How to Live Life to the Fullest this School Year

Live life to the fullest with 8 simple living challenges

I’ve always harbored mixed feelings about September. On one hand, it’s the end of summer and I know there’s a long and cold and snowy winter around the corner. But on the other hand, September ushers in both a literal and a figurative change in the air. Because the kids head back to school, there’s the opportunity to re-introduce routines after months of laid-back living. Indeed, September is the perfect opportunity to recenter ourselves and live life to the fullest.

And while January is often viewed as the start of a new year, I believe there’s something to be said for September as the start of something new, too.

If you are like me and you have been without routines for way too long—if you have neglected your own self-care and personal development for too many months and now you are feeling the effects of that personal neglect—this post is for you. 

I have listed small, attainable monthly challenges for each month of the new school year below.

My hope is that you join me in some of them (or even better all of them!) as a means to live life to the fullest this school year.

September:

Pack zero-waste lunches

Although packing homemade lunches can feel tedious, it is absolutely possible to commit yourself to packing plastic-free lunches 5 days per week.

Citing convenience, many working professionals and school-aged children purchase daily lunches outside the home. And while school food programs reduce food insecurity for countless children nationwide, making lunches at home reduces the excessive waste that comes along with such pre-packaged options. 

Zero-waste lunch boxes benefit from high-quality gear including a thermos, lidded glass or mental containers, reusable bags, metal silverware, and a cloth napkin.

Thermoses encourage food variety by extending homemade lunches beyond ho-hum sandwiches, so make sure you have one for each person in your family. (My family has had much success with this brand.)

Peanut butter and jelly is boring and, thanks to nut allergies, is prohibited in many schools and workplaces.

Twenty-first century lunchboxes are filled with quesadillas, egg croquettes, and vegetable crudités with hummus.

Use your thermos to its full potential by packing soup with a baguette slice, pasta, oatmeal, and more. Use your thermos to reduce food waste by packing dinner’s leftovers for the next day’s lunch.

Arm yourself with a set of high-quality glass or metal containers, too, as metal or glass containers with lids are both eco-friendly and non-toxic.

Repurpose glass jars you already have or, if you are in the market to buy containers, consider purchasing metal over glass, as metal is more school-friendly than glass.

Arm yourself with at least 5 containers per person, as having extra on hand will enable you to prepare lunches for the entire week at once.

I invested in multiple sets of these glass containers over 6 years ago. They are supremely durable and I have been very happy with them.

Although Ziplock bags are a common lunchbox staple around the world, they are single-use, disposable items. Even if you are committed to reuse, a Ziplock’s days are numbered, as they start to rip in the corners around the lock seal. Many companies sell reusable bags: while some are simply made of sturdier plastic, others are made from silicone, which is preferred.

If you are handy with a sewing machine, know that you can easily make them yourself using repurposed fabric. A Beeswax wrap folds itself into makeshift bags and works well for this purpose, too. 

Finally, no zero-waste lunchbox is complete without a cloth napkin and metal silverware. Pack a fork and spoon from your kitchen; cut up a piece of old, stained clothing into a square and finish the edges for an expert DIY cloth napkin. 

Prefer Audio? (Me too!)

You can find this episode of The Sustainable Minimalists podcast (and much more!) wherever you listen to podcasts.

Apple Podcasts     |     Google Podcasts     |     Spotify     |     Stitcher

3 Helpful Lunchbox Tips

Tip #1: Avoid Experimenting

My earliest attempts at packing lunches invoked creativity. And although I sent unique foods to school with my children, these items almost always returned home, uneaten.

While I repurposed and reintroduced what I could, I ended up wasting most of these uneaten items.

I have since accepted the futility in sending items your child may not eat. Lunchbox success is measured by consumption: Stick with your tried and trues, as doing so will reduce both overwhelm and food waste.

Tip #2: Stay Away from Snack Packs

I get it: Between extracurriculars, baths, and early bedtimes, weeknights are often hectic.

To reduce workweek overwhelm, I separate various food items into individual portions on Sunday. I buy crackers and cheese, yogurt, hummus and pita bread, hard-boiled eggs, pickles, olives, and raisins in oversized containers or package-free from bulk bins, then I separate them into small glass containers at home.

And because I do all the work on Sunday, I pack an entire week’s worth of lunchboxes in under an hour.

Consider buying a bag of pretzels and splitting them into five equal-sized portions, one for each lunch.

Mindfully taking the extra step to separate the food into reusable containers pays dividends in both saved money and reduced trash production while also providing healthier lunch alternatives to your loved ones.

Tip #3: Remember the Food Pyramid

A balanced meal is one that is comprised of at least fifty percent fruit and vegetables; whole grains and varied proteins are also revered. But dairy should constitute a small portion of your lunchboxes and sugar should be nearly nonexistent. 

Pair the pyramid with common sense as a means of  simplifying the lunch packing process.

I pack my daughters each a vegetable or fruit, a protein, a dairy item, and a snack. Nothing more (if I send too much, the healthy stuff comes home uneaten), and nothing less (too little food results in hungry, cranky children by mid-afternoon).

