Author: Charissa

It’s September, and the start of the school year can definitely be a hectic time for many people, and for some, it’s just the beginning of a whole long year of events and activities. Many parents start the school year thinking, “Maybe this year will be a little less busy!”. Some ask themselves, “How can we do things differently this year?”. Then the year begins, and somehow it’s like all the other years…it’s busy.

I want to share one simple thing you can do to make this school year a little less busy.

Are you ready? It’s simple.

If you want to be just a little less busy this school year, stop looking at everyone else!!

How often do we look at everyone else? All the time!

Now I think you might know what I mean by “looking at everyone else”. If not, let me explain. You see, we spend a lot of time looking at what other families are doing. We notice what they are involved in, how they spend their time, and how they fill their calendars. We chat with other moms, and we learn all about what is going on in their social life. We overhear the parents at the bus stop talking about all the extracurricular activities their children are involved in this school year. We scroll through Facebook and notice all the fun outings our friends and neighbors are taking each weekend. We’re looking at everyone else.

Yes, we’re looking at everyone else, and it’s making us busy. Why? We think we need to do what we see or hear everyone else doing.

But here’s a wonderful, freeing truth: You don’t have to do what everyone else is doing. You’re not them, and they’re not you.

In order to be just a little less busy you need to consider your priorities, and use those to shape your families’ choices. We tend to let other people choose for us. We often make our decisions based on what we see others doing without much thought about what might be best for our situation and our family.

I find so much inspiration and encouragement from other moms and other families; I think that it is good to learn from others. I love chatting with other moms and finding out how they run their homes or how they tackle various problems (both big and small). I cherish the time I get to spend with my friends sharing stories and finding out about their family life.

Let’s learn from each other, let’s grow and be challenged, but let’s not mindlessly make certain choices for our family just because that’s what we see everyone else doing.

Almost everyone else around us looks busy…and they are. Perhaps you can choose another way. Maybe you and your family can pursue the full life (without all the busy).

Take this school year and really look inside. Look inside your heart (considering your priorities and values). Look inside your home (considering the needs of you and your family). Stop looking at everyone else and just see if perhaps this school year can be a little less busy.

What about you? What are you doing this school year to make it less busy for you and your family? I would love to hear from you, so drop me a comment below!

Until next time,
Charissa