I am a summer girl through and through. I love everything about summer and when we have the final drive home from our summer cottage on Labor Day Weekend it always brings tears to my eyes. So dramatic, but so true.Â
To change my focus from what is behind me, I try to focus on what is ahead. Â
Even though I havenât been to âschoolâ in years there is a certain exciting feeling you get in September around the new âschool yearâ. Itâs the beginning of a new chapter, a new season, and a new opportunity to start on the right foot. Â
This time of the year always makes me reminisce and think about the things that my parents would make me and my siblings do once we started the new school year.Â
In the summer we were wild kids, running around outside all day at camps or with family members, doing whatever we please.  Aka – whatever our babysitter or camp counselor had planned for us that day. Â
Then the school year hit, and we had a rhythm and rules that my parents enforced daily to make sure that the day ran as smoothly as it could with 3 crazy active kids. We had habits, daily practices and tasks we HAD to do every day, and I truly believe we were all successful because of it.Â
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Itâs funny because when you grow up and start working or go to college, the habits and routines you were first taught when you were young easily fall to the wayside because no one is telling you that you HAVE to do this anymore. You make your own decisions and live your own life. Sometimes those decisions might not be the best for us. Eating out for lunch every day for convenience, staying up late to watch Netflix or staying out at a happy hour a little later than we should be. Of course, this is fine every once in a while, but probably not the best nightly or weekly routine.Â
I believe that having a nightly and weekly routine and creating healthy, helpful and productive habits for yourself gets you started on the right foot every day.
Today I wanted to take it back to those simple routines our parents taught us when we were in school, and I challenge you to apply them to your adult life. Â I have a feeling they will make you feel more prepared, awake and less stressed going into your work day…
Back to school habits that you can apply to your job!
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Make your lunch the night before
So simple, but this small amount of prep goes a long way. I have written a couple of blogs about meal prep, Meal Prep 101 and Meal Prep 102 Whatâs Inside, that break down why you should meal prep and some healthy foods you can make.Â
I personally meal prep my whole week’s worth of lunches on Saturday or Sunday, but that is because I donât have enough time to do it the night before.  You can easily prep your lunch the night before work if that is easier for you, the food is fresher that way too. Itâs an easy 10-15 minute task that gives you more time in the morning to sleep, work out, or just get into work faster. It helps me sleep better at night knowing I just have to wake up,, and that everything is ready to just grab and go.Â
Not only does meal prepping give you back time in the morning, but it also saves you $5-15 dollars for not buying lunch out. Even on the low end, $5 every day a week, every week for a whole year is $1,300 and thatâs only for a $5 meal. My meals are typically way more expensive than that. Just something to think about next time you decide to watch Netflix over making yourself a salad or sandwich for lunch.Â
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Layout your clothes the night beforeÂ
Iâm pretty sure my mom made my sister and I do this because it took us FOREVER to pick out an outfit. We would literally take 30 minutes to an hour to pick out the âperfectâ outfit, that always ended up being a t-shirt and jeans⌠Still, this was a habit I got into in high school and it really stuck through college and into the working world. Â
Every night I lay out my clothes for work and pack my clothes to work out in for the afternoon. If I am working out in the morning, I lay out my work out clothes so they are ready for me to just throw on and go get that work out in.
Having one less thing to think about such as what I am going to wear saves me 5-10 minutes in the morning. It also keeps me in that grab and go vibration.
