How to Be Productive During Back to School Season

Wondering how embracing the spirit of back to school season can help your business thrive during the season?

Looking for a thoughtful way to make targeted productivity tweaks to your regular routine?

As a productivity expert, I’ve found that seasonal transitions like back-to-school are some of the most reliable (and most overlooked) productivity resets available to business owners.

In this article, you’ll uncover several ways you can productively make use of your time during back to school season. You’ll also learn about the benefits of being productive during this time, what types of businesses can use this technique, and how to use the season as another item in your productivity toolbox.

Before we get started, if you want a simple daily structure to help you prioritize your work, my free Productivity Mindset Planner™ is a good place to start.

Key Takeaways

Table of Contents

What does back to school season have to do with business?

Here in the United States, back to school season coincides with the months of July, August, and September. This of course, will all depend in which area, region, or state in which you live.

But no matter where you live or work, there is some form of seasonality with students headed back to the classroom. And as an entrepreneur or business owner, you’ll inevitably have some sort of relationship with back to school in your business.

Back to school season is a busy time for students and non-students. And the season brings many along changes. That means a shift in work schedules, an increase in extracurricular activities, and changes in daily traffic patterns.

Let’s not forget demands for related back to school products and services, like school supplies, school outfits, childcare, and tutors. It’s safe to say that back to school season means impact more than just students!

Why should you be productive during back to school season?

Productivity and back to school season go together like a hand in glove. Individuals and families alike experience that similar experience of back to school season.

Typically, that means more rigid and complex schedules, than say the summer season. People tend to have regular wake up times, meal times, commute times, meeting times, extra curricular times, and bedtimes.

This more structured routine can be helpful if you’re looking to focus your time and energy in a meaningful way for your business. A more rigid schedule with set boundaries forces us to make different decisions than a more flexible schedule.

What are the benefits of being productive during back to school season?

Being productive during back to school season might seem like a no-brainer.

But there are some hidden potential benefits that you may not have previously considered. For starters you can potentially:

• Follow a more regular or structured routine in your business or personal life
• Easily engage and communicate with business and professional contacts
• Tap into the greater societal shift focusing on work and school
• Sense of camaraderie and accomplishment in your daily work with others
• Cultivate a regular seasonal habit that will last the life of your business

What types of businesses should embrace back to school season?

Every business, at one time or another, has busy and slow seasons. This can be either on a daily, weekly, monthly, or yearly basis, depending on your business or industry.

What’s more, there’s always something you can do to enhance your business’ productivity. You can also improve your customer and client experience, as well as that for your staff and employees.

Does your business follow the back to school season calendar? Prepare your professional and personal schedule for an influx of projects, assignments, and tasks.

If your business is summer-based and relies on vacation or tourism dollars, use the off-season to wrap up work. You can also use this time to prepare for the following season.

And what if your business follows neither of the above timelines? You can still use back to school season to delineate or mark the passage of time in your business.

Perhaps this is the time to prepare for a busy winter and spring season. Maybe this is a good time to start preparing for a fall and winter rush.

Or maybe you have a varying workload in between all these seasons. You can still take advantage of this time in one way or another.

How can you use back to school season as a productivity tool?

As a productivity expert, I’m constantly asked about productivity tools. People are naturally curious as to whether digital or analog tools will help them get their work done with more ease.

My approach towards productivity is a holistic one. I believe people innately know the best productivity methods and approaches for them. I also believe people can use their immediate surroundings, relationships with others, and mindset to their advantage.

That’s why I regularly encourage people to use their professional and life experiences as productivity tools themselves. There’s much to be learned each and every day in our work and personal lives.

How does this work? Well, in my book, it’s all about using what’s available to you at any given point in time. And that includes the changing seasons of our world.

How you relate to the world around you has a big influence in how you show up for and complete your work. When you take the time to harness the natural flow of work, you’ll find that you can get things done with less fuss.

Look at it this way. There’s probably been at least one time in your life when you’ve said to a business contact, “I’m on vacation for the rest of the summer. Let’s catch up and talk shop in the fall.” That’s the power of using the world around you as a tool.

Obviously, back to school season means preparing students for the rigors of daily schooling. But you can also use it to your own advantage as a business owner in a fun and creative way.

