Why late August, not September
- OhmHaus
- Aug 9
- 2 min read
By the time September's routines are underway, it's already too late to design them. The morning has a shape, the after-school hours have a shape, and if the home hasn't caught up to that shape yet, you're not adjusting a system. You're fighting one.
I've done this transition at every age a kid can be: early elementary, middle school, high school, the first semester away, the first apartment. Different stage, same lesson every time. The calibration has to happen before the shift, not after. Once school starts, there's no bandwidth left to redesign anything. You're just surviving whatever's already in place. Back to school is a real time to prepare for success and make sure you dont start the new school year already behond the eight ball.
A few questions worth sitting with this week. Where did the morning routine break down last year and is that zone still set up the same way? What's about to enter the home, new supplies, new schedules, new gear, and does it have a designated place yet, or will it land wherever there's room? What took the longest to find last September, and why?
This calibration has the highest return of any in the year, because it's the one chance to design ahead of the shift instead of reacting to it.
For me, this usually looks like going through mountains of markers, pens, paper and other school supplies that accumulate over the year. I have always felt conflicted about letting go of things that may still have some use left in them. But this time of year urges me to streamline down to the real basics of what is necessary to have on hand. I always keep an area set up where my kids can find what they need for their schoolwork and projects. The goal is always the same - a “goldilocks” area - not too much, not too little, just right.
Reply and tell me: what's the one zone in your home that always breaks first when the school year starts? I'm taking notes for what's next.
- Ohm.Haus
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