n the past, I’ve tried every logistical strategy to make the time change easier. I tried adjusting bedtime by ten minutes every night. I tried staying up later to make me tired enough to fall asleep earlier.

None of these strategies was ever a surefire bet. Honestly, it sometimes just felt like dumb luck when they would work or not. I'll never forget the time I realized I’d worked super diligently to adjust our bedtimes, only to screw them up two weeks later when we spent a week in a time zone three hours ahead of ours!

Now that I have an EMPOWERED plate, I feel in control of my day, no matter what else is going on around me. This time change is POWERLESS to affect me; it's like water rolling off a duck’s back.

This morning, my family was SO tired from the time change—but we did great! Despite all that should have stressed me out, like dragging myself and my son out of bed a whole hour earlier after a night of all of us feeling wide awake for hours past normal bedtime, NONE OF THAT stood in my way this morning.

That’s because I was fueled up. My soul was fed. And I was fired up—not burnt out.

I didn’t yell. I didn’t lose my temper. I didn’t utter one unkind, grumpy word through my sleepy state. Usually, it’s those of us in charge, running the show, who are at the greatest risk of losing our cool before we’ve even gotten out the door (“For the 5th time, just put your shoes on or no dessert tonight!!”).

Sure, our kids might melt down at the sight of slightly overcrisped toast for breakfast. But when I’m fueled up, it’s like I can access this invisible supply of more time, energy, and support, and I can handle anything! When I’m starting the day feeling depleted… well, let’s just say it’s a lose-lose scenario for everybody.

I know it doesn't seem like 10 minutes of listening to a simple audio MP3 can save my whole day, but taking a few fast minutes to regulate my nervous system changes the game. It takes the unnecessary, unpleasant, and unhelpful things I don’t want OFF my plate so I can make room for what I DO want.

Stop trying to get more done with less energy. Start getting MORE with LESS EFFORT.

If you’re feeling behind from that one less hour yesterday, tired from how it threw off your routine, or wishing that you didn’t feel set up for failure by things out of your control—like a clock—listen to our simple energy clearing. It’s fast, it’s free, and it INSTANTLY gets you back to feeling calm, cool, and in control of your plate.

My mom lovingly teases me about being "the cruise director," which is a dead-on label for me. I'm a Maximizer, an Enneagram Seven, a lover of possibilities, even a recovering perfectionist - I don't want to miss out on anything. I want to do all of the fun things, and I constantly have to face my fear of FOMO and call it into check.

But here's what I've learned about cruise directors: that role is appropriate for a big ship with thousands of people to please at different times. And it is a paid position; they are not curating fun and fulfillment for themselves, they are planning it for everyone around them.

It's not an appropriate role for guiding our families. Because guess what? Even though you're a mom, you're still part of the family. Your needs matter along with everyone else’s, and you get to have some fun along the way too.

So let's shift from being the cruise director to the ship's anchor.

The cruise director parent feels responsible for manufacturing fun, for managing everybody's emotions, and ensuring a perfect experience. That's exhausting, and impossible.

The anchor's only job is to be a calm, steady presence for the family. It’s what guides the back to normal when the waves of sugar and excitement get a little too rocky this week.

I’ll warn you though, this mindset shift is only going to work for you if you take some of those cruise director expectations off your plate first (you’ve heard Felicia and I say this before, you have to remove in order to improve). Take a look at your expectations for Halloween this year… where is there room to take something off of your plate?

Can the cupcakes you were supposed to bring to school be store-bought instead of homemade? Does the porch really have to look Pinterest-perfect? Does that costume really need those extra special touches that are going to require you putting in hours more work into it, or does your kid already think it's plenty cool as it is?

Removing just one "should" from your plate can give you back the time, energy, and focus you need become that anchor. When it feels rocky and chaotic this week, try to take a moment and think back to some of the things you’ve already rocked this month, and the things that are working out “good enough” for the kids to have a good time… and know that you’ve got this.