before we add another thing to our already busy calendars. Take the time to reflect on what matters most to you and your family. Ask, "Do these requests of my/our time fit with my/our priorities? If the answer is no, it probably doesn't belong on your calendar.

Don't overload your calendar. When we over-commit ourselves and our time, the results can be counter-productive. Busyness leads to stress, frustration, and fatigue (mentally, physically and emotionally!). Be sure to include down time on your calendar. Actually write it down like you are setting an appointment with yourself. If a request of your time comes up during that "free" time, simply say, "I'm sorry, that's not going to work for me."

You can feel more balanced and focus on the important stuff. Now is the time to make those changes. It starts with a commitment from you.

If you are determined to be focused and balanced in 2010, check out my Making Time for What's Important Home Study Program.

Countdown to Christmas: Get Your Calendar into Shape

Preparation Week

It's time to take a look at the calendar. This is so helpful in planning because it helps you get sense of how much time you really have to do the all the things you want to do for this Holiday Season.

1. Grab your calendar or planner and take a look at November and December. Or, you can print my November and December 2009 Countdown to Christmas Planning Sheets and keep them organized with your own personal Holiday or Christmas folder or binder as I talked about HERE.


2. Make sure you have upcoming events on your calendar, such as church programs, children's' school programs, parties and gatherings, cookie exchanges, planned shopping dates, etc.
   
3. Now think about the tasks you would like to do such as send out cards and packages, get the carpets cleaned, get haircuts for the kids, take a family photo, etc. Make a list of appointments that you have to make and once those are confirmed, enter them on your calendar. Book your babysitters now!!


4. If you are using your own calendar or planner, enter my Countdown to Christmas topics for each week. If you are using my planning sheets, they are already printed for you.


5. Take a look at the empty spaces you have left on your calendar. Is it enough for all those Holiday things you want to do? Make sure you have time for the most important ones, the rest is extra. Review what you wrote for you have-to-do traditions on the Holiday Values and Traditions Worksheet. If you skipped this step, go back and do it.
   

What Cleaning Routine Works for You?

Cleaning the house. It's one of those jobs that is never done. NEVER. Just like laundry.

Are you looking for some ideas and tools to help you stay on top of this never-ending chore? There are so many different approaches to take. What will work for you will depend on your preferences, schedule and family.

Here some ideas that come to mind:

1. Routines: Create a schedule to tackle the various house cleaning chores. Do a little each day or all of it in one marathon cleaning spree.


2. Daily Maintenance: The clean-as-you go approach.


3. Get the Family Involved: Each member of the household is responsible for specific tasks. Here's a sample of a Simple Chore Chart for Kids - It's what I'm currently using.


4. Make it "Fun!": Here's an idea my mom used when I was growing up. She would make a list of chores, cut the list into strips of papers and each family member randomly picked a task from a hat. Of course my brother and I didn't think it was that fun. Put on some fun music and have a reward for the family when everything is done.

The theme for today over at We Are THAT Family is Cleaning Tips. Check out the other great ideas today!

9 Quick Tips for Reducing the Morning Stress! .....September Newsletter Article

Think for a moment how your family starts off the day. How would you describe the mornings in your household? Do they tend to be calm and peaceful or rushed and stressful -or, somewhere in the middle? I found that planning ahead really helps to curb the morning madness. Here are nine quick ideas to help make your mornings less of production for you and your family.

Tip #1: Get up 15-30 minutes before the kids. Give yourself time to get up and ready to go before the children need to be up. I find that when I do this I am more relaxed and able to focus on helping my children. The day is more likely to start off with conversation rather than prodding and nagging. I also feel better about myself. When I feel good about myself, it has such a positive impact on my day!

Tip #2: Make sure the kids have adequate time to get ready for school without being rushed. Note how much time it takes them to complete all their necessary morning tasks and chores. Ideally, I like to have a 15 minute cushion of downtime before they walk out the door.

Tip #3: Have the kids empty their backpacks after school, not the next morning, to avoid any last minute surprises. Designate a drop-off spot for school papers, notes or permission slips that you need to see.

The Night Before
Tip #4: Have your children layout their clothes they want to wear the next day. Make this simple step a part of their bedtime routine.

Tip #5: Make sure the backpacks and school supplies are ready to go near the door. Maybe even the shoes and jackets, too. During the winter month, I get all the snow gear out and ready to go.

Tip #6: What about the lunches? Can they be made ahead of time? Does money need to go to school to pay for hot lunch?

Tip #7: Determine the breakfast menu and set the bowls and cereal out after dinner.

Tip #8: Develop a bedtime routine that works for your family and stick to it the best you can. A rested child is able to focus and learn better than a tired one. Tip #9: Double check your calendar, including the car pool schedule. What tasks do you want to accomplish the next day?

