Lunch container – Do you even taste your mid-day meal? Is it good for you? By taking your lunch to work, could you eat healthier foods, enjoy your meal, and dine in places that calm and rejuvenate you?

Notebook – I see stores practically giving away paper in September. Whether you carry a spiral notebook in your briefcase, a memo pad in the car, or single sheets folded in your purse, you need a place to record important ideas and creative musings. This allows us to remember and organize otherwise swirling thoughts on paper.

Planner – Do you know where you need to be, and usually arrive on time? Or does it feel as if you’re always running out the door with only moments before your next appointment? Do the kids complain that you are late picking them up from school or extra-curricular activities? The pressure to manage everyone’s schedule adds stress to an already hectic life. Is your organization system working for you, or against you?

Good book – While it doesn’t seem like it, you really might have some free time throughout your busy day. Is there a book you’ve wanted to read, but decided against purchasing because you didn’t have a solid block of time to enjoy it? Could you finish even a page or two while waiting for the kids at practices or when picking them up from school, or in the line at the grocery store?

Sleep – Would you allow your child to stay up late and rise with dark circles under their eyes? Absolutely not! Then, why do women allow themselves and their beloved friends to madly dash around in sleep-deprived stupors? This year, as you tuck the kids into bed, ask yourself, “What tasks could really wait until morning?”