Smiley Law - September 2018

NEED A PERSONAL ASSISTANT TO MANAGE YOUR KIDS’ CRAZY SCHEDULES?

TRY THESE 3 TIPS INSTEAD

School has started. Youth sports are in full swing. Work is crazy. Food has become more about necessity than enjoyment. All of this can only mean one thing: Fall has begun. The crazy schedules this time of year can make it tough for parents to keep their heads on straight; making it through the insanity sometimes feels more like survival than life. But there are tactics you can employ to turn the tide and find more time for yourself. There’s no reason to try to do everything on your own. The phrase “It takes a village to raise a child” exists because managing the stressors of life requires help. A great place to start is by establishing car pools with a parent group you trust. You can alternate drivers weekly, which provides the opportunity for you to focus your attention on other priorities — or if you’re lucky, have some freedom. Tag Team

Teamwork Makes the Dream Work

While you’re busy trying to rally the troops at soccer practice, the scene at home resembles a horror movie. Laundry is piling up, food is spoiling in the fridge, and the dust bunnies around the house now have names. Housecleaning is a part-time job in its own right. The only way to stay on top of duties around the house is to work together. A chore chart with clear responsibilities is a great place to start. Whether you have one child or eight, everyone is capable of pitching in. You can have all the organizational abilities in the world, but the best way to manage life’s madness isn’t by directing day-to-day tasks; it’s by managing stress. Instead of using these tools to control life, look at them as a way to free up time so you can decompress and enjoy the things you love.

The Right Tool for the Job

Technology makes organization easier and more accessible than ever. By using a tool like a shared calendar, you can coordinate the entire family’s schedule so you never miss a beat. And apps like Mealime and MealBoard give you the ability to whip up food that is cost-effective and delicious.

REFERRALS AND A TIGERS FIRST GAME

Imagine for a second that your wife surprised you with tickets to the first regular-season Tigers game. In your preparation for the big game, you get your Burrow jersey ready, gas up the car, and head to Death Valley stadium. Just walking up to the entrance makes you feel nostalgic. Last year was a losing season, made even more disappointing by the loss to Notre Dame in the Citrus Bowl. You know this year will be different though. As you navigate your way through crowds of other enthusiastic fans, you breathe in the delicious smells permeating the air around you: spicy Cajun jambalaya, Manda sausage, and the mouthwatering Barbecue Bengal Burger. You take your seat, stare out at the ocean of purple and gold, watch the coin toss, and get ready to scream your lungs out along with 100,000 other fans to Garth Brooks’ “Callin’ Baton Rouge.” It’s an emotional experience for Louisianians and outsiders alike. The gratitude that you feel toward your wife for surprising you with these tickets is the same feeling we get when our existing clients refer our business to their friends and family. The reviews that you have posted both on our website and Google consistently encourage prospective clients to set up consultations with us regarding any legal needs they might have. Furthermore, people

trust recommendations from people they know as credible sources of information, meaning that a huge portion of the population is more likely to use a service or purchase a product because their friends told them to. Because we know this to be true, we know that the success of our firm is

absolutely dependent on your referrals. Obviously, your referrals help us grow our client base, but they also help show us areas where we shine and areas that might need a little improvement. Ever since the formation of our firm in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, our biggest focus has been on finding ways to make our clients’ experiences satisfactory, and referrals are a great indicator that we are on the right track. So, to those of you who have referred your friends or family members to us, thank you for making us feel like we are jumping up and down at a Tigers game. We know it’s not the real deal, but it at least gets us halfway there.

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