Winter is when oranges of any kind are their most delicious. I don’t know about you, but I find great fruit is hard to come by. But in January, you can usually find some delicious citrus. It is so good, it can be hard to eat because of the out-of-control juiciness.
I recently bought a big bag of valencia oranges.There’s two ways to eat these: peel and section, or slice, soccer-mom style. Both will get your hands all sticky. if you do opt for slicing, though, you can sort of put the whole thing in your mouth at once and remove the peel easily with the help of your teeth and have the juice go straight into your mouth. AND you can do this:
For me, it was always the supplies. Sure, back to school shopping was fun -- new shoes, some new clothes. But my joy came from the new pencils,the spiral notebooks, a fresh set of crayons, perhaps the ever mysterious protractor. The debut of the Trapper Keeper was everything for me. It was the supplies that got me excited to go back to school.
Summer is a relief - the break from rigid schedule, long bright days, planned trips and time with friends ahead. And this isn’t unique to kids...we all approach memorial day with gusto, with cookouts and beach trips and the feeling that it’s break time. But then August arrives and the back to school sales start and we feel that ship start to turn…
We all grew up with this pattern of the end of school to summer and then back. It’s a transition for us all. Even if you are neither going back to school or sending someone to school, it likely still feels like a new season for you. Back to a consistent schedule. Ready to start new things, get organized. Often summer has renewed our energy and generated perspective for us.
So who’s your teacher this fall? What subjects are you taking? What supplies do you need to get organized? A productive season is ahead. How do you want that semester to go? Definitely get some of those smelly markers that used to get us high in elementary school.
Product Recommendations of the Month
Remember the Milk
If you’re a regular reader, you know I’m kind of old school with my notebook to-do list and stuff. But if you are more of a digital native and would like to try a task manager app as you head into this productive season, check out Remember the Milk. My sister-in-law Carrie claims it’s changed her life, and it does have some really great functionality. Easy to add tasks in lots of different ways, drag them around, and create reminders. Syncs across all your devices and with lots of other apps like Google, Dropbox, Alexa, Outlook, Evernote… Available for your Mac, PC, Android, iPhone, Kindle Fire, Blackberry, Palm Pilot, Commodore 64 and more! Ok. Kidding about the Palm Pilot and the Commodore, but NOT the Blackberry. Who knew!
Academic Planner
If you do in fact have a student going back to school, I highly recommend you checkout this award winning academic planner from Order Out of Chaos. This planner is designed by student and parent coach Leslie Josel, an expert in time management, ADHD & executive function in students, and it does everything a planner needs to do. It’s layout allows students to see the big picture at all times -- not just one set of assignments, but also when baseball practice is, and how many days until that history project is due. It not only helps students stay on track but also teaches effective planning and time management strategies along the way.
If you are a parent with kids Headed Back to School
You can find some practical ideas and strategies as you start the school year in some of my previous blogs:
News About StepOne
Upcoming Online Event
I’m doing an online presentation the second week of August designed to help college students of any age get their work done with less stress and have more fun. It will cover time management, project planning and much more.
I’ll be doing the presentation twice, on August 10 at 12 Noon Eastern and August 11 at 7:30pm Eastern. The cost will be $20.
More information will be coming to your mailbox next week!
COVID Protocols
I am thrilled to report that I am fully vaccinated! I am continuing to serve both organizing and productivity clients in-person and virtually. When working in person, I will respectfully follow whatever protocols make you feel most comfortable. There are also many instances where I work independently in a space, conferring with clients only at the start and end of a session or via phone or video. Virtual organizing and productivity consulting are excellent alternatives, with clients working hands on with step-by-step guidance from me along the way. Questions about working together? Send me an email, let’s chat!
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