How to be productive during back to school season

Back-to-school season means a fresh start for millions of students.

It’s also a great time for you to make a fresh start in your business when it comes to your daily routine.

Upgrading your productivity skills can be an eye-opening experience for both you and your business.

One way to do this is to use your business as a real-world classroom. The key is knowing where to look and how to make lasting changes.

You can use your daily experiences to help you diversify your skill set, stimulate your creativity, and add variety to your work.

Get inspired to make a fresh start in your business this back-to-school season with these four creative productivity approaches.

Brush up your communication skills

Learn a new communication skill or polish an existing one.

Anything that is related to writing, reading, listening, or speaking is fair game.

Master touch typing, employ keyboard shortcuts, use the dictation feature your smart phone, or enable closed captions on video calls.

Enroll in a public speaking course, download an app to learn new vocabulary words, or read an article or book on how to efficiently run a meeting.

Finding new ways to effectively communicate will help you boost your confidence levels, build strong professional relationships, and save your business time and money.

Uncover valuable history lessons

Dig up recent history with a thoughtful review of business activities from last summer to the present.

Inspect the usefulness of project management procedures, assess overall outcomes of clients assignments, and clarify key lessons learned when it comes to busy and slow seasons throughout the year.

This is also a good time to review how well you managed your time during the past year.

Pay particular attention to work timelines regarding the planning and execution of deliverables, as well as how you managed or avoided deadlines, lateness, and delays.

Taking the time to learn from your past experiences can help you better navigate novel and unexpected situations in the coming year.

Use a scientific approach to streamline operations

Observe your physical work environment and run thoughtful workflow experiments.

View your physical workspace or office through a visiting client’s eyes.

Use your findings to create a more aesthetically pleasing environment: eliminate paper clutter, corral overflowing office supplies, and find permanent storage locations for tools.

Change, rotate, or upgrade artwork or refresh your desktop image or screensaver.

Test out new ways of working throughout the workday and week.

Rearrange the order of workday tasks, modify the number of remote workdays, and update email usage guidelines.

Review office administration procedures and experiment with different ways to simplify or standardize the collection of information.

Having difficulty viewing things objectively?

Ask another person to share their honest observations with you or flip your perspective of the situation 180 degrees.

Doing so can give you a refreshing perspective and a unique starting point from which to work.

Make careful and thoughtful calculations

Consider the implications of action versus inaction in your daily routine and how it might help or hinder your business.

Review currently used software, hardware, tools, and resources for their effectiveness.

If you’re already making good use of an item, investigate whether you can improve upon or increase the utility of that item even more. If not, it may be necessary to evaluate whether to keep or replace an item.

Weigh the benefits of taking regular movement breaks at work.

Take walk breaks during your lunch hour, stretch at regular intervals, invest in a standing desk, or use a desk cycle.

Hold standing or walking meetings, take the stairs instead of the elevator, or step outdoors for some fresh air.

Depending on your productivity goals, you can delve into different calculations for your business.

Consider the physical, mental, emotional, and financial effects of a decision and how it may impact your ability to get things done in the long-term.

FAQ: How to be productive during back to school season

Conclusion

Back-to-school season is your chance to hit refresh on your business routine. Whether you sharpen a communication skill, review last year’s projects, or rethink your workspace, small deliberate steps now build momentum that lasts well past September.

If you want to bring some structure to your daily routine, my free Productivity Mindset Planner™ is a simple place to start. If you need help better managing your time during the busy season, be sure to check out my time management guide. And if you’re not sure where to start, a free strategy session can help you gain clarity on what can make a difference in your business.

An earlier version of this article originally appeared on Inc.com.

Rashelle Isip Productivity Coach and Founder of The Order Expert®

Rashelle Isip is a New York City-based productivity coach, consultant, and founder of The Order Expert®. With over 15 years of experience, she helps entrepreneurs and executives replace the "hustle and grind" mindset with one of "ease and flow." Rashelle is a former contributing columnist for Inc.com and Lifehack.org, and has been featured in Fast Company, Forbes, NBC News, The Washington Post, and NPR. She is the author of four books, including The Order Expert’s Guide to Time Management. When not helping clients master their schedules, she enjoys scouting for practical, well-designed office supplies. Learn more at TheOrderExpert.com.

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