Let's Fall Back: Tips For Getting Back Into A Routine

You might have thought this was an odd blog about changing your clocks for daylight savings time. I can confidently say that there are no clocks involved. To be quite honest, I don't even know when the time changes.

However, we are entering the (pre) fall season. Pumpkin spice is back in your local coffee shops, you may be tempted to put up your decorations (mine already are), or you might see the first leaves hit the ground. The beauty, coziness, and routine of fall is baking right in front of us, so let's talk about it!

As soon as school bells start ringing, I switch to full fall mode. This not only means embracing fifty shades of orange but also involves falling back into a routine. After a fun-filled summer full of memories and adventures, it feels nice to develop a structured routine of comfort.

Whether you are going back to school, continuing work, or have new opportunities that are developing; now is the perfect time to establish a routine to create a productive fall season. Today, I am going to share a few of my tips I use to fall back into routine!

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Tip #1 - Get Yourself Organized

As our care-free summer comes to an end it's time to break out those calendars, planners, and to-do lists. For me, I am lenient on details throughout the summer season, but then comes schedules, holidays, events, etc. My brain simply can't remember it all.

Getting yourself organized this fall will allow you to feel more relaxed and expectant of what is next. Not only does it allow you to evaluate what is ahead, but it gives you an opportunity to scout potential days/times for something else. Being organized will be practical and beneficial for you this fall.

Tip #2 - Schedule Self-Care

Maybe you neglected your workout and skincare routines, or you have been surviving off of fast-food alone for the past couple of months. Either way, it's important to make time for you when developing routines.

Personally, if I do not make these things a priority (such as a scheduled time per week), my self-care can be easily neglected. It's so simple to add that 30-minute walk, coffee date, or massage to my schedule if I make an effort to do so. I have learned that self-care is equally as important as homework or work assignments.

Not only do these self-care strategies benefit you, but you can also make them festive, social, or even productive. This could look like getting fall themed nails, going to a book club, or listening to a podcast on your walk. Make your self-care personal for you!

Tip #3 - Create Consistency

This may seem self-explanatory, but I find this to be the hardest factor of mastering my routine. Having consistency is key! This can look like bedtime, wake-up time, study schedule, weekly groups, morning/night routines, etc. Whatever schedules you put in place, keep them consistent!

The best way to gauge this is - time, place, and goals. Keep your time and place consistent every week so that you don't surprise yourself. In addition to these, maintain the consistency of your goals. For example, I want to read my Bible daily to grow closer to the Lord and learn more about His Word. This means evaluate my mindset when I start and make sure I am doing this efficiently each time!

Tip #4 - Don't Forget to Have Fun

Oftentimes when we enter busy seasons of our life such as school semesters, work projects, or holiday seasons we forget to also do life things that bring us joy. By neglecting things we enjoy, love, and have fun doing we rid ourselves of opportunity to enjoy life. Having a routine should be about balancing all of your duties.

This means watching the new blockbuster, visiting the pumpkin patch, reading a book from your TBR, etc. Just because you have a schedule and could always be doing something for it, doesn't mean you have to. We deserve moments of fun!

Tip #5 - Take Time to Reflect

Jumpstarting a routine can be stressful and overwhelming that we often dismiss any good that was present in our lives. This is why I encourage you to take some time to reflect on the last season you were in. What's your best memory? How did you grow this last season? Ask yourself questions.

In addition to this, reflect on what you want from yourself moving forward. What do you want to accomplish? What might be difficult and how can you deal with it? How have you done something similar to this before? There is power in connecting to yourself before running straight in!

Reflection can help center your mindset and attitude before you start your new routine. You can then take your reflections into the new seasons and see how they shape right before your eyes.

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Fall Into A New You!

I hope each of these tips encourage you this upcoming fall to create a routine that is not only necessary, but motivates you to enjoy where you are at with all of its advantages. You can be organized, schedule self-care, create consistency, have fun, and reflect in a way that brings out a new version of yourself! If you have any fall routine inspired tips please share them below, the Let's Get Emotional community would love to know! Talk to you soon!

-Kami