3 Ways Your Executive Assistant Can Make Back-to-School Simple and Easy

With summer ending and schools starting back in person, you may be feeling panicked and overwhelmed by the endless to-do lists. 

Beyond the usual requirements of school supply shopping and coordinating schedules, COVID regulations and mandates from state to state are ever-changing. Never mind that you still work an actual job and have actual deadlines and people who rely on you. Along with other family and personal commitments, there never seems to be enough time in the day.

And that's precisely why having an executive assistant is such a game-changer. 

Despite what you may feel, the pressures of society, and your roles, you do not have to do it all. As a founder and/or CEO with lots of demands and deadlines, having one of our EAs do the back-to-school work will help you enjoy the process with less worry and stress. Made simple and easy. 

Here are three ways your assistant can help ease the back-to-school frenzy: 

1 - School Supplies 

Every year the lists come with all the back-to-school supply requirements. Whether you have an only child or multiple, managing the different ages, classes, schools, and activities quickly become overwhelming and time-consuming. 

Luckily, this doesn't have to cost you hours of referencing lists or finding and adding items to 5 different online shopping carts. Ask your EA to take on the planning by handing over the shopping lists (or asking them to contact the school and get a list!) and noting if there is any shop in particular that you want the supplies from. 

If you want to brave the stores (online or in-person), ask your EA to block out time in your calendar and schedule childcare. 

Researching new products or getting a side-by-side laptop comparison are other ways your EA can save you time gathering back-to-school supplies. Being a superhero parent for ordering those special edition mechanical pencils that everyone uses doesn't have to be time-consuming. 

2 - Schedule Management

Gathering academic calendars can feel like an endless task. Keeping things straight between sports, clubs, volunteer work, and field trips may feel near impossible. Asking your EA to incorporate the new school schedules into your master calendar will help keep things on track. They can also link calendars for multiple schools, children, and caregivers to ensure you don't miss important parent-teacher conferences or sporting events.  

Your EA can also help ease morning routines by scheduling transportation for pick-ups and drops off each day and can alert you to scheduled school closures or early dismissals.

A skilled EA will ensure that nothing is missed with more time available to you. That means fewer canceled events, no double-booking, and less work pushed to another day due to forgetting about that 5:00 PM soccer match. Oops.

At Lisa & Co., we make sure all our VAs are master calendar wranglers. Back to school often seems like an impossibly busy time, but having an EA in charge of your calendar means you'll have more time to focus on what matters, to achieve the work-life harmony you want. 

Bonus TIP: EAs can plan for the unexpected. Kid gets sick? Give your EA permissions and numbers to call for the school, their doctor, and a list of any sick day policies. You get sick? They can cancel and move your meetings or projects and coordinate school drop off and pick up while you get much-needed rest. Snow day? They'll have your backup caregivers with schedules for you in a flash.

3 - Medical and Wellness 

With COVID regulations and mandates constantly changing, having your EA keep tabs on requirements, testing, and mandates will help keep your kids safe and in school.  

Asking your EA to research current COVID regulations per state, county, city, and school ensures that you are up to date without the stress of making endless online searches and phone calls.

Even things as simple as school lunch requirements are changing week to week in this pandemic; your EA will keep you informed if purchasing food at school is an option or if home-lunches are required. 

They can also handle scheduling well-check appointments and athletic physicals and get a list of the school's vaccine requirements. Your EA can also keep medical information on file for your family – from their up-to-date vaccines to school sick policies to a list of the family's doctors (as well as their contact info and hours). Your EA can also create a file with weekend scheduling stipulations, urgent care clinic options, and the closest emergency room. 

Back to school has even more questions this year, but you don't have to do it alone.

Discover how you can reclaim 20+ hours a month with Lisa & Co.