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Give yourself a bedtime
We all can remember that awful time as a kid when your parents declared it was time 
for bed. Every time was the worst time and you would beg and plead not to have to go to bed. Then when you were a teenager and college student you would rebel and stay up âpast your bedtimeâ and then be exhausted pretty much your entire young adult life.Â
There is a reason our parents gave us bedtime and experts in any field tell you to âget a good night’s sleepâ before a big event. Â Itâs because the #1 productivity killer is a lack of sleep.Â
Today the tables have turned for me, and as soon as I wake up some mornings I count down the hours until I get to go back to sleep. Then when that final moment comes and the day is over and I can get back to bed, I donât actually want to go to bed anymore. Iâve been running all day and just want to relax, unwind and watch Netflix for a little, which sometimes ends up turning into a long time and then I go to bed later than I promised myself I would. Itâs a vicious cycle, and I would bet I am not the only one who gets stuck in it.Â
Sleep is incredibly important not just for your productivity but for your overall health, so it really is crucial you set yourself a bedtime and then stick to it! You will be happy you did when Thursday and Friday come along and you are not totally exhausted from the week.Â
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Set aside time to âstudyâ
As kids, the first thing we had to do once we got home from school was to âdo your homeworkâ. Then once we finished we could play, watch TV or do whatever, as long as our homework was done.Â
As adults, sometimes we do have âhomeworkâ. Whether itâs work we couldnât finish during the day that we need ready for tomorrow, or you may be studying for a certification or degree. Â
But I do find that is not the case for the majority of people. They go home and relax, be with their kids or significant other, maybe workout, but they donât ever make time to âstudyâ.Â
Now when I say study, I mean learn something new. It could be about your job and how to get better at it, or it could be learning more about the field of work you are in, or even learning more about experts in the space and how they got to where they are today. It doesnât have to be miserable and not fun like homework was as a kid. âStudyingâ could be as fun and simple just reading or listening to something related to your field to know more about your industry and practice.  Â
When I first started working, this was absolutely the first thing that I stopped doing. I stopped giving myself a âstudyâ time. I didnât try to learn more about the field I was in or try to get better at it. I just went to work, did what I had to do and then came home. It wasnât fulfilling work, it was just a job.Â
Then when I switched careers and at that time I had to start âstudyingâ again because I was so bad at recruiting. In time I noticed that the extra study time I gave myself really catapulted me forward and made me not only really good at what I did, but also really interested in what I did. Â
To me, there is a huge difference between a job and a career. Putting in study time, and trying to improve and grow to become the best that you can in your role, that is what makes a job a career.  Having a career, and a line of work is so much more fulfilling than punching in and out of a job every day.Â
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Set new goals
This was something my parents asked us to do once we were a little older, like in high school or end of middle school. They would ask us what we were striving towards that year, and without realizing it, we were setting goals. Â
For example, we would respond âThis year I want to make the National Honor Society.â, or âThis year I want to make the varsity football teamâ, or âThis year I want to win the Dance Scholarship.â Just by talking about what we were striving towards, we naturally started to think about what we had to do to get there. Goal setting 101. Â
I think the coolest part is that we didnât even know what our parents were having us do.Â
Fast forward to adulthood, goal setting is typically saved for the new year. When the new year starts, thatâs when we set goals or work towards the next big thing. Â
If you are the type that likes to use the calendar year, January to December, as your own âschool yearâ, go back now to those goals you set for yourself in January. Once you look at those goals see how far you have come, or how far you have left to go, and then think about what kind of push can you give for yourself in the next 90 days. Â
What goals can you set for yourself in the last leg of your âschool yearâ? What adjustments can you make to get closer to hitting that big goal in the next 90 days? You still have three whole months to make a major dent and impact on whatever is left of that big goal.
If you push and give it all you got for the next 90 days I guarantee you will be shocked at what you accomplish.Â
For more about goal setting check out my blog, “New Year, New You – Goal Setting”.
They say that we learn some of the greatest lessons during our childhood, like âsay please and thank youâ, âbe kindâ, âshareâ. The habits our parents forced us into during the school year were incredible habits that were and are some of those âgreatest lessonsâ that we learned growing up. They were habits that brought us success as kids and will continue to bring us success as adults.Â
This new âschool yearâ try to revert back to some of those habits. Start slowly implementing them back to your day to day and weekly life. I guarantee that you will feel more refreshed, enthusiastic, and less stressed on a day to day basis.Â
Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!
