Olivia Dreizen Howell has spent the summer running her online business, Fresh Starts Registry, from her Long Island home while caring for her two sons. At ages 9 and 7, they are full of energy.
“So many times,” Howell said, “I’ll be on a radio interview that’s live and my kids are banging on the door asking for string cheese.”
Howell isn’t wishing her final weeks of summer away, but she’s eagerly anticipating the moment when classes begin and her kids are occupied all day on a predictable schedule.
Summer can be difficult for the growing community of parents who now work partly or fully from home. And experts say that just like kids, adults can benefit from the energy and new possibilities that the start of the school year brings.
Especially if they do some planning.
Desiree Martinez, a marketing consultant for small businesses and a mother of two young kids in Ann Arbor, Michigan, said parents should aim to harness the fall’s momentum, and not let any time that’s opened up get away from them.
The back-to-school season can fill up quickly, especially for working parents who shuttle kids to practices and events, said Martinez, who has been helping clients prepare for the first day of school.
“What happens to us mentally is that it’s Labor Day, then back to school, and Halloween, Thanksgiving, and suddenly it’s Christmas break,” she says. “You kind of don’t get a chance to breathe. And so if you don’t have the right plan in place, it can be to your detriment.”
So what might that plan look like? How can parents use the final weeks of summer wisely?
GET CLEAR ON PRIORITIES – INCLUDING YOUR OWN
Rachel Brenke, who runs her own law practice and coaches other entrepreneurs on keeping a healthy work-life balance, suggests sitting down now to make a list that includes all family members. What are each person’s commitments and top priorities for…
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