So how was your summer?
Are you going into autumn energised and raring to go? Or are you exhausted and counting down the hours before the kids go back to school and you finally have space to think?
Either way, it’s good to start fresh in September. To take stock, celebrate your wins, see what’s been working for you and what has not. And to make a plan for the final four months of 2023 – or for the next year.
In France, where most people take the whole of August off work, they have a name for this time: La Rentrée. It means return or re-entry, but there’s a joyfulness, a sense of home-coming, that gets lost in translation.
The French see it as a time of celebration, a welcome return to the familiar rhythms and routines of daily life after the long, lazy summer break. Children embark on a new school year, adults go back to work, favourite shops and restaurants reopen, and friends catch up and reconnect after the holidays.
It’s also when the cultural year resets, with major new book releases and blockbuster exhibitions to tempt you into museums and galleries.
September is when my year begins.
I still get that back-to-school feeling, and indulge in new notebooks and pens. For me, it’s the perfect time to review and plan. To examine all areas of my life and see what’s working, and what I want to improve. Then to think about the future I want to create, before plotting out the year to come.
I tend to check in like this this twice a year, at the end of March (my birthday, and the end of the financial year in the UK), and in September. Creative work is rarely predictable, so the plans I mapped out in spring tend often need to be redrawn by now.
Sometimes, this reset it’s just about making minor course adjustments, to get me heading back in the right direction. Other years, it’s a major overhaul in which I let go of projects that aren’t working, change habits that don’t serve me, and make a completely new plan.
Why start fresh in September? Here’s why I think it’s a great time for a reset.
1. It’s the start of the academic year
The schools are back, with universities following soon after. If you work in academia, this is when your year begins. Even if you don’t, there are new academic diaries and calendars that start in September, making it the perfect time for a reset.
Even if you hated school, this is the perfect time to remind yourself of how far you’ve come since then. And to see what you want to do with the freedom you’ve created.
2. You have some distance from your regular routines
Whether it’s having children at home, going away on holiday or just the lure of the sunshine, most of us have our normal habits and routines disrupted over the summer.
Which makes it a perfect time to step back and review what is serving you well, and what you might like to change.
3. You’re relaxed and energised
In theory, at least! If your summer was hectic, make time to replenish this month. Whether you’re planning for the next year, the next quarter or just this month, always include time to rest, play, explore. To look after yourself, physically and mentally. This is about living a juicy, fun, fulfilling life, not just about getting more and more done.
If you did have a restful summer, tune into how you feel right now. And make sure you stay at your best by scheduling plenty of downtime, and making sure you always have something fun to look forward to.
4. You finish the year strong
You are halfway through the financial year (in the UK, at least). And there are four really fertile months of 2023 remaining. That’s enough time to bring projects to fruition, to launch something new, or send out offers, pitches and proposals to generate more work/income.
5. It’s working weather!
The nights are still light, the weather crisp – in theory at least, for in the UK we’re suddenly getting the summer we didn’t get in August. Nature is about to put on her most spectacular show as the leaves turn and fall in the northern hemisphere. It’s a fruitful season, a great time for long walks and creative thinking. Sitting at your desk or being in your studio no longer feels like an endurance test. I’m always at my most productive in spring and autumn.
6. Everyone is primed to start fresh in September
If you offer services, people are back at work now, and open to proposals, offers, collaborations. If you create products, Halloween is coming, followed by Thanksgiving and then Christmas and the winter holidays. This is a great time to sell!
7. I have a new group coaching programme
Starting on October 3, it runs for 10 weeks, with each weekly session discussing a different aspect of growing your creative business. We talk about finding your focus in an increasingly distracted world, structuring your days and dealing with your inner critic, imposter, perfectionist and people-pleaser. We talk about marketing and pricing your work, creating new income streams and building your network. And of course we talk about self-care – because you are the biggest asset your business has.
It’s open to artists, writers, musicians, performers, photographers, designers, makers – and creative professionals of all kinds. If you’re ready to grow your creative business, find out more here.
What do you think?