Live life to the fullest in October:

Focus on one relationship in your life and improve it. 

It could be your spouse or partner, yes, or it could be a friendship you’ve been neglecting. A family member.

Make this person your priority for the month of October.

How do you make someone your priority?

– Spend time with the person. Invite him or her over for dinner. Have one on one time. Go out for a cup of coffee. Take a walk in the woods together, just the two of you. 

– After spending time together, write the person a hand-written note that conveys how much you enjoyed their time.

– Determine a legitimate need the person has, then fulfill it. Could you make a meal to ease his or her burden? Could you bring over some flowers to brighten a friend’s mood?

You don’t have to go over the top. Usually it’s the smallest gestures that pack the biggest punch.

– Call the person. Although these days, communication is done almost entirely through text, there’s something impersonal about texting. Consider calling, instead.

November:

Remove 5 things from your home each day. 

By the end of the month you will have decluttered 150 unnecessary items from your home.

What I love about making this your goal in November is that it prepares your home for the excess that is almost certainly going to come as the holidays are ushered in.

Of course it goes without saying, declutter them responsibly. Need camaraderie? Join our private Facebook group and ask your most pressing decluttering questions as you seek to declutter responsibly. 

December:

Support local small businesses as you do your holiday shopping.

While small, independent businesses may lack the conveniences big names offer, it’s the stores with stories that offer what Amazon doesn’t, including passions for products and genuine desires to improve the quality of your—the customer’s—life.

And while the Walmarts and the Amazons of the world don’t need our business, the independent ones likely do.

Support small and local businesses as you holiday shop over the big name box stores. Here’s an entire podcast episode that divulges how (and why!) to do so.

Live life to the fullest in January:

Embark on a Dry January.

Clutter is not just physical stuff. Clutter is anything and everything that isn’t serving you. Taking a break from alcohol (or from any habit that isn’t serving you!) is a powerful way to live a life of intention. 

I have completed a dry month before and I have experienced the benefits, including 

• Better sleep
• Lost weight
• Saved money
• A reassessment of my relationship with alcohol

[Related: How a Dry Month Complements Mental Minimalism.]

February:

Say Yes to 5 optional events or opportunities you would normally say no to. 

While I am a big proponent of mastering the art of saying No, I sometimes wonder whether we get too comfortable saying no that we sometimes miss out on the opportunities that may actually enrich our lives.

By saying “no” to opportunities, we may reject many of life’s brilliant chances, and that’s because opportunity never waits for perfect timing.

Saying no to opportunities rejects not just the opportunity but also the fun the opportunity could bring, the insight the opportunity could bring, and the gifts the opportunity may bring as you journey down your unique path.

February is the month of hibernation; as such, it is the perfect time to purposefully challenge yourself to say yes.

That said, don’t just willy-nilly say yes to everything. Don’t run yourself ragged with your accepted invitations.

Be selective in what you say yes to. Maybe it’s a small thing, like accepting an invitation to a book club meeting or an early morning workout.

Or perhaps you consider saying yes to bigger opportunities, like speaking at a conference or attempting something that entices but scares you.

Life is often fuller and richer when we say yes. Try it on in February, see how it works for you, and then reassess in March and beyond. 

Live life to the fullest in March:

Less screen time, more in-person time. 

An average smartphone owner checks their device 47 times per day. 85% of users do this even while talking to their friends and family. 

In 2018, an average user spent 3 hours per day on mobile. That amounts to one-fifth of waking hours staring at a phone.

What does less screen time look like in practice? 

• Leave your phone downstairs and turn it off at bedtime.
• Go on short errands without your phone
• Delete distracting apps, at least for the month of march 
• Turn off audio notifications (or even better, tun off notifications altogether). Notifications beg to be checked. If you don’t have them on your phone you may be less likely to be pulled from the present moment and into the black hole that is your phone.

Only 30% of people who attempt to limit their cell phone usage succeed. But of the people who DO succeed, they overwhelmingly state that the Number One strategy that worked was dedicating themselves to keeping their phone in their pocket or handbag when they are in the presence of other people.

April:

Reconnect with a hobby you have been neglecting.

I’m willing to bet you have a hobby you adore. Maybe it’s scrapbooking. Maybe it’s sewing. Heck, maybe it’s podcasting.

Whatever your passion is, you likely don’t prioritize it. Life often gets in the way and mundane tasks and chores distance you from your beloved hobby (if you haven’t lost it altogether).

In April, get reacquainted. Prioritize your passion even on the days where there is laundry to fold and meals to cook. The laundry can wait. With a bit of meal planning, you can make a stellar meal AND embark on some serious hobby-related self care.

Live life to the fullest in May:

Remove one thing from your life that causes you stress.

Both obligations and people cause stress. In May do your darnedest to minimize one source of stress by actively taking a step back.

If possible, delegate a stressful task to a coworker or family member. If finances allow, outsource.

Cheers to intentionality during the new school year! 

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