This morning I reheated my coffee twice as I fielded early morning Slack messages on my phone (I know, I know), all while my toddler aggressively yelled “I HELP” at everything I did. We haven’t reached official school age yet, and August still feels like one big set of competing deadlines.
So this week, no resets. No routines. Just three scrappy ways to stay afloat when your Google Calendar and your carpool schedule form an unholy alliance.
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⚡️ Rename. Color-Code. Survive.
👉 Your calendar should work for you, not gaslight you. If your schedule just says “meeting” ten times in a row, it’s not working hard enough for you.
🔹 Quick fix: Rename your events with a bit of added context, to provide a quick gut check when skimming your calendar to help you make prioritization decisions. Try:
“1:1 w/ Sarah – strategy only”
“Marketing sync – skip if behind”
“Staff mtg (must attend)”
Then add one distinct color for all school stuff (yellow = kid chaos; green = don’t touch this block). Oh, and we also recommend making your actual event names private.😉
🧩 Set up a Snack Ambush
👉 Because 4pm is always a trap. It's that post-school/pre-dinner hour where sanity goes to die. So let's skip the spiral and instead set up a simple grab-and-go snack drop:
One drink option (we like electrolyte options this time of day)
One crunchy, not-too-filling snack (this is a great time for a veggie/carb combo)
One post-it note with their name (or a doodle if you’re extra. We mean, talented.)
There's a strange phenomenon that makes baby carrots and leftover pretzels 200% more desirable if they’re just…left there. Cue (mostly) silent, crunchy joy.
Did you know? 🧃 JuiceBox is built by a tiny team of working parents just like you. We curate and write this stuff so you don’t have to but we’d LOVE for you to get in on the action.
💬 Got a time-saving tip or a chaos-fighting hack of your own? Hit reply and share it—we all need a village, and we’d love to hear from you.
👯♀️ Know a fellow parent who needs this? Forward away or hit this button:
💗 Your Brain Loves a Banger
👉 There’s real psychology behind a “happy song." You know the kind- the one that instantly shifts your energy, grounds your body, and signals your brain to gear-switch.
Take advantage by picking one upbeat track and play it during one of your critical 'transition moments' (for example, right after school drop-off.) Same song, and no, not a podcast.
A daily cue like this tells your nervous system: ok, we’re in work/home/focus mode. Doesn’t matter if you’re driving, walking, or pretending the hallway between the front door and your laptop counts as a commute.
Repeat until it works like a mental light switch.
💼 This Week’s Work WTF
Inspired by real life events.
Scenario:
Your boss asks you to plan the offsite/team gifts/potluck... again.
What We Wish We Could Say:
"I’m good at it because I’ve had to be. Doesn’t mean I want to do it forever."
Steal This Response:
"Happy to support this time. Let’s build a shared doc for future planning so we can rotate responsibilities."
That’s called a boundary, babe.
K that’s all. You’re the best and we love you.
-CK “Slack Sucker” Fuller (Editor) & the JB Crew 🫡
P.S. Next week, we’ll cover the case for going feral one night a week — because systems are great, but so is survival pizza and ignoring bedtime.