From summer to structure: this is how you get back into your routine
One step at a time
The summer is officially over. No more long evenings of socializing, no endless tanning sessions at the beach and no Aperol on the terrace. Although, that last one doesn’t necessarily have to disappear for me. With a bit of luck, there’s a heater on somewhere and we can just stay cozy. I won’t let myself be easily Amsterdam – Bar Bukowski chased away.
But let’s be honest: there’s also a downside to that lovely summer mode. My routine always disappears like snow in the sun. And suddenly it’s September and you’re expected to get up on time again, work, exercise, eat healthily, and also be a bit social.
Yet September is actually the time to pick up your routine again. And that’s not just because the holiday is over.
Why September feels like a fresh start
That feeling of a new beginning after summer isn’t so strange. In psychology, there’s something called the Fresh Start Effect. Researchers Hengchen Dai, Katherine L. Milkman, and Jason Riis described this phenomenon in 2013. The idea behind it: certain moments that we see as a new chapter, like a new year or the start of a new period, can make us more motivated to pursue goals and change old habits.
A new season feels like a kind of mental reset. And that’s exactly why September feels a bit like January for many people (but without the huge champagne hangover). The summer is closed, your schedule is filling up again, and suddenly you think: okay, maybe I should pull myself together a bit.
Don’t try to do everything at once
The biggest mistake you can make is to want to reorganize your entire life right after summer. Getting up at 6:00 AM on Monday, exercising before work, meal prepping; that routine cannot be back on track in a week. This sounds fantastic, but the chance that you’ll stick to it for three days isn’t very high.
Use that feeling of a fresh start to begin small. Choose one or two things that you want to bring back into your daily life. For example, getting up around the same time every day or planning a fixed time to exercise again. Once those habits start to come naturally again, you can always expand.
Set your alarm a bit earlier again
After weeks of sleeping in, that alarm at 7:00 AM suddenly feels like a personal attack. Still, it can help to gradually bring your sleep rhythm back.
Do you usually get up around half past nine during your vacation? Then don’t suddenly set your alarm for six because you think you “really need to get back to normal now”. A half hour earlier is already a good start. After all, your body didn’t get a calendar that says it has to switch back to workweek mode immediately after summer.
Give your days some structure again
During the summer, everything often happens spontaneously. A drink here, a dinner there, and before you know it, you’re still on a terrace at eleven o'clock at night. Wonderful, of course, but unfortunately, you often can’t carry that over into the following months.
Therefore, plan a few fixed moments back into your day. A breakfast at a normal time, a walk after work, or an evening when you regularly go exercise. You really don’t have to schedule every minute in your agenda. Just a few fixed times can be enough to feel some structure again.
Get your sports clothes out of the closet again
During the summer, moving often happens more easily. You walk more, bike to the terrace, and spend half the day outside. Afterwards, the couch suddenly looks suspiciously attractive. Yet, moving can help you regain energy and structure. A walk, a run, a yoga class, or just cycling again is also movement.
The most important thing is to choose something you actually enjoy. Otherwise, that sports outfit will be buried at the bottom of the laundry basket next week.
Don’t make your fresh start a punishment
The Fresh Start Effect is about motivation and the feeling that you can start anew. So use that to your advantage, but don’t turn your new routine into a boot camp. A routine should make your life easier, not make you feel like you have to achieve a goal every day.
Therefore, also plan things that make you happy. A dinner with friends, a nice walk, a new sports class, or just an evening when you don’t have to do anything at all. Structure and coziness can coexist perfectly.
From summer mode to autumn mode
Maybe that’s ultimately the best way to pick up your routine again: don’t see September as the moment when all the fun is over, but as a new chapter: a fresh start to begin the new (work or study) year.
The summer was for long evenings, little planning, and mainly enjoying where the day ends. Now there can be a bit more structure again. Not because it has to, but because it can also be quite nice to have a bit of grip on your days again.
