How to Balance Kids’ Packed Schedules with the Gift of Doing Nothing by Emily Graham
When you’ve got school drop-offs, piano lessons, math tutoring, soccer practice, and dinnerall crammed into a single day, something’s got to give. For a lot of families, that “something” tends to be free time—the kind that lets kids lie on their backs and daydream at the ceiling. But as much as productivity matters, downtime isn’t just nice; it’s necessary. Balancing both isn’t about perfect scheduling—it’s about knowing when to lean in and when to ease off the gas.

Reset: How to Change What’s Not Working by Dan Heath shows how you identify leverage points that can improve any organization. He encourages you to look for bright spots, reallocate your resources, start with a burst, recycle waste, tap motivation, and let people be more autonomous. These principles apply to any organization so school leaders should take note and get a copy.