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Daily Life That Flows
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items September is when I stop setting up the season and start paying attention to how our days are actually working. I edit schedules, shift routines, clear what we don't need and make a little room for the busy months ahead. These are some of the things ...
Sections
4
Clear What Isn't Working
Make Everyday Life Easier
Get A Little Ahead
Make Room to Actually Enjoy It
Clear What Isn't Working
My kids are in their 20s and I still do this every September. I keep what someone in the family will actually use and donate the good supplies we don't need. The Buy Nothing Project is a great way to pass useful things along locally.
Purge School & Office Supplies - The Buy Nothing Project
Not everything is worth donating. Dried-out markers, dead pens and odd office supplies don't need to go back into the drawer for another year. Earth911 can help you find recycling options for some of those harder-to-dispose-of items.
Deal With the Supplies Nobody Wants Earth911 Recycling
August is when I reset the schedule. September is when reality gets a vote. If a class isn't working, nobody likes the club, or we're running from morning to night, I start looking at what can go—not how to cram it all in.
Fine-Tune the Fall Schedule
The chore schedule that worked in summer may not work once everyone's fall schedule changes. I look at when things are getting done and adjust responsibilities accordingly. The house needs to work for the people living in it—not the other way around.
Adjust the Household Chore Rhythm
Make Everyday Life Easier
I don't reinvent my morning every season. I look at what's actually working, what makes mornings easier and what I'm consistently skipping. Keep what helps and let the rest go.
Review Your Morning Routine
I do the same thing at night. Is my routine helping tomorrow go more smoothly—or have I accidentally created another list of things I'm supposed to accomplish before bed? Sometimes the best routine adjustment is removing something.
Review Your Evening Routine
September usually reveals exactly which nights are going to be ridiculous. I like having a short rotation of easy dinners that don't require creativity, a special grocery trip or twelve dirty pans. AnyList is useful for shared grocery lists, recipes ...
Create an Easy-Dinner Season
Before stocking up for fall, I look at what's already open, nearing its date or hiding in the freezer. A simple "Use First" spot helps those things get eaten instead of forgotten. No complete pantry makeover required.
Create a "Use First" Spot
I don't redecorate the entire house because September arrived. I bring out one or two things that make cooler days nicer—a throw by the sofa, slippers, a warmer blanket or the tea kettle. Small changes can shift the feel of a space without creating a...
Make One Small Seasonal Comfort Swap
Get A Little Ahead
I did the planning in August; September is when I start buying. I pick up gifts, wrapping supplies or holiday items I already know we'll need when I find them. A few purchases now means fewer frantic ones later.
Start Holiday Shopping Early
September is a great time to keep clearing paperwork and start scanning receipts and documents you'll need later. A little now is much better than a year's worth of paper staring at you during tax season. I also check the IRS's current deductions and...
Keep Going on the Pre-Tax Paper Purge
September is when I start thinking about what I want to read during the colder months. I use Goodreads to keep those recommendations in one place instead of scattered through screenshots, texts and random notes.
Make a Fall Reading List
I also start saving movies and shows for colder evenings. IMDb's Watchlist gives me somewhere to put them so I don't spend 45 minutes scrolling through streaming services just to watch something I've already seen.
Make a Fall & Winter Watchlist
Once I have my reading list, I check the library before automatically buying everything. Libby is one of my favorite resources for borrowing ebooks and audiobooks. Bonus: digital books return themselves. That's my kind of organizing.
Put the Library Back Into Rotation
Make Room to Actually Enjoy It
Not every open Saturday needs an activity, and not every free evening needs a project. I deliberately leave some room in the calendar before fall and the holidays fill it for me. Sometimes making life flow means not filling every available space.
Leave Some White Space
eptember is that little space between busy summer and busy fall. I make time to enjoy one of the last warm afternoons, even if I have to put it on the calendar. A park, a book outside, dinner on the patio or absolutely nothing productive all count.
Schedule Something That Accomplishes Absolutely Nothing
Before the holidays and darker winter days arrive, I like starting something that helps me slow down. It might be a seven-day meditation series, a class or even a weekend retreat. UCLA Mindful has free guided meditations if you want an easy place to ...
Try a New Meditation Program
Sometimes I want to explore somewhere new without packing everyone up, driving there, parking and making an entire day of it. Google Arts & Culture lets you wander museums, explore galleries and visit places around the world without leaving home....
Take a Field Trip From the Couch