It’s the sixth day of September and I’ve just dropped my son off for his first day at school! September is a month of new beginnings! It’s a time for rejuvenation, recalibration and renewed resolve.
September has so much more going for it than January – for a start, most people have had at least some semblance of a rest in August. On top of that September still has relatively long days and it lacks the general ‘slow start’ that typifies January.
For me, September is a time of optimism. We’re glad of good weather rather than being under pressure to have a ‘summer’. We’re usually fairly happy to be back into a routine after the chaos and unpredictability of summer holidays. And Christmas gives us something relatively imminent to look forward to.
On the flip-side, once you get into the swing of things, you realise there’s actually not that long left to achieve the goals you set out for the year.For all of those reasons September is a time to reflect, reset and recalibrate. So here’s my three top tips to use this time to plan the rest of the year.
Review
It can be tempting to try and capitalise on the feeling of motivation you have in getting back into the swing of things to just start to ‘do’. I see lots of clients try and do this. They literally pick up where they left off and that can be really dangerous as your pre-holiday to-do list can be driven by a very short-term mindset.
Instead, take a moment to review how far you’ve come this year. How are you tracking against your goals? How much do you still have left to do? Are your goals still relevant or do they need to be reset?
What isn’t working? What have you done so far this year that hasn’t led to the results you want?
Align
Check in with your planned activities over the next few weeks and months. Are they all aligned to what you want to achieve? Are they all things that make sense in terms of your wider goals? You may have been inspired by some outside stimulus over the summer, and that’s fab, but make sure that you’re using it in a way that gives your business the maximum benefit.
Check-In
The summer can cause us to feel slightly adrift and disconnected. Take the time to connect with the people that matter most to you. Share your renewed focus, remind them of your goals.
Think about how you can use the ‘back up and running’ vibe to connect with connections that have lapsed.
If you’re in full September mode like me and would like some additional support to make the most of the coming months why not get in touch to see how I can help. I run packages as well as full coaching programmes to help you reset and recalibrate in a meaningful way, that works for you. Drop me a line on vttcoaching@gmail.com