The Bleachers Season (a love note to showing up)

This week reminded me why I built a life around seasons, not shoulds.

1. Walking the halls to learn her new classes? Done.
2. Yes, how will she make it through the door? No one knows.
3. Lunches prepped? You got it!
4. First-day pics? Snapped.
5. Volleyball? If you know, you know—four days a week minimum, crisscrossing the county like it’s a full-time job. IYKYK.

Middle school is… a lot. I don't know about you, but it was an awkward time for me. Definitely not in my highlight reel!

But this season? I want to be there for the late-night talks, the wins, the tears, and the weird in-between. I don’t want the recap—I want the moments.

Seasonal living is how I make that possible. It’s the permission to recalibrate my energy toward what matters now, not forever—now.

Naming this season (Still workshopping—send me your fave.)

• Bleachers & Backpacks
• Hallways & Huddles
• The Sideline Season

How I’m keeping work strong (without losing the bleachers)

Not magic. Just rhythm.

• Early focus window: deep work before the house wakes up—strategy docs, proposals, writing. No inbox yet.
• The Daily 3: each morning I choose the three moves that actually move the business. Everything else is noise or next.
• 20-minute inbox sprints: Batch, delete, delegate, decide. No grazing.
• Meeting guardrails: Calendar planned so times are blocked. Planned with intention Prep (Mon), Align (Tues), and Produce (Wed - Fri).
• Game-day plan: 30-min power block right before we leave + 30-min “landing” block after we get home. That’s it.
• Templates > heroics: proposal shells, status templates, prepped responses for the top five asks. Consistent beats perfect.
• Office-in-a-bag: charger, hotspot, legal pad, highlighter, one folder. Bleachers become a think tank when needed.
• Friday 30 reset: review plan, block next week’s focus, pre-draft tough emails so Monday-me starts lighter.

Translation: I’m choosing leverage over volume, presence over performative busyness, and done over perfection.

What this season looks like in real life

• Capacity calls: four weeknights are spoken for. Everything else negotiates with that reality.
• Carpool Wins: Have the support, we all need it.
• Home rhythms: paper plates, quick meals, a 20-minute evening reset, and the slow cooker on speed dial.
• Phone rule at games: photos first, then phone down. Presence over play-by-play.
• Margin math: weeknights are already taken M-Thur + one unscheduled weekend block we fiercely protect.

What I’m releasing (for now)

• Elaborate dinners on practice / game days
• Being everyone’s go-to, all the time
• The pressure to make it look easy

Exit language I’m using (steal this)

• “That doesn’t fit my capacity in this season.”
• “I want to do that well—and right now, I can’t.”
• “I’m protecting time I’ve already committed elsewhere.”
• “It’s a no for this season.”

Two tiny check-ins keeping me aligned

• This week, “enough” looks like: being present, quick meals, earlier than normal bed time, and letting things land where they do.
• One small upgrade: Get a sanity walk in + review my Daily 3 before bed. Future me says thanks.

If you’re also in a Bleachers Season (whatever we name it or your version of it), here’s your reminder:

You’re not falling behind—you’re choosing to be exactly where it matters. The emails will wait. The house will recover. Your kid won’t always look for you in the stands.

📝 Quick reflection

• What would you name your current season?
• What gets your best energy this month—and what gets your “not right now”?
• What’s one work rhythm you’ll adopt (daily focus window, Daily 3, or Friday 30)?

This season won’t last forever. That’s the point. Let’s show up for it—at work and in the stands—on purpose.

#SeasonalLiving #MyLifeInSeasons #Intentionality #WorkLifeBlend #Leadership #WomenInBusiness #Boundaries #ParentingWhileLeading #Productivity