Back-To-School Routines

Making that back-to-school transition can be tough. Getting the kids (and myself) back into the routine before school starts works for me. For more Works-for-Me Ideas, visit We Are THAT Family.

I found that it's helpful to break it down and look at all the mini routines. For example:

1. Bedtime: Start the bedtime routine about two weeks prior to the first day of school. The body takes time to adjust and helping your kids get back on track ahead of time will allow them to be more focused and less physically stressed once school starts.


2. Morning: What do you want your children to accomplish before they head off to school for the day? How much time do they need to complete all the tasks without being rushed? Now is the time to figure that out in case you have to adjust the wake-up time. I like to have a cushion of time so the kids can play a bit before heading out the door.


3. Chores: What tasks and chores can your kids do around the house on a regular basis? Perhaps start a chore chart prior to school to get them into the swing of things before other new activities start.

Your family might consider having a family meeting so you can talk with your kids about the routines and expectations during the school year. Take this time to discuss interests or extra activities the kids will participating in during the fall as well. Is it all realistic for your family and for the ages of your children? Will they have time for homework, playing with friends, and good old down-time?

If you are determined to start this school year off right, join me for my complementary teleclass, Prepared, Organized and Focused: 7 Great Back-to-School Tips for Moms to Start the Year off Right! as I share the top seven tips that will help you get focused, organized and ease the stress during this busy time and beyond.

Don't Answer The Phone

Got stuff you want to get done around the house and your determined? Don't answer the phone! This interruption can get you off track. If you need to answer, keep the time to a minimum. Just kindly ask the caller if it would be OK if you give them a call later because you are right in the middle of something that needs your attention.

Oh yeah, resist the urge to "quick check" your email, Facebook and Twitter, too.

Getting Stuff Done

What time of day are your mental and physical energies high? If possible, use that time for completing your most important projects and tasks.

I find that I am most productive in the morning and though I hate dragging myself out of bed before the kids, I do it when I have things I want to get done and out of the way. Most of the time it gives me a lot of motivation for the rest of the day.

Please understand that I don't think the goal is to cram in as much as you can during your day. Busyness in itself is not a healthily goal. I find that having a general idea of what tasks I would like to accomplish for the next day gives me direction. If I have a never-ending and unrealistic to-do list, I end up feeling stressed out and exhausted. I'm not happy and my family is not happy.

For more Works-For-Me ideas, visit We Are THAT Family.

Stay Balanced: When to Say Yes or No

I have posted about this before and make sure to talk about it during my workshops, teleclasses and with my clients. Taking the step to be mindful of your priorities before you say yes or no to a request of your time is something I feel passionate about.

Your decision to get involved in various activities and commitments should not just based on availability, but also if the activity is congruent with your personal priorities and goals.

Possible areas to think about are:

-Family

-Self

-Career

-Spirituality/Faith

-Community

-Friendships

-Finances

-Home

Think about the areas which are important to you and maybe even rank them. What goals do you have in each area of your life? Are you happy in those areas that are most important to you? If not, what can you start to change today?

Taking the time think about these items will help you as you decide what you do and don’t want on your schedule. For example, if it is a goal to have more down-time for yourself and family, you should make sure you know how that is going to happen, be mindful of the activities you put into your free slots. As your life and focuses evolve, go back are re-evaluate.

For more Works-For-Me ideas and tips, visit We Are THAT Family.

Making Time for What's Important

Are you feeling like you're super busy, but nothing gets done and you never have time for you really want to be doing? You're not alone.

What if you looked at time in a different way? Instead of starting with your schedule and trying to cram as much as you can into it, start with identifying your priorities first. What is it that you really want time for? What is most important to you and your family? What matters the most? Look at the big picture.

Make room for those priorities in your schedule FIRST. Making time for what's important works for me. For more Works-For-Me ideas, visit We Are THAT Family.

February is Time Management Month: My Favorite Time-Saving Tip

Routines work for me and help make my life easier and less stressful! For more Works-For-Me Idea, jump over to Rocks In My Dryer.

I've talked about routines in the past and I think this time organizing tip is one worth revisiting. It's about picking a day or time of day to do recurring tasks or activities.

By doing this you take control and decide, based on what works best of you and your schedule, when you want to get stuff done. It's all about having a game plan. Of course that plan can always be done away with when you are a mother, but I find it's helpful to start with one; you can always adjust as needed.

Here are some examples:

• Meal planning for the week on Sunday night and shopping on Monday.


• Paying the bills every Thursday or on the 15th and 30th of each month.


• Washing 1 load of laundry everyday or all of it on Wednesdays.


