living
80 CalmMoment.com
S
eptember marks the final quarter of the year,
and is a fizzing, transforming, promising sort
of month. September holds the energy of
a new season. It’s the door between summer
and autumn, a time for endings and beginnings.
Despite not being in formal education for nearly
two decades, there is something of the back to
school fever that grips me each September. Perhaps
it’s because it comes after a season of enforced
slowness on account of my children’s summer
holidays. Either way, after a few weeks of slowing
down, letting bedtimes slip, holidays, trips, and
a general summer sleepiness, September arrives
with such promise. It’s time to sharpen our pencils!
First, take a step back. Even if you aren’t
experiencing back to school fever, the turn of the
season and the start of the final quarter of the year
is a good time to get back on track with the things
you want to be doing. Give yourself a bit of time
to assess where you are against where you want
to be, and think about some clear, realistic steps
you can take to get a bit closer to your goals.
Treat yourself to a new notebook or pen.
September means new stationery, right? Use
the notebook to start a new journalling practice
(I have guidance on this on my blog too!), or use
it for organisation and have pages for different
areas of your life you’d like to work on.
Deal with the paperwork pile. It has a relatively
constant presence in our home, but it reduces all
the time because I serially switch to online billing
and unsubscribe from as much mail as possible.
File anything important, recycle or shred the rest.
Sort through your purse, wallet and handbag.
Empty them out completely and throw any rubbish
away. If you find that things get messy in your bag
quickly, try using cotton pouches to stay organised.
Check your finances. Is your budget working?
Check bills and cards and set saving targets. It’s
only four months until – I can’t believe I’m about to
say this – Christmas, so a good time to start saving!
Supercharge your planning process. How do you
organise yourself at the moment? Consider if it’sBack to school
Embrace the energy and purpose that the new season
brings in your work, home and personal lifeworking. I recommend a process that encompasses
both appointments and wider life goals. There are
lots of apps and systems around to make this easier
for you – Slack and Trello both have good reviews.
I use a combination of paper and online calendar
planning. ( I have some planning guidance on my
blog, plus a few printable planning sheets if you’d
like to learn more about my system.)
Declutter your phone. Delete unused apps and
organise the remaining ones into folders. Use the
‘groups’ app to delete multiple contacts at once
(very satisfying!). Organise your photos. Declutter
your laptop. Clear your desktop. Organise photos
and delete any old documents or files.
Have a sort out at home. Look around your house
and get rid of anything you no longer love or that
no longer serves a purpose. Don’t put any summer
clothes away you wouldn’t LOVE to see again next
year. Donate. As you get out the autumn/winter
clothes and blankets, if there’s anything you no
longer love, donate that too.
Once I’ve decluttered, I also like to sort out our
house storage. Think about where clutter gathers
in your home. Do your storage areas work well for
you? Is there enough space? Are things easily
accessible and pleasing to the eye? Could you
reduce your possessions in these areas or maybe
swap storage around to make it feel better for you?
Whether you manage to put one or all of these
ideas into action, take a moment to reflect on
the changing of the seasons and the new energy
it brings. Here’s to a September of promise and
brand new beginnings.Hannah Bullivant is a writer,
stylist, feminist and nature lover.
She blogs about soulful interiors,
living creatively and celebrating the
seasons at seedsandstitches.comWords: Hannah Bullivant / Illustration: Lorna Jameson