Working at a job where I have a summer break is such a unique experience. It is a blessing in so many ways, but it is also a little bit of a curse too, at least for me. It involves taking time to transition from the school year…and then taking time again to transition from summer break.

Over time, I have realized I am a person that thrives under routines. I always hated that, because it made me feel constricted at times. I don’t like feeling like I’m living in a box, but I have come to realize that when I have structure in my life I actually have more freedom. For me, routines lead to less anxiety in the long run, and who can say no to that?! Going from working a full-time job, where I have a morning and evening routine I try to follow, to wide open time and no structure is actually really hard for me. It takes time for me to adjust to all of the free time. As I said before, it is both a blessing and a curse.

Leaving summer break behind and returning to work is the same but in reverse, a period of readjustment back into stricter routines and more structure.

Transition From Summer

I could wait until the first day of work to start getting back into the swing of things, but I have learned the hard way that that only leads to a lot of anxiety and even some depression. It is already hard, so why should I make it harder? This was my third year of having a summer break, and each year I have learned things that I can take to the next.

Last summer (2023), I created a very detailed plan for my life reset at the end of July, trying to figure out as much as I could in advance. My goal was to make the school year easier for myself as a person and also as a new wife. I re-visited my morning and evening routines from the