• Planning your next day the night before or first thing in the morning.
• Devotional and prayer time in the morning.


• Checking email at the kids' nap time and after the kids go to bed.


• Returning phone calls between 9 and 10 a.m.


• Vacuuming on Mondays, dusting on Tuesdays, and washing the floors on Wednesday.


• Starting meal prep 1 hour prior to dinner time.


• Opening and sorting the mail everyday after dinner.


• Filing your "to file" pile the same day every week.


• Waking up 30 - 60 minutes before the kids to get yourself ready for the day.


• Exercising on Tuesday and Thursday mornings.


• Eating out with the family on Thursday nights.


• Blogging on Monday, Wednesdays and Fridays for 45 minutes.
• Run all your errands on the same day(s).

Steps to Help You With Your Routines:

1. Make a list of those recurring activities that you do on a regular basis.
2. Have you calendar close by to consult.
3. Sketch out your weekly routines. To start out, you may want to actually write your routines on paper or your calendar-it's like setting appointments with yourself. You are purposely giving yourself time to do a task that needs to get done. Flexibility is a must -it's not about scheduling your every waking moment.

Remember, it's also not about cramming more and more into your schedule, it's about making the most of your time so you have time for what's important to you. Don't forget to allow for some down-time in your schedule, too! Balance is important!

What are some of your routines that work for you? Share them with us!

The Morning Rush: 9 Tips to Reduce the Stress

I originally wrote this post in the fall for my Back to School Series. Now that we are in the middle of winter, it seems the morning madness is creeping back at our house. I am reminded to go back to those routines that work for me. For more Works-for-Me-Wednesday Ideas, stop by Rocks in my Dryer.

How does your family start their day off? How would you describe your mornings? Do they tend to be calm and peaceful or rushed and stressful? If you said the latter, here are some tips that might help make the mornings less of production for you and your family.

1. Have your children layout their clothes the night before.


2. Make sure the backpacks and school supplies are ready to go near the door.


3. Determine the breakfast menu and set the bowls and cereal out after dinner.


4. Give yourself time to get up and ready before the children need to be up.


5. Make sure the kids have adequate time to get ready for school without being rushed.


6. Develop a bedtime routine that works for your family and stick to it.


7. Empty the backpacks after school, not in the morning to avoid any last minute surprises.


8. Double check your calendar, including the car pool schedule, the night before.


9. Help your children to learn how to manage their own schedule. An important goal for me as a parent is to help my children become independent and responsible. I believe consistent routines help with this.

Once you feel your child is able (about age 5-7), create a check-list of tasks they must complete in the morning in order to walk out the door and be off to school on time. As parent, be there to help, teach, and support. Remember, perfectionism is NOT the goal.

The Art of Delegation: Sending Your Husband to the Store

My dear friend shared her story with me and I asked if she wouldn't mind if I used it for a blog post. To protect her identity, I'll call her Sally.

Sally wrote "One of the main reasons I like to shop with DH (Dear Husband) (even at Sam's Club, which is usually "his" task) is because I can make a list as generic as I want and I know what exactly what I need."

For example, my list usually looks like this:

• toothpaste
• downy
• cheese
• summer sausage
• tortilla chips

When DH goes to Sam's, the list becomes this:

• toothpaste (crest, regular paste or mint - not whitening or extra care)
• downy (regular, no fancy scent)
• cheese (block cheddar)
• summer sausage (Klements or Johnsonville or another big brand; refrigerated, not the stuff on the shelf)
• chips - this is the only one he understands

Sally goes on to say, "I should just be thankful he's doing this shopping right? I just laugh about it, really. I'm not upset."

A tip that I share with busy moms is to delegate when you can. What tasks can you give to someone else to do? Are there tasks someone in the household can do? Are there tasks that you can delegate to someone outside of the household (lawn care, snow removal, house cleaning, etc)? Delegation can lighten your load, freeing your time to spend it on those things that are most important to you.

Here are a few tips for successful delegation:

1. Ask and be positive.
2. Show respect and appreciation.
3. Be specific and give clear expectations (Sally did a good job with this one!).
4. Be sure to say thank you.

Another thought I have about delegation is that when you hand over a task to someone else, you are giving up control. The kids might not fold the clothes just like you like or your husband might not put the dishes in the dishwasher the same way you do, but it's OK. (I write this a reminder to myself). If you are paying someone to do a task, then yes, the expectations are higher, but when it's family, pick your battles - and say thank you!

Distractions: Did You Know?

According to a recent study, it take an individual on average, 23 minutes to get back to a task after an interruption?

No wonder moms often feel like they are busy all day but don't always feel they get stuff done. Can you relate? What do you do to cut down on the interruptions?

Last Minute Stress?

