Archive for the ‘School’ category

Get Ready for Back to School

August 1st, 2012

It’s the most dreaded part of summer – going back to school. Whether you’re a student or the parent of a student, some advanced planning can help make the transition from summer fun to school-ready less frenzied and more enjoyable. Here are some tips to get the school year off to a great start.

Set up a location for incoming papers. Rather than having them get buried at the bottom of  a backpack or spread randomly throughout your home, designate a specific place for your student to deposit school papers until you have time to go through them. Consider putting an inbox on a seldom-used section of your kitchen counter, or near the door through which you typically enter your home. Set up this paperwork depository now, before the paperwork onslaught begins.

Make time each day for school work. Academic homework isn’t the only assignment that will need to be completed each day during the school year– you’ll have to make time to go through that inbox of school papers. They key is to process each paper as you handle it – sign the permission slip, write the check for the field trip, review the school work and decide which papers you’ll keep, etc. Practice being decisive and deliberate with your mail so you’ll be ready to efficiently handle school papers. In addition, put reminders in your planner now to go through the paperwork each day. If you keep up with the inflow, you won’t miss any important deadlines.

Get into a school bedtime routine. Don’t wait for school to start before you begin a bedtime routine. Start now getting your kids (and yourself) to bed at whatever time will allow them (and you) to get adequate sleep. You all need these extra few weeks to get your bodies conditioned to a new sleep pattern. Also, your kids won’t necessarily view an earlier bedtime as a school-related punishment if you start the routine well before the school year has begun.

Here’s a link to my newsletter where you can read more about  how to simplify the return to school. I’d love to hear any tips you have to make going back to school easier on yourself and your family.

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

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Back to School Made Simple

August 1st, 2011

As the carefree days of summer wind down, it’s time to start thinking about sending the kids back to school (or if you’re a frazzled parent or caregiver, maybe you’ve been thinking about it for a while now!). As much as you may welcome the arrival of the school year, it can be a hectic and stressful time. Whether your kids are in preschool or headed off to college, advanced planning and preparation can reduce everyone’s anxiety level and make school days run more smoothly. This month’s newsletter offers some ideas to help with the transition.

Start the school-year bedtime routine now. After a few months of being off schedule, it will take a few weeks to ease back into it.

Take advantage of back-to-school sales for clothing, school supplies and dorm room necessities. Before you shop, however, review the items you already have (remember where you stashed the things you bought throughout the year). Make a list of what you need to buy and stick to your list – don’t add clutter to your life and stress to your financial situation by buying things simply because they’re on sale.

Make checklists to simplify routines. Rather than nagging your kids to do this and do that, help them create a checklist that includes all the activities that will get them out the door on time in the morning, get after-school chores completed, and get to bed on time. Get them in the habit of checking off items on their list (using a pen or pencil, not just checking it off in their head). Some examples of things to include on the list are: empty backpack, make lunch, pack for extracurricular activities, etc. Customize each child’s list by adding or deleting tasks that are relevant specifically to them. Once the list is in place, you should find that your mornings run more smoothly and everyone gets out the door on a positive note. My APPLES Resource Guide includes an out-the-door checklist for students as well as a college packing list. Use the Coupon Code “August” to save 15% on your copy.

Here’s a  link to my newsletter where you’ll find additional ideas to help you get ready for the school year.

I’d love to hear any ideas you have to make the back-to-school transition run smoothly. Here’s to a great school year!

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,

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Manage Your Notes

May 23rd, 2011

Paper scrapsWhether you take notes on scraps of paper, in your planner, or in a notebook, they can pile up quickly. Notes may result from attending a meeting, taking a class, having a phone conversation or engaging in a face-to-face conversation. No matter what the source of the notes, it’s important to have a system to process them after you’ve taken them; otherwise they’ll simply become random bits of information looking for a home.

Designate a single place for note-taking. Wouldn’t it be great to have one place where you know you’ll find the information you’ve jotted down? It sure would beat searching through random piles and scraps of paper. Choose a single notebook or notepad, your planner, or even an electronic tool as your go-to note-taking destination. Don’t keep multiple pads of paper, sticky notes, envelopes or paper napkins on your desk if you’re tempted to write on whatever’s within reach. I’ve spent many hours helping my clients sort through their jumbled piles of scrap paper trying to pull out what’s important  I like to use a yellow notepad for taking notes – the yellow stands out in case the pages get mixed in (ahem) with other papers on my desk.

Have a purpose in mind for taking the notes. Are you taking notes to record a conversation for future reference, capture some new information you’ve learned, document the outcome of a meeting, or just to keep your hands busy? When you know why you’re taking the notes, you can be more discerning about what you write down.

Review your notes. Read through them to make sure you can read them (this is especially important if your handwriting isn’t so great, or if you tend to use abbreviations you can’t always decipher). Keeping the purpose for taking the notes in mind, determine if what you’ve written meets your needs or if you need to fill in some missing information.

Identify the next action you need to take with the notes. Once you’ve finished the conversation, class, conference, meeting, etc., ask yourself what you need to do next with that information. Do you need to take action, or can you just file them away for future reference. Better yet, can you toss the notes because you won’t need them again, or because the information is available from another source? I keep notes about projects, topics, clients, etc. in appropriately labeled file folders with other information on that topic. If an action is needed, I draw a square next to that line item in my notes so I can quickly identify any open action items. I then write the required action on my master to-do list or in my planner so nothing slips through the cracks.

I’d love to hear about your note-taking system.

Wishing you simplicity, harmony and freedom,Signature Sue

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Get Organized for a Successful School Year

September 8th, 2010

Organized studentNow that school is back in session, most parents I know are relieved to have the routine of school back in their lives. However, along with the routine come loads of activities that can make most already-busy parents feel overwhelmed and overburdened. If you find yourself constantly on the go and struggling to stay on top of things, the following tips can help you regain control of the hectic school year:

Create a family calendar – paper or electronic – and have everyone note all of their activities on it. You can use something like a medical appointment book or a teacher’s lesson plan book to create a separate column for each person, or a regular monthly calendar and use separate colors for each person.   

Have weekly family meetings to review schedules, to make sure everyone is on top of what’s going on that week, and to make sure everyone has transportation to their various activities. Sundays might be a good day for this – before the chaos of work and school kicks in for that week. 

    Create an out-the-door checklist for each child using words and/or pictures of everything they need to do in the morning to get out the door without too much hassle. Include such things as “brush teeth”, “lunch in backpack”, “bring band instrument”, etc. My APPLES Resource Guide includes just such a checklist.

    Create a family information binder that contains all pertinent information for managing the kids’ activities: sports schedules, team directories, emergency contact information, school contact information, etc. Keep the binder in an easy-to-reach spot where all family members can find it.

    Consider limiting each child to 1 extra-curricular activity at a time. For example, if they want to play football, they can’t also play hockey in the fall. Not only will this make life less hectic for you, but it will allow your kids to have some unstructured time in what is typically an overscheduled life. 

What techniques have you found helpful to keep your student and self organized for school?

Best wishes to you and your student(s) for a successful, organized school year,

Signature Sue

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