Whether you have kids or not, back-to-school season is a shift into high gear.
Back-to-school season brings chaos upon everyone—parents or not. That’s because the back-to-school season is really about the end of summer—a season in which things tend to be just a little bit slower and gentler—and a shift into high gear as we speed toward the year’s final quarter. This episode offers strategies relevant for everyone striving to pull some of summer’s ease through to the fall season.
Modern Mentor is hosted by Rachel Cooke. A transcript is available at Simplecast.
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Hey, it’s Rachel Cooke, your Modern Mentor. I founded Lead Above Noise in 2014 to help companies retain, engage, and develop their talent. Because talent is the key to workplace success and I love showing up each week to share some of my insights with you. Which brings us to today.
Today we’re gonna talk about some survival skills we can all use to manage through the chaos of the back-to-school season. Because parents or not, we all feel the whiplash-worthy shift from summer into fall.
Fun random Rachel fact. I don’t do horror movies. They scare the living daylights out of me. Even the ‘80s ones where the blood looks like melted jello. I just can’t handle the jump scares—you know, those moments when the bad guy leaps out and does the scary thing. And it’s kind of ridiculous because I always know it’s coming. But still, it triggers the sweats and the shakes, so I stick to romcoms.
I have a similar experience each year when back-to-school season hits. Like a ton of bricks. I always know it’s coming, but it scares the living daylights out of me, triggering its own brand of sweats and shakes. This, however, is less avoidable than Freddy Krueger.
I know I’m not alone here. And I also know this isn’t just a thing that impacts parents. Even if you don’t have kids or yours have grown and flown, this change of season—from mellow, roll-with-it summer to a sudden shift into high-gear because Q4 is around the corner—it’s a real doozy for all of us.
But this year isn’t my first rodeo. And I’ve got some strategies under the belt that I’ve honed over the years. So let’s talk about how to survive—and hey, let’s even shoot for thrive—in this season of sweaters and notebooks and just a bit of chaos.
I don't like to brag, but I’m kind of awesome at summer. Friends, barbecues, vacations—these are the things that tend to pack my calendar. And I do them like a pro. I’m still working, of course, but with so many people on holiday, big projects and meetings tend to get pushed into fall.
The summer season, for me, is wonderful and rejuvenating… but also a little bit sneaky. It lulls me into thinking everything is manageable, under control, easy peasy.
And then suddenly, here comes that jump scare. The intensity of the fall—kids back in school, clients ready to jump into the deep end—oof, it can be a doozy!
The back-to-school season just commands more energy than summer does. And this year, I’m planning for it.
I tend to go quickly to stress and anxiety in the chaos of the back-to-school season. And while I can’t control what comes at me, I can absolutely have strategies in place for keeping my cool.
I’m reminding myself—and those around me—of what my stress signals look like. We all have our tells. I tend to get snippy, I start over-exercising, I may pull away from friends. When you see me doing these things, I’m gently crying for help.
By reminding myself and my loved ones to be on the lookout for these behaviors, chances are higher I’ll spot them before I spiral too far out.
I’m also keeping a list of rejuvenators—quick simple things I can do (call a friend, shove my face in my dog’s belly, take a quick yoga class) to get some fuel back in my tank fast.
Doing this reflection and prep before you hit the anxiety zone is a gift your overwhelmed self will thank you for in the fall.
Lots of things during back-to-school season are screaming in my face. But how I choose to respond is totally up to me.
I have to remember this. I alone am responsible for how I spend my energy, attention, and focus. Only when I’m being lazy do I just say yes to everything and then do a mediocre job at all of it.
To do back-to-school well—with grace and impact—I have to continuously remind myself of what impact I’m here to have—not the to-do’s I have to cross off.
When I’m intentional, my focus during this season is on ensuring my kids are settling into a new school year and schedule, my clients are feeling supported and empowered heading into Q4, and my health and wellness remain a priority.
Keeping this front and center helps me confidently say no to running a bake sale (really, that’s for everyone’s safety), to speaking at events not aligned to my brand, to reading or learning or consuming info not likely to move me forward in my chosen realm.
So now it’s your turn. Who will you commit to being, what will you focus on, and who needs you most during this season of upheaval? Get clear on this, and then get ready to say no to the distractions.
With the easy rhythms of summer, I’m able to be more thoughtful, more intentional about how I spend my time. Without really thinking about it, I establish some great practices that tend to fall out the window once back-to-school hits.
This year, instead of running headfirst into the chaos, I’m taking the time to reflect on what summer practices I established that served me well, and I’m finding ways to carry them into the fall season.
Here are some of the practices I really dialed up this summer… that I’ll be continuing in some form throughout the fall.
By looking in the rearview at the practices that most fueled me during the summer, I’m bringing some of that intelligence into my fall.
What are 2 to 3 things you did during the summer that you’ll create the discipline to carry forward with you?
Finally, I’m committing to regular check-ins with myself. A practice serving me this week may lose its shine down the road. I may need to try something new. But I don’t know unless I’m assessing and reassessing.
As back-to-school season marches on, as the end of Q3 starts to morph into year-end, I’ll continuously ask myself what’s working (and I keep doing it), what’s not (and I let it go) and what I might want to try next.
And there you have my back-to-school inoculation strategy. Hope it fits you like the perfect fall turtleneck.
Hope you’ll join me next week for another great episode. Until then, visit my website at leadabovenoise.com if your organization is looking for partnership in retaining, engaging or developing talent.