Are you feeling that anxiety and last minutes stress with Christmas just days away? Visions of things to do running through your head?

When I feel this way, I like to get all of those energy draining thoughts out of my head and onto paper. This lets me see what deserves my attention and what needs to go (including those useless thoughts that are contributing to worry)

During my last teleclass, Making Time for What's Important, I shared one of my most favorite organizing tools. It's called a Mind Map and I'd like to share it with you.

A mind map is a great way to get your thoughts out of your head and onto paper. Use a mind map when you are working on your goals, projects, planning your day, making a to do list – anything!

Simple Steps

Step 1: Inside the circle in the middle of the page, write your project or goal.

Step 2: Use the lines or branches going out from the circle to write down your main ideas. Write only one idea per line.

Step 3: Draw sub-branches off the main branches for each idea or thought you have for the main idea. Write only one idea per line.

Holiday Time Saving Tips

Here are my five favorite time-saving tips for the holidays.........

1. Take advantage of charity gift-wrap stations at stores and malls. You will save time, eliminate some stress and at the same time you will be giving to a worthy cause.
   
2. If you are hosting a dinner, set the table the night before.
   
3. Have guests bring their favorite holiday dish to share.


4. Set out your and your children’s outfits the night before.
   
5. Lower your expectation of a "perfect" holiday season. Enjoy the time with your loved ones. Remember what is important to you and your family. Your children and family will most likely remember the time spent together as a family, not that your house was spotless and the table set perfectly.

Clutter-Free Gift Ideas: Time

Clutter-free gift giving works for me! Check out more Works-For-Me ideas!

Tired of giving stuff? You can make the move away from the "materialistic focus" of gift-giving to a "love focus" with clutter-free gift giving.

Clutter-free gift (CFG) giving is the act of gifting items that do not add more stuff (often unneeded) to the recipient's' homes. Many CFGs also let the person know you were truly thinking about their likes, passions and interests.

I offered these 5 areas to think about: Experiences, Donations, Time, Consumables, and Expressions of your love and gratitude.

Moving down the list, today I will be sharing 5 great CFG ideas related to time..

1. Volunteer your time at a soup kitchen.
   
2. Offer to help wrap presents for your family and friends.


3. Surprise a busy mom by offering to watch her children so she is can have an afternoon to herself.


4. Set up a day for your friends to finish their holiday shopping and preparations while you watch their children (see example below).


5. Offer to provide transportation for someone who is unable to drive them self so they can do their weekly shopping, errands or appointments.

Because it's a little tricky to wrap time in a box, you can get creative with how you present such gifts. For example, letters, cards, or coupon booklets work well. Here's an example of a letter I sent to three of our dear friends just last week.

Please share your time gift ideas! More clutter-free gift ideas to come.........

Holiday Meal Planning and Shopping

One way to curb the extra stress and spending during the holidays is to plan and prepare ahead of time. Here's just a few easy tips:

1. Take out your calendar and make a list of all the gatherings you will be going to or hosting.


2. Write out your holiday menus and make a complete shopping list for each occasion. If I am going to multiple gatherings ask for contributions, I try to take the same thing to each-that way I can make large batches of the recipe all at once or buy the non-perishable items all at once.


3. Don't forget to set a budget for your food shopping, too.


4. If you are hosting, ask each guest to bring their favorite. You can keep track of who's bringing what, but tend not to do this. I'm happy with whatever arrives and very rarely do we get duplicates.

Clarky Davis, the Debt Diva has great planning pages on budgeting, holiday menus and grocery shopping, Black Friday shopping and gift tracking that you can download. Thanks to Arlice at a Woman'$ Worth who posted about this on her blog.

November's Give Away! Time

For my second-ever give away, I have decided to give the gift of time. Great clutter-free gift, right?

I am giving away two complementary registrations ($29 value) to my next teleclass, Making Time for What's Important, taking place on Thursday, November 13 at 8pm Eastern/ 7pm Central.

Two lucky winners will learn the secrets to:

• Having more free time to spend with your family and friends
  
• Being more efficient so you can spend less time on household tasks and more time doing those things you really want to be doing
  
• Achieving the balance in your life you desire

Find out more about the class here.

All you have to do is sign up for my monthly newsletter (see sign up box on right) and then contact me to let me know you would like to be entered in the Teleclass Give-Away.

The deadline to enter is Wednesday, November 12th at 3pm Eastern/2 pm Central. I will put all the names in a hat and draw two winners. If you win, I will notify you by email and send you the teleclass information, class handouts and forms no later than 6pm central that day.

PS. Even if you can't make the call, when you register for the class, you will receive all the information and the down-loadable recording of the class. Take the class when it's convenient for you! Register today at Making Time for What's Important.