Fall is definitely here. Not only have the leaves started to change colors and temperatures have dropped, but traffic is heavier mainly due to the numerous school buses and other cars on the road trying to get kids to and from school. There are numerous tips and tricks out there for parents to help ease into a back to school routine with their kids, but what about tips for adults going back to school?
Surprisingly, many of the tips which apply to children can also be transposed to adults in order to ease our way back into school. The key is to get organized and avoid unnecessary stress. Here are three ways to achieve this:
Get Prepared the Night Before
Kids are encouraged to prepare their clothing the night before to avoid unnecessary arguments with their parents in the morning when time is very scarce. While it won’t hurt for you to lay out your clothes at night (I still do), the important factor here is that time can be saved when prepping for your school work as an adult. Once your homework is done, take some additional time to prepare a list of items to work on the next time you have scheduled to do your school work. That way, less time is wasted figuring out what to tackle during your classwork session.
Manage the Quantity of Extra Curricular Activities
Kids are often overloaded with after-school activities, leaving them (and their parents) exhausted once Thanksgiving comes around. Reducing the amount of extra curricular activities for our children will benefit everybody by allowing time to relax. The same goes for our own extra curricular activities. While it is beneficial for adults to have activities outside of (school) work and kids’ activities, having too many will result in increased stress levels or feelings of guilt when relaxing (“Instead of watching tv, I should be doing… instead”). That doesn’t mean that cutting down on extra curricular activities has to be translated into spending all of your freed-up time doing school work either. It should help reduce the sometimes overwhelming feeling that we don’t have a minute to ourselves and that we go from one activity to another.
Unwind Before Bed
It is often recommended to give children a bath before bed in order to transition from a busy day into a quiet night routine. As adults we should also try to transition from day to night. Checking (work) emails or reading a school text book shouldn’t be the last thing you do before turning the lights off. Instead transition your mind from work/school to quiet time by reading a book or a magazine, taking a bath, or any other activity to clear up your mind (ideally a nice evening stroll outside if possible). Having some quiet time will help you get a good nights sleep, which in return will help start the next day on the right foot.
Going back to school can be tough on children (and their parents) after a summer filled with fun and routine-less activities. The same goes for adults returning to school themselves. The keys to starting the school year off on the right foot are organizing your time more effectively by being proactive, as well as by managing those extra curricular activities, and making sure to unwind before going to bed in order to ensure a good nights sleep.
Do you have any helpful tips to share in order to facilitate your back to school routine?
By IdV
Online Learning Tips, Special Contributor
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