Getting Back into the Swing of Things After Summer

Seeing as it’s September, when many people go back to school or univeristy, I thought I’d talk about how to get back into the swing of things after summer ends. We’ve had our time of relaxing and doing nothing for long days, so now it’s time to roll up our sleeves and get stuck into life again.

We’re moving into a new season, which means it’s time to do a few things…

Review

Whenever there’s a shift in time, like a new season or new month, I like to reflect. This means looking back (briefly) and documenting what you did and how it went. This is a great tool for keeping on track with habits and goals, but it’s also nice for those who simply want to live an intentional life rather than one lived on autopilot (acting without thinking).

How has the first half of the year been for you? What went wrong; what went right?

What were your goals at the start of 2019? Have you made any progress? Is it time to revisit them? Change them? Set new goals?

Get Organised

Everyone lives their life differently; I applaud and encourage that. But I do lean towards the idea that being organised, at least a little, goes a long way towards a meaningful and intentional life.

How to be more organised:

• Having a calendar and actually using it (phone, laptop, wall, desk, whatever)
• Having a way to organise your thoughts (journal, notebooks, phone notes app, sticky notes, whatever)
• Going through the last four months of 2019 and writing out (somewhere) deadlines, birthdays, plans, must-dos, schedules for content or work or school etc
• Determining a routine (even slightly) so that you have to make fewer decisions each day and keep on top of things. When are you going to do your housework, work projects, school work, hobby, exercise, socialising, mental health practices, reading, and so on?

Seasonal Intentions

This is a new thing I started last year and now I adore setting seasonal intentions. This means having a sort of Bucket List of things you’d like to do during a season (summer, spring, autumn, winter).

It’s turning Autumn now, which is my favourite time of year, so set some Autumn intentions to ensure you make the most of this season’s events. I like to make my intentions colourful and very visual in my planner. Print off pictures that inspire you, write out key dates and write what you’d like to do over the next 3 months.

Supplies & Space

This is a great time of year for you to have a refresh of your space and your stuff. My mom has redecorated her bedroom (much to the dismay of myself, due to all the mess), and doing so has been very cathartic for her.

Bringing newness into your life and your space is a beautiful way of decluttering both physically and mentally — brilliant for our wellness.

• Go through your clothes and donate or sell what you don’t want or need
• Go through old notebooks and files and recycle or upcycle what you don’t need
• Redecorate and revamp your space
• Go through emails and phone/laptop clutter
• Ask, “does this spark joy?” Marie Kondo style!

Then once you’ve redone your space, you need supplies to help you to have a productive end to your year! This is perfect for back to school supplies, too.

• Inspiring notebook(s)
• Pens and pencils that actually work
• An organiser of some sort (diary, calendar, bullet journal, app, etc)
• Pencil case and folders
• A backpack that fits your laptop in it
• Highlighters

Check out Kalyn Nicholson’s GYST series on her YouTube channel for more help (GYST = Get Your Shit Together!)

Goal-Setting & Habits

It’s easy to break habits and routine over the summer period. Everyone wants to meet up, go on holiday, and have endless barbecues, thus taking you away from your usual day-to-day deeds. But with summer being over, it’s time to get back on track!

Ask yourself these questions, find the answers, set a goal, make a plan, take action, repeat!

What do I need in my life to stay healthy and happy? Physical health practices, mental and emotional health practices, brain food (literally and figuratively), fulfilling tasks etc.

What do I need to cut down or stop? Bad habits, vices, self-sabotage, limitations and setback mindsets and actions.

What brings me joy and fulfilment? How can I make time for this?

What’s working and not working? What can I do about it?

What were my goals at the beginning of 2019? Are these still appropriate?

What or who do I need to help me keep on track and smash my goals/habits? An accountability partner, a work out buddy, an organiser, a shift in environment (make habits easy by setting your environment up for success: don’t buy “bad foods”, leave your yoga mat out in plain sight, have folders or storage units for tidiness and organisation etc).

Get excited

Yes, summer is gone and that’s sad, but we have other things to look forward to yet this year. Cold weather may bring shorter, greyer days, but it also brings jumpers and blankets! Hot beverages and cosy nights in. Bonfires, fireworks, Christmas, Santa, pumpkins, Halloween and all that good stuff!

So, make a list of things that you’re looking forward to for the last third of the year.

Any other tips for getting back on track and making the most of the shift in seasons? Let me know in the comments below.

Also, did you complete the Confidence Challenge from August? How did it go? If not, binge-watch the series on my YouTube or here on my site.

Speak soon!

FYI: I’m going through some changes and so I can’t guarantee how present I’ll be on my site, YouTube or podcast with the beginning stages of these changes. I assume I’ll need a bit of an adjustment period and so I ask for your patience and understanding during this time.

Thanks, Mindset Managed Clan!

Much love, always x