Love, Em đ
P.s. Hope you enjoyed the picture of baby Emily and her first day of Kindergarten!
I really appreciate a good salad. Â Mostly because salads could really suck if you donât put love and care into it. Â Â My best friend Rachel and My Auntie Carol make the BEST salads, and if they make it, everyoneâs eating it, even the guys. Â They were my inspiration for this picnic essential because I have watched as people swarm around the salads that they bring to parties. Â These are always healthy and delicious leaving you completely satisfied. 
I have always loved kabobs with chicken or shrimp.  Partially because itâs a fun thing to say, the pronunciation of ka-BOBs automatically puts a smile on my face, but itâs also fun and easy to eat.  When prepping for picnics I try to think about what would be the easiest dish to bring. A dish thatâs either totally prepared or would be easy to cook once I get there with the least amount of prep and clean up needed.  Kabobs are a great option. All you have to do is defrost the shrimp, and cut up the chicken. Throw it in a bag of olive oil and an Italian seasonings packet or a teriyaki sauce, and mix it all up so itâs entirely covered and coated in the sauce.  Stick the shrimp or chicken on the skewer then pack it all up. Grill it once you get there. Easy peasy, and a great way to get the protein in. 
Guacamole and cut up veggies is the best appetizer to have at any party all year long, but especially during the summer. Â For starterâs, almost everyone I know loves guacamole. At any party, once the guacamole comes out people swarm around it, and you better run over too or itâll be gone before you get there. Â Itâs a serious concern at every party we have. 
Nothing screams summer more than biting into a juicy ripe watermelon and having the sweet red goodness streaming down the sides of your mouth. Â Having watermelon at a picnic is the ultimate summer essential. Itâs the perfect dessert that leaves you hydrated, full and satisfied. I prefer to have watermelon up cut into chunks, but some prefer the quarter moon cuts. Â Whatever tickles your fancy, or is easier for you, people will love it either way. Itâs the great healthy dessert option for you to have over the plethora of sugar-filled store-bought baked goods that everyone else will be bringing. 
sad and my Italian grandma is probably rolling in her grave right now, but it’s true.  I try to eat very little to no gluten products, and normal pasta and even wheat pasta just didnât give me the return I wanted after eating it.  Yes, I am thinking of the ROI I get from what I eat, I take my health very seriously. So when I found this pasta and saw that its only ingredients were red lentils and water, I had tears of joy in my eyes which was immediately followed by a happy dance in the middle of the aisle. BecauseâŚ.. PASTA!!!! I COULD EAT IT AGAIN and NOT feel guilty!!! Best.Find.Ever.
good one, so I just didnât eat it.  Or I should say I drastically cut down how often and how much I ate it. I can still remember the day I found their Cauliflower pizza crust. I read the ingredients and it wasnât perfect but still pretty freaking good. Then, I looked around me to see who was looking, like a total sketchy criminal, and then I quickly put three crusts into my carriage and then abruptly walked away.  I truly felt like I was stealing because I couldnât believe that it existed and I couldnât get my hands on enough of them. 
 Two years ago I like suddenly realized I had as much acene as a high schooler and wanted to clear up my face for my wedding.  My sister read an article about the correlation between dairy and breakouts, so I tried to cut it out to see if it would help and it did, drastically.  Since then I really havenât eaten much dairy, which is the most depressing thing ever, especially when making pizza. I have tried vegan cheeses and other weird stuff I have found and it tasted like garbage.  Then, I found the almond cheese and felt like my prayers were answered! Now I must preface thatâs still not normal cheese, it doesnât get gooey and oily deliciousness but it does melt, taste goods and is perfect for pizza. 
