Back to school is quickly approaching, and I have had a ton of people reach out to me asking ALL the questions. I get it, things will be different this year for BTS, but if you read our blog last week, I touched on a few things you can do to prepare. If you haven't, start there and come back to this one! 

Tell me if this has happened to you: You're eating lunch and already having a conversation about what's for dinner! Sound familiar? We often get so caught up on the GO GO GO or the PLAN PLAN PLAN that being present and "in the moment” takes a back seat. Especially now, with all the uncertainty that is swirling around us, it’s easy to make future-thinking instead of present-thinking our daily norm. 

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I really felt the need to get away. We drove to the river 20-30 minutes away from our house. It was a beautiful day, and the kids were happily playing. I was finally able to relax with my iced tea in hand, and the weather was gorgeous. After we sat down, I immediately turned to my husband and asked, "What should we do for your friend's birthday next week? Any gift ideas? How about next weekend? Do we have anything planned?" He looked at me and said “You're already talking about next week? We just got here, and it's not easy with kids. Can't we just enjoy this moment?”

He was right! There I was thinking about what was next and not taking in the glorious moment we were having as a family. Why couldn't I enjoy that very moment as it was happening?

The same thing happened this weekend. We were at the beach, having a socially-distanced playdate with another family. My friend and I were chatting (six feet apart) and the topic of conversation was most definitely what we are going to do about keeping our kids socialized and educated this year while keeping them safe. We went on and on for thirty minutes about our worries and our potential plans before we stopped, looked at eachother, and said, “Well, this business meeting could have happened on Zoom instead of at this amazing location, don’t you think?” 

There we were, in a location that could have provided peace and relaxation, on a beach we had spent weeks preparing to get to, and we hadn’t enjoyed the view or the breeze or the sun one iota. Sure, it was important to spend some time getting real about our emotions and stressors with each other, but we missed out on an opportunity to be present, as well. We let our brains stay in go mode. 

Here’s what I mean: Our brains have two modes: go mode or slow mode. When we're more present for even a few moments, it slows us down, and helps us be more efficient when we do need to hit the “let’s go” button. When we take a pause, it actually (though ironically) helps us get things done more efficiently and effectively in the end.

Let’s be real, as moms we wear a lot of hats, but I bet if you set aside some FOCUSED time you could complete way more of the tasks on your to-do list more quickly, tasks like paying bills, booking doctor's appointments, etc. Give yourself 1-2 minutes to write down 5 things you need to accomplish. Then set a timer for 30 minutes, turn off your phone, go into a quiet space, and hammer them out. When you allocate time for focused work or task completion, instead of dispersing tasks here and there throughout the day and trying to multitask, you’re able to get so much more done. One thing to note is to think about how long these tasks actually will take. 

Speaking of multi-tasking, there really is no such thing. What we’re actually doing when we flit from thing to thing is called task-switching and task-switching is incredibly inefficient. Our brains HATE it. Instead, try your best to single-task. You want to make sure you're single-tasking as much as possible, so you know your time is being spent wisely. Work life, mom life and home life is a juggling act. But if you start to implement FOCUS TASKING, you will finish way more than half doing all the things! 

Back to school, pandemic or not, is always a dance of schedules and running a household. The best way to set yourself up for success, especially with the potential of a virtual classroom, is to lean into both modes of our brains. By staying present, you will get more done and feel more at ease while doing it!

Be present so that your brain can be more efficient when it is flowing through either go mode or slow mode. Create a batch task system and say goodbye to the multitasking that isn't getting you anywhere. And as always, give yourself grace because being a parent is hard, especially with a pandemic.