There’s nothing quite like that end of summer feeling when the evenings cool down and you can smell fall in the gentle breeze. The end of summer ushers in a bit of sadness because the carefree days of the season are coming to a close. But the promise of fall helps alleviate that melancholy.
And if they haven’t started already, kids will be heading back to school soon. Remember the fun of buying school supplies as a youngster? This time of the year can be exciting, but it also signals a return to routines. This can be a challenge for young ones and adults alike.
We can avoid the struggle of adjusting to a back-to-school routine by taking a few steps to prepare and you’ll enjoy this season even more.
Outfit Planning
Rather than waiting until Monday morning to pick out your ensemble for the day, try planning it out the night before. It’s hard enough to get the kids to wake up on time, let alone carve out a few minutes to eat breakfast and get ready for your own day to begin. Plus, mornings generally feel rushed because you’re on a deadline to get out of the door and get the kids onto the school bus and then over to the office. Take five minutes the night before to set aside what you and your kiddos want to wear for the next day. You’ll seriously thank yourself in the morning!
Meal Prep
While you’re at it, take another 10 minutes in the evening to put together a decent lunch for your day. You may not feel like figuring out what to eat for tomorrow, but doing so will help you avoid the pitfalls of not having a lunch picked out.
Of course, your kiddos may be able to buy school lunch. But not every adult has an in-office cafeteria, meaning you either forgo lunch--not a great idea--or you have to rush over to a fast-food place to scarf down something vaguely resembling food. Planning lunch ahead of time can help you avoid eating bad food or starving all day long.
Go to Bed
Watching just one more episode of your favorite series on Netflix late at night can be so tempting. Pretty soon, one episode leads to another and another and sure enough, it’s midnight and you finished the whole season. And it always sounds like a good idea at the time. Until your alarm goes off in the morning and you seriously regret your binge-watching idea.
Aim for seven or more hours of sleep if you can, then give yourself a bedtime, just like you do for your kids. While it might not feel very fun, your day will go so much better when you all get the right amount of shut-eye.
Choose Your Alarm Wisely
Hitting the snooze button once your alarm clock starts blaring can be all too tempting. Except you can easily fall into the trap of repeatedly hitting snooze just to doze off for a few moments and be rudely awakened--again--by that darn alarm clock.
On the flip side, some people try to grab as much sleep as they possibly can and set an alarm that doesn’t even give them time to fully wake up, let alone eat breakfast or drop the kids off at the bus stop.
Go for a happy medium and set your alarm so you have enough time to get ready without a mad rush, yet not so much time that you feel free to hit snooze nine times in a row.
Blockchain Goes Academic
In this back-to-school season, more and more useful technologies are cropping up. Blockchain is even getting used by some schools, interestingly enough. In addition to its uses in record-keeping, some educators are giving cryptocurrency to students as a way to incentivize them to do well.
A Better Back to School Season
Employing some of these tips as you and your family get back into your fall routines can really help smooth things out. And who knows, you just might hear more about blockchain as we enter this back-to-school season.
