Hello, fellow tinkerer 👋

The past few mornings have been downright chilly. FALL IS HERE. Or so I have proclaimed… we’ll probably get another burst of summer heat yet this month.

Fall is also the “kick back into gear” time in my world, after the delightful slowdown of summer. If it’s the same for you and you’re trying to get your tech stack into shape, I’ve got an upcoming webinar for that!

1) Reflection:

I was recently cleaning out a closet and found an old diaper bag. Now, my youngest child is 9 — I have not used a diaper bag for a long time. Still, it brought back a lot of memories, especially as I looked at the various stains from (probably) milk, juice, and vomit and the crumbs from a never-ending supply of Cheerios.

This year, my oldest child drives to school, with my middle child in tow. I know it’s the biggest cliché on the planet to say, “The days are long but the years are short.” And yet, it’s true.

2) Tip

After moving away from the giant diaper bag, I now rotate between small purses, tote bags, and my laptop bag. The problem? Having the right “stuff” in the right bag, like chargers, hand lotion, or doses of Tylenol.

I now keep a small makeup travel bag inside whatever I’m carrying. Not for makeup, but for the “stuff” that needs to move between bags. Switching from a purse to my laptop bag? I just grab the makeup bag and my wallet, and I’ve got what I need.

3) Product

My kids are now at the age where they can self-manage their routines, like washing their faces and packing lunch for school. But, being kids, they often forget things.

I used Gemini to create age-appropriate visuals for each kid, now taped to the bathroom mirror.

My two teenagers insisted that a visual was not necessary, but it has helped. And my 9-year-old loves her chart. The above example is anonymized, but in her actual routine, it has the exact products she uses so she recognizes the packaging.

Want more ideas?

→ Check out The Networking Lab on Monday, September 21 @ 12:30 pm ET. Hosted by Janna Carlson, you will create a simple network strategy that meets your business goals and build a follow-up plan for strong relationship-building. Sign up here.
​
→ On the blog: Nobody else will guard your time. That's your job.​

That's it for this issue of Tinkering! See you again in two weeks.

Cheers,
Anna

​​​​​​

​