Kathy Hamilton It’s the first of September and I don’t know about you but I’m ready for a little refresh. Maybe it’s the years of going back to school in September that have ingrained a sense of ‘new year, new start’ in me, but this time of year always seems like the perfect opportunity to metaphorically start again.
September is also my birthday month (gulp, another year older already?!) So there’s always an extra incentive to reset goals and look forward to the coming twelve months. This year I have been feeling that a lot more than usual. For whatever reason, I am feeling a little unsettled at the moment and ready to make some new changes for the better. I’ve made a lot of huge strides already but something about that looming birthday is making me extra determined. That’s why I’m excited about this September Refresh idea that I keep seeing popping up all over the place.
Basically, it’s like a fake new year. We get to reset the resolutions we tried, and failed, to keep in January….remember them?! And it’s a nice half way point (speaking seasonally, that is). With summer drawing to a close and autumn about to burst forth in all its golden hued-glory, it feels fitting to use the opportunity for a new start. Anyway, I’ve been keeping a mental list of what my September refresh would look like, but as you’ll see ‘organisation’ is one of my goals, so I thought I’d pop them all in a post to share with you. Here we go:
‘Autumn Cleaning’
I never really get the ‘spring clean’ feeling. But lately I’ve been feeling a little restless and the idea of sorting my things out is really appealing to me. Since the weather in Belfast is changeable, at best, it’s also the perfect opportunity to start getting ready for the new season. So, I am going to have a big clear out of summer clothes before I pack them away for the winter. Then I’ll tackle my room; put new (autumnal) bed sheets on my bed, and generally give it a bit of seasonal update. Ctrl.Alt.Dlt. A perfect refresh!
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Get Organised
This one is connected to my ‘autumn cleaning’ but instead of re-organising my physical space I am going to attempt to organise my mental space too! I am one of those people who makes a plan, forgets the plan and then runs around like a headless chicken trying to catch up last-minute. This unnecessary stress builds up though. So, when I was on holiday in Spain this summer I treated myself to a cute new organiser. You know, like a school planner, so it fits with our September refresh vibe. It also doubles as an incentive to keep improving my Spanish. Which is a win, win.
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Start a New Project
There’s just something about September that always makes me a (little) jealous of everyone going back to university. I loved my time studying English and have always tried to keep up with literary theory somewhat. However, nothing beats actually being in a class and talking about literature with other like-minded souls. So, imagine my absolute delight when I discovered an evening class at my local university on the Bronte sisters. I signed up, obviously! And now I am impatiently waiting for September the 26th to roll around so I can dust off my new notebook and go to my evening class. It’s amazing how rejuvenating having a new project can be, and how excited I am to have this opportunity to do what I love most.
Plan a Trip (or Two!)
If you follow my Instagram you’ll probably have realised that travel has been a big priority for me this year! I love to go to new places and see new things and always come home rejuvenated but ready for the next trip. My travel tends to be a little ad-hoc though (see my previous point about getting organised!). That’s why, as part of my September refresh, I want to sit down and take a minute to properly plan where I’d like to go next. After all, don’t they say planning a trip is half the fun?
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Catch Up with Friends
Friends and Family, the ones who see you through the bad days and celebrate with you on the good days? They’re the ones to hang on to tightly. That’s why I made a secret (and now public) promise to myself to be better at catching up with friends. I feel like this is always on a list of goals and it’s definitely part of my September refresh. It’s easy to do when you live nearby, but when your friends are overseas, you have to be a little more intentional about it. Since, I usually avoid phone conversations like the plague I decided to stop this irrational phone call avoidance. The upshot? An amazing, two-hour chat with one of my friends that left me wondering why we don’t chat more often?
Get Back on Track with Reading Goals
Back in January, I made a post about my reading goals for the year. I decided not to be too strict with myself but, even so, I have fallen off the bandwagon a little bit here. I go in cycles with my reading. Some months I might read seven or eight books and then not pick up another one for a while. That’s why I thought this little september refresh is the perfect time to reassess my TBR pile, weed a few non-starters out, and get back to reading what I love. Sure, it might be a best-seller/classic/must-read but that doesn’t mean I need to read it, right? However, with autumn nights rolling in and days getting shorter, reading is back at the top of my list.
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So, there we have it. My September refresh. It feels really nice to have it all written out so now all I have to do is start tackling all my new goals. What are you looking forward to in September?
