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How to EASE Back Into Routine

Ease into fall with a back to school routine

For many children around the country (and their parents) school will be starting back up again at the end of August or beginning of September.  It’s hard to believe that is just a couple of weeks away.    Are you ready to jump back into your day-to-day routines?  In this blog post we’ll provide you with 7 simple tips on how to make the transistion from a loose summer schedule back into a more structured one for the fall without too much shock to your system.  To take away some of the shock, the best way to do this is gradually…for example, try applying these tips over the last two weeks in August.

1. Establish a reasonable bedtime.  What time will you be going to bed when school or your regular work schedule starts back up in the fall?  I know it can be really challenging to go to bed early in the summer, but it will help your body prepare for the upcoming school year.  You don’t want to start off the school year exhausted, do you? Try moving your bedtime, and your children’s bedtime earlier by 15 minutes a night until you’ve landed at the time that makes sense for you considering the early hour at which you’ll be expected to rise on a regular basis in the near future.

2. Set your alarm and wake up earlier than you have been.  You can do this gradually if you need to as well.  For those high school students out there that have been sleeping in until 11am every day this summer, you may want to try waking up at 10am for a few days, then 9am, then 8am, etc.  You get the picture.  If you don’t take the time to ease into your routine, the start of the school year may be a brutal awakening for you!

3.  Start laying out your clothes each night before bed.  This is very helpful, especially for those with young kids that often have hectic mornings and for those that are indecisive.  By laying out your clothes the night before, you will save time in the morning to spend on more important things like eating breakfast.

4.  Start getting in the habit of keeping a schedule and making “to-do” lists.  Keeping a schedule is crucial in school to stay on top of homework, tests, etc.  Be sure to include all of your activities in your schedule and block off time for homework. Use a school provided planner, a store-bought planner, or a computer-based planner to track your activities, appointments, committments and tasks. I’m often asked, “which planner is the best to use – paper or electronic, simple or complex, etc.”. My response is always the same, “The ONE you will USE!”

5.  Create a list of lunch items and healthy snacks that you can have stocked in your pantry and fridge for when school starts.  This will make grocery shopping easy.

6.  Make sure your work space or study zone is clear of clutter and organized for the upcoming school year.  It’s time to purge last year’s math homework and start this year off with a blank slate.  More ideas on how to create the perfect study zone coming soon!

7.  Before you go back-to-school shopping for clothes and/or supplies, take an inventory of what you already have.  The end of summer is a great time to go through your room and purge some toys, clothes, etc.  Make a detailed list of exactly what you need before you go shopping.  This will save you both time and money.  Stay tuned for  upcoming blog posts on cleaning out your kids’ rooms and check out our post from last week on back-to-school shopping for more great tips.

We hope these 7 simple tips will help your transition from summer to school/work a smooth one! Let us know which was your favorite or what you do to EASE back into Routine. We’d love to hear from you.

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