found this one because I just didnât understand how they could make gnocchi out of cauliflower, granted there is flour in this find, but I still couldnât wrap my head around it so I totally thought it would taste terrible. Â I bought it regardless but held off trying it. When I finally did I was kicking myself for waiting so long. It tastes GREAT! You just need to make sure that you follow the instructions on how to cook the gnocchi because you saute it frozen which is much different than normal gnocchi. Besides that, it tastes amazing with sauteed onions and mushrooms. 
foods and drinking wine. It’s my most favorite memory growing up. Â Because of that tradition, anytime I see friends we ALWAYS do some kind of happy hour spread. Sometimes itâs a pathetic attempt, and other times we get fancy. Trader Joeâs Eggplant and Red Pepper Dip is perfect for both types of Happy Hour! Â To start it is FREAKING DELICIOUS and you can eat it with crackers and cheese or, cut up bell peppers or cucumbers to dip into it. One time I even put it on a sandwich as like a condiment spread, and my goodness that was 
am always on the lookout for fun foods at Traders and was near the hummus section hoping that I would find some kind of non-hummus hummus dip. Â I knew there were edamame dips and other bean dips in the world so I wanted to see if they had anything similar there. I didnât find exactly what I was looking for but I was NOT disappointed. Â This dip is like the combination of hummus flavored jalapeno dip with the consistency of the alloete brand cheese. I canât get enough of it right now. I havenât played around with the different ways to eat it yet, but for now, I am FULLY satisfied just eating it on a cracker. Â I have done that every day since I have bought it. 
bars. They are individually wrapped in little small squares and are a perfect snack before a workout class or if you need a little something to hold you over until your next meal. Â Â I used to make these protein ball things that I would eat before a workout, but when I found these they were essentially the same thing and lasted longer and Iâve been completely addicted since! They come in three different flavors and I have tried and like them all. My favorite is the citrus flavored one. 
eating all of it.  Growing up my mom would always buy my dad muffins from Stop n Shop as a Saturday morning treat. She would always buy bran muffins because that was his favorite and because they were always around we also ended up loving bran muffins.  So one day when I was on my treasure hunt in Trader Joes I found these Vegan Blueberry Oat Bran Muffins. My first thought was, âno way these actually taste good, that would be too good to be trueâ. I bought them anyway because I had friends staying over that night and my GOODNESS they were amazing.  These muffins are nice and dense and have the perfect berry ratio.
have been to Trader Joeâs you will know that they have an incredibly tempting sweetâs and treats section. Â I have also purchased a number of those âjust to tryâ and then accidentally ate the whole thing in a weekend, so I try to steer clear. Â But when I do splurge, I get the Chocolate Coconut covered almonds. They taste like a mini Girl Scout Samoa Cookie, and they are completely addicting. 
taste better. Â I have friends that actually have this in their purse at all times, just in case there is an opportunity to use it, and I totally get it! Â It literally makes anything you eat taste like an Everything Bagel, and I donât know anyone who DOESNâT love an everything bagel. Throw it on roasted veggies, chicken or steak, avocado toast, eggs, the options are endless. Â 
 
This is so important for many different reasons. For starters, being fully hydrated makes you more awake and alert than coffee actually does. 
easily lose track of how many calories you are actually consuming in a day and are likely eating things your body really doesn’t NEED. Even though we all know we don’t NEED M&M’s, if you are drinking enough water to stay hydrated and have your healthy snacks already packed you are less likely to go for that mid-afternoon treat.
I can’t stress the importance of moving more enough. Â Think about the daily pattern of a typical 9-5 job. You are sitting on the drive to work, siting once you get to work for 8 hours or so, sit on the drive home, sit for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and sit on the couch at night. Â Maybe you have an hour or 30 minutes of movement for some kind of exercise.
In order to start my mornings right and get in the proper mindset, I take advantage of my long drive to work and fill my mind with positivity. Most days I listen to some type of motivational or business-related podcast/audiobook, and then during the last 5 minutes I listen to a couple of upbeat songs that get me going for the day. I like to call them my âwalk-out songsâ đ 