Recently I was listening to one of my favorite podcasts, Happier with Gretchen Rubin. She and her sister were discussing how September is the new January.
Here’s a link to the podcast if you’re interested in checking it out.
They were talking about how September is back-to-school time and how it’s a fresh start just like January.
By this period of the year, most of our new year’s resolutions have been long forgotten and the new year is still months away. September is the ideal time to think about your goals and mindset intentionally.
Having a reset and a new beginning is refreshing.
This is true whether you have kids going back to school or not. The seasons begin to change, and the energy of summer draws to a close. Cooler days and nights set in and the focus shifts from summer gatherings and cookouts to a new routine.
September is an opportune time to set some refreshed intentions to take you into fall and the holiday season (which we all know will be here before we know it).
How am I re-setting this September?
A renewed meal-planning schedule
Forgetting about planning meals in the summer is easy. Cookouts and gatherings abound which can lead to eating on-the-go and indulging.
Making a list of healthy breakfast ideas is useful to ensure you start the day on a positive note.
Planning dinners in advance helps to keep us on track, so I’m not scrambling at 5 p.m. to come up with something to make.
Clean out and organize my kids and my clothing for the changing weather
Approximately every four months or so as the weather changes I go through all my kids’ clothes and remove what no longer fits and what is not seasonally appropriate which helps keep things organized and their drawers and closets manageable.
Last week I went through all their drawers and closets, and that took me about an hour or so (which could have taken me as little as 20 minutes, but my toddlers “helped” me and squealed with delight as they threw shirts and pants all over their room).
Then this week I spent about an hour and a half sorting what to donate/give away and what to sell secondhand. Just like that, it’s out of my house and into new homes. Now when I go in their drawers, I’m not overwhelmed by things that no longer fit or aren’t right for the changing weather.
Check out this post if you’re interested in reading more about my thoughts on minimizing “stuff.”
An entire house deep clean
Now if you know me in real-life you’re probably thinking, “how is there even any part of her house necessitating a deep clean?”.
My house is usually tidy and clean because I really can’t function any other way.
BUT.
Similar to spring cleaning I love a good fall deep clean including fans, under the stove, baseboards, blinds, light fixtures – things that usually go unnoticed for a few weeks or months.
Revisiting goals and personal intentions
The summer season is one of my favorites because of the long lingering days and spontaneous plans and tends to lead to an extra glass of wine on the patio and later bed times for all. It also means more relaxing and travel which we all crave after the long, harsh Wisconsin winters.
In the midst of the “fun season” shall we call it, it’s easy to get swept up in wherever the moment takes us – like staying up late instead of making time to read. Or, sleeping in because you’re on vacation.
Now I’m ready to get back to a regular bed time and waking time. I’m returning to my priorities of a schedule and routine. This year one of my children will be in preschool three days a week. We will need to have a morning plan that gets us out the door on time to take him to school. While I’m sure we’ll all miss the lazy summer mornings playing in PJs and having leisurely (is that even possible with toddlers?) breakfasts it will be beneficial for us all to have a known morning timeline.
Have you set your intentions for this coming fall season? What are you leaving behind in summer? What are you looking forward to in the coming months?
I’m ready for a fresh start. A renewed sense of intentional goals.
