Back to School: 3 Easy Tips to Hack Your Schedule For Maximum Productivity

by Solange Lopes | Aug 29, 2016 | Working Mom & Woman Tips

With the whole “Back to School” in full swing, I’ve been seriously pondering the benefits of going to bed already fully dressed for the next workday. After all, it cuts down on picking an outfit (only to find out that stain from last week’s meeting’s still showing), switching said outfit twice, only to finally wear it backwards as you rush out the door…And before you wink in slight disgust, let’s all agree you could also use the extra time…

Such is the dilemma of working moms (and working parents in general), as the countdown to “Back to School” starts ticking louder and louder in our already over-scheduled ears. I mean, after work-free summer vacation breaks, longer, warmer days, (and shall I mention the occasional week-end margaritas and spicy mojitos), getting back into a routine that includes coercing non-collaborating children to hit the sack earlier and checking homework, sounds like sugar-free cake, really…

I don’t know about the rest of you overachiever Superwomen (and Wonderguys), but in my world, every Fall, I suffer from PSTD (Post-Summer Traumatic Syndrome). It usually manifests itself with an utter refusal to get out of bed, which results in deep morning confusion, late school tickets, and questionable “mommy hairstyles”.

So how do you hack your “back -to-school” schedule to keep from going to bed already fully dressed, and actually be productive instead? As in, not switching the kids’ lunches (or shoes or outfits), keeping from locking yourself outside in your bath robe, and actually keeping your day job…You know, the basic stuff…

These are some suggestions (some of which may or may not have been given by my now overachiever 7-year old to her dazed and confused mother):

Wake up earlier!

Yes, as in set the alarm clock for at least a half-hour earlier and put said alarm clock in a different room altogether! Or put some Krazy glue on the snooze button if that works better…Translation: trick yourself to have more time in the morning!

Although it’s been proven chronically late people (I may or may not be part of this select group of people) are creative and successful at best, truth is, we’re still late! As in so late you’re spilling your coffee on your last clean shirt on the way to the meeting a la Mila Kunis in Bad Moms, or just forgetting to pencil in your second eyebrow a la Yours Truly.

So at the risk of sounding slightly demented, I’ve been setting the alarm in my office, and resolved to  wake up cursing out even morning on the way to shutting the doggone thing down. I may or may not be at my tenth alarm clock by now (no idea while they all end up crashing against the wall)…

Make time Trick Yourself to exercise!

Now you may be reading this, and silently calling me all kinds of inappropriate names…If there’s no time to even pencil in your second eyebrow, or snap your bra all the way (it may or may not have happened to the best of us), how in the hell world are you expected to make time to find your long-abandoned sneakers so you can sweat your freshly blown hair out and have to take yet another shower?

I won’t bore you with all the benefits of exercising, and blah blah blah…Yet, after many successful attempts at relying on my own natural stamina (and the support of carbs), I’ve failed miserably. To get energy, you must give away energy. It’s sweat equity for your life, like an investment on your day-to-day productivity.

The good news is, you can hack your schedule for it too. I’ve long given up on costly gym memberships that I give up on after my fancy Athleta start standing up on their own dirt weight. And instead capitalizing on short, super effective workouts. My new best friend: the kettlebell, aka the cannonball with a handle, which can help you forget about last week-end’s carbs in 15 minutes!

Find the best workout that accommodates your life, and stick to it!

Get your zzz’s!

In her book ” The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time“, Huffington Post founder Arianna Huffington makes no secret that the ultimate productivity tool is…sleep! Yes, those precious hours you often take a lease on to finish laundry, or work on that late night report…

Those are the very same hours that can literally multiply your productivity ten-fold, in addition to making you save on those expensive anti-wrinkle creams.After all, if one of the world’s powerful women, author of 15 books, who also happened to have sold her site to AOL for $315 million in 2011, suggests you should sleep more, I’d take her up on it.

As the whole “back-to-school” craziness starts and threatens to take over our summer tans, let’s remember to recharge not just on the week-end, but every.single.night. I’ve recently admitted to my friends that I must hit the sack by 9:30pm (which in our circle is the equivalent of social death). Yet at the risk of looking like the totally “uncool” mom, think about all the energy, ideas, and smooth skin you can brag about at the next PTA meeting…

What other tips would you recommend to hack your “back-to-school” schedule?

To Your Success,

The Corporate Sis.