Fall is here, and for many families, it’s the busiest time of year - particularly if you’re also navigating the admissions process! Between school events, admissions deadlines, standardized testing dates, your child’s extracurriculars, work commitments, and the looming holidays, you might feel overwhelmed with all you’re juggling. 

At Admit NY, we’re expert NYC admissions consultants - but our work with families often doubles as planning and productivity advice, too! We’ve managed our own families’ hectic schedules, and worked with hundreds of other families to make it through their own busy seasons; so, here are some practical tips to help you keep up with your family’s many priorities:  

Merge Your Calendars

One of the easiest ways to keep all of the different areas of your life organized is to merge your calendars into one centralized schedule. There are a number of digital tools that can help, like Google Calendar or the popular Skylight wall-mounted touchscreen; an old-fashioned paper calendar, centrally located in your home, can work too. Regardless, it’s important to keep all of your family, personal, school, and admissions dates and deadlines in one place to make sure you don’t miss anything important. 

Plan in Advance

With the help of your centralized calendar, maintain a steady rhythm of looking ahead at events and tasks in the coming weeks and making plans accordingly. When it’s possible to book a commitment further in advance, do it! We recommend scheduling admissions interviews or school visits later in the admissions season, when possible, to give yourself time to prepare and avoid potential conflicts. Being proactive can help prevent those dreaded last-minute scrambles that so often accompany a packed schedule. 

Don’t Forgo Your Current School in Favor of Admissions

The admissions process comes with a lot of commitments - open houses, tours, and interviews, in addition to the at-home tasks of application preparation - and we notice that sometimes, parents accidentally pull away from their child’s current school community because they’re so focused on gaining admission for next year. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Centralized calendars and advance planning can help you make sure that admissions commitments don’t clash with fun or important school events, from pajama day to field trips. While we totally acknowledge that it can be difficult sometimes, do your best to help your child stay engaged in their current school life even as they take on the added responsibilities of the admissions process. 

Build in Buffer Time

When managing a packed family schedule, it’s easy to underestimate how long things take or how tired you and your children will feel after back-to-back commitments. To prevent burnout, try building in buffer time between events - this could mean an hour of buffer time in between an important work meeting and your child’s soccer practice, or a day of buffer time in between days with evening activities. (In other words, you might want to specifically plan for relaxed nights spent at home!) By specifically planning for a little extra time, you’ll ensure that you and your family have time to rest and recharge before the next commitment.

Set Weekly Family Check-Ins

We strongly recommend establishing a ritual of weekly family check-ins to discuss schedules, tasks, and priorities. For instance, set aside time on Sunday evenings to review the upcoming week’s commitments. These check-ins will keep everyone on the same page and prevent misunderstandings (which can cause unnecessary tension between partners or between parents and kids!), and also give your family members an opportunity to share how they’re feeling and reconnect. Bonus points if you incorporate a fun meal or activity into your check-ins! 

Prioritize What Matters Most

When your calendar is overflowing, it’s easy to feel like every event is equally important - but that’s rarely the case. If you’re feeling underwater, try taking some time to prioritize your commitments. Some events and tasks may indeed be non-negotiable, but others might be more flexible - or things that you’re only trying to do out of a sense of perfectionism or obligation, rather than genuine necessity. Where can you afford to scale back? 

Fall can feel like a juggling act, but with strong planning habits, good family communication, and a focus on what matters most, you’ll be able to keep all the moving parts in check. Keep your family connected and organized, and before you know it, there will be plenty to celebrate when fall’s many milestones have passed!