Is there a feeling quite like the onset of a new school year for an overall sense of renewal? As kids pick their outfits for that significant first day and parents sit down to arrange fall activities, the months ahead shine with potential. For this reason, many refer to September 1 as the “true New Year.”
However, if we don’t carefully craft our routines for the school year, our aspirations for organized family life can quickly fall apart like a low-quality sweater. An overloaded schedule can lead to frantic drives to get the kids to swimming or hockey on time, often resulting in family dinners consisting of snack crackers and chicken nuggets consumed in the car.
Resolutions for Managing Time
It’s impossible to achieve perfect organization where everything proceeds without complications. Parenting presents numerous unpredictable variables—think pink eye, tantrums, or that professional development day that slipped your mind.
Nevertheless, there are some fundamental strategies and tried-and-true methods that can set you up for success, enhancing the likelihood of smoother sailing.
Be Selective with Activities
Allocate some time to thoughtfully consider how many sports, lessons, and other activities you sign your kids up for. This is arguably the most crucial factor in creating a manageable family life. No organizational tool will help if your schedule is overloaded.
According to Clare Kumar, a productivity coach and mother of two, our schedules often become overburdened. “We keep adding commitments without evaluating what we might need to drop,” she explains. This tendency is especially evident as children delve deeper into a sport they enjoy, leading to an increased time commitment. The issue arises when we fail to reassess whether there’s still room for activities like piano. “It’s simple to lose sight of the bigger picture.”
Prioritize Your Time
As you update your family calendar, remember to include your own activities—be it indoor soccer, yoga, a running group, or a watercolor painting course. “In our conversations about work-life integration, we highlight the importance of adult play; people have forgotten how to engage in play due to time constraints,” Kumar shares.
We can often recall our parents and grandparents enjoying card games, tennis, or golf with friends, or nurturing hobbies like knitting or woodworking. It’s time to reconnect with those passions from our youth—it’s essential for our well-being. It also sets a powerful example for our kids, demonstrating that life isn’t solely about their needs. Signing up for that spin class, scheduling a night out with friends, or planning a date night is not selfish; rather, it shows our kids the value of making time for themselves. This could lead them to prioritize self-care and maintain connections as they grow older.
Plan Your Meals
This may sound familiar, but establishing a meal plan is one of the most effective ways to alleviate weekday pressure. Nobody enjoys waiting in an express checkout line with cranky kids longing for chocolate bars. The chaos of a nightly scramble to prepare dinner can make life feel overwhelming.
Dedicate some time to outline Monday-through-Friday dinners before heading to the grocery store over the weekend. You’ll find it’s well worth the effort—not only will you skip the long lines, but family dinners will provide a valuable opportunity for connection.
“My children are now 13 and 15, and we’ve mostly managed to have dinner together as a family,” Kumar emphasizes. “For one friend, however, breakfast became their priority family meal. They would prepare a cooked breakfast each morning to foster that connection, as evenings with three kids were just too hectic.”
Encourage Independence in Your Kids
In our rush to drive our kids everywhere, many of us overlook the importance of teaching them essential household skills that will serve them in life—and which could also ease your burden at home. Take packing school lunches, for example; even kindergarteners can grab snacks from a low cupboard, while older kids should know how to prepare a full lunch.
In her book Family Whispering (Atria Books, 2014), author Melinda Blau notes that children under three can learn to toss dirty clothes into a hamper or wipe up small spills. Preschoolers can sort laundry and set the table, while kids aged five to seven can make sandwiches and fold laundry. Tweens are typically capable of chopping dinner ingredients and doing their laundry.
“Fostering a team approach to preparing dinner, organizing lunch bags and backpacks, and prepping for the next day is essential. Involve children as much as possible from an early age,” advises Kumar.
