The Noise, the Overwhelm... and some tips

I promised you tips and tricks, so here I am, keeping my word. But first, something a few clients have brought to me lately, and it's come up too often to be a coincidence.

It's the noise.

Not just the sibling squabbling and 'I'm bored' kind.

I mean the never ending to-do list.

Jobs multiplying the second you look at them.

The overwhelm that creeps in when everywhere you look, something else is demanding your attention.

Mostly landing on mums, if I'm honest, but I'm hearing it from dads too.

Are We Letting Our Kids Get Bored?

Confession: I'm loving this summer, but I'm also struggling to manage work/kid balance and I'm guilty of over-committing.

And I can see what it's done to my girls.

Yes, they're resilient.

Yes, a good night's sleep sorts most of it out. But at what cost?

I keep thinking back to the old days. Less noise, less planning, kids making their own fun because boredom pushed them to it. I'm not saying scrap the calendar, but it's worth asking: are we filling the summer so full that there's no room left to just be?

In coaching, honesty isn't the best policy, it's the only policy. So here's mine: I haven't mastered this. But here's what's helping.

My Tips for Coping with the Summer Noise

• Meal plan. One less decision to make when you're standing in front of an open fridge at 12pm or 5pm.

• Never let you or the kids get too hungry. Serve the food before the hanger hits.

• Stick to your routines. It's the holidays, but why change everything? Bedtimes and mealtimes anchor the day for everyone, not just the kids.

• Try a (library) reading challenge. Free, structured, and gives the days a bit of purpose.

• Share the calendar with the kids. I made a simple Word doc with all six weeks laid out for each of my daughters, part filled in, part added and ticked off by them. They feel in control, and it's calmed the "what are we doing today" noise no end.

• Start a scrapbook or journal. I'm doing mine alongside them, not telling them to. Funnily enough, they're 'pinching' my ideas.

Looking After the Noise in Your Head, Too

If you're feeling the overwhelm, you're not alone. It's not failing at summer, it's a sign you've said yes to a bit too much.

So my invitation this week: find one thing to say no to. One thing left undone. One pocket of boredom you let your kids sit in, without rushing to fill it.

We'll get through this together, chaos and all.