If you’re anything like me, you probably feel like the beginning of the new school year feels a little bit like a fresh start in itself!
The calendar new year is only a few months away, but January always seems a little depressing – it’s cold and dark outside, the Christmas lights have all been put away and it feels like Springtime and longer days are never going to arrive! September feels far more optimistic: golden sunsets, the leaves slowly turning from green to red and that slight nip in the air as the temperature drops – I love it.
I like to take that energy and use it to give my workspace and working habits an ‘autumn clean’ – there’s a lot of inspiration we can take from the kids going back to school!
Here’s your new timetable:
I often find that my routines slip over the summer – I might want to start a little bit later in the day (or finish slightly earlier), and I don’t stick to my schedules as rigidly as I perhaps should. This actually stresses me out a little bit, because I know how long my to-do is but I’m suddenly not sure how I’m going to fit things in. Giving myself a timetable (and sticking to it!) makes life a lot easier as I know I’ll be getting to X task at Y time, rather than cramming lots of things together and getting distracted. It’s not so rigid that it doesn’t allow for any flexibility, but it definitely makes me more productive. If I need a bit of extra help staying focussed, I’ll use the Pomodor app, which sets a timer to give me blocks of time to work on specific task.
Meeting your new classmates
One thing I often do in January, that I struggle to maintain, is finding and joining professional and social networks in my area. I’ll have the best of intentions, but the winter gloom doesn’t always motivate me to go out to local events. As we’ve all discovered over the last year and a bit, working from home can be incredibly isolating, and now that we can socialise a bit more (and not necessarily over Zoom!), I’m really looking forward to getting to meeting some peers – it’s rare that I return from a get-together without a new idea or product that I’m itching to try. See what’s available in your neighbourhood and join in, you’re bound to make some new friends!
Double PE on a Wednesday?!
Exercise is another thing that can slip during the summer – it might be too hot to go to the gym, and I’m not sure that walking to the corner shop to buy a Solero really counts as ‘exercise’… Whatever your preferred form of activity is, pop it into your timetable for September and get back into the habit. I love to go for a brisk walk in the evening to catch those lovely sunsets, and with the kids back at school, the swimming pool is often a bit calmer as well! I won’t bang on about health benefits and endorphins (Science was my least favourite subject), but you’ll definitely feel better for popping your trainers on and getting outside for a less muddy version of cross-country.
Watch out for the dinner ladies
Speaking of Soleros, it’s really important to make sure there’s a lunch break in your day – it’s tempting to work through and scarf a sandwich at your desk, but study after study shows that this is really bad for you. This article gives seven reasons why it’s detrimental to both your mental and physical health. Spending time away from your desk doesn’t make you lazy, and there’s very little that can happen in the working day that can’t wait half an hour. Plus, there’s the added bonus that Mrs Brissenden won’t make you eat the overcooked carrots before she lets you go outside and play with your mates.
New stationery!
This was always my favourite thing about going back to school! Take a look at your workspace – are your pens a bit scabby? Do you have 6 biros that don’t work and half a pencil stump in your desktidy? Could you do with a few new notepads? Every September I’ll treat myself to some new stationery and really boost that new term feeling. You can also know get some amazing ‘day organiser’ pads – I like this one – which can really help you stay on top of your schedule. It’s even got a handy ticklist to remind you to drink enough water, which can sometimes be a bit of a challenge for me.
I really hope you find this little list useful – if there’s anything that I’ve missed, meet me by the lockers at break and let me know!
Until next time!
Stay productive.