How To Get Back Into A Productive Routine This September

How the hell is it already september? It only feels like yesterday that it was the start of summer. As the kids go back to school, our adult brains go from riding the holiday train to suddenly going to remembering that there’s work and responsibilities!

The mental shift from holiday mode to work isn’t always easy. Returning to the groove you had before the summer can be a real challenge. However, to help get yourself back into the swing of things, I’ve listed a few productive tips and tricks that I used to help reset my focus.

Set priorities and new goals

It can be extremely overwhelming when you want to set new goals and prioritise different things, especially after just going through the summer months and then bang September comes!

For some crazy reason, the summer is never-ending but do-lists aren’t a thing that crosses your mind, but as soon as it’s September everything needs to be completed. I must be the most productive person going!

Here’s a quick little guide of how it priorities my task:

• Create a to-do list of all tasks you want to complete.
• List the tasks in order of priority. Give a priority level from 1-5 (1 not that important & 1 being extremely urgent)
• Start by picking out only the most important/urgent tasks and work on the individual first.
• Once you’ve completed the task, repeat the process until you’ve worked through the entire list. (It might take you a day, a week or a month).

Once you’ve finally completed tasks off your to-do list, you will start to feel a sense of accomplishment that you have completed a project. You will want to keep this momentum going.

When you have gotten into the swing of prioritizing, you may come across another new goal or two. Setting new and fresh goals during September is a great way to direct your energy and productivity and channel it into a productive autumn. Remember that goals can keep you focused.

Learn something new

Our minds are already programmed to start learning in September, especially after all the time we spend our formative years of education. The best thing is that you won’t have to go back to school! Over the last few years, the online scene has expanded and there are more options out there for everyone and anyone who wants to learn something new without having to go back into full-time or part-time traditional education.

The following are examples of places where you can learn new skills:

• Masterclass (A little on the expensive side)
• Undemy (Skill + Education)
• SkillShare (Business + Work Skills)
• Youtube/TikTok tutorials
• Learndirect (A little pricey)
• Future Learning (Free courses + Paid courses)

Schedule your routine

After a month or two of no alarms or set routine, now that September has come around, there is no more! You must now listen to your alarm and your routine is a complete mess. You either need to do the school drop on time, attend sports matches or get yourself to an important work meeting.

Please don’t panic!

It all comes down to trial and error. Try something and see how it works for you and your situation. After at least 1 month you could sit down and conduct a monthly or weekly review. Having a routine gives you some sort of structure and will help you become your most productive self.

Here’s a few little tips that might help you be productive this September:

• Set yourself an alarm and stick to it every day.
• Think about when you’re most productive and work on your biggest projects during them hours.
• For your least important or urgent must-dos or should-dos like phone calls, answering emails or attending meetings during your least productive times.
• Work out how long each task will take you to complete then distribute those tasks evenly throughout the week.
• Remember to include yourself breaks into your schedule/routine – especially if you are working from home.

Always remember to have fun

Yeah of course summer has come to an end, but that doesn’t mean fun has to stop! Even during the autumn and winter months you still need to incorporate fun activities so you can have downtime, exercise and social events because having fun is just as important.

Here are a few of my go-to ways that use to have fun:

• Schedule regular coffee or food-related hangout dates with friends/family.
• Plan your next holiday – whether that’s a staycation or a proper aeroplane holiday.
• Get outside and get some fresh air.
• Go for a walk.
• Have a family games night once a week.
• Plan a movie night once a week or month.

Always take time out of your usual working week to have fun. There are plenty of ways to enjoy your life and have huge amounts of fun.

How do you enjoy your downtime? What’s your favourite thing to do on your days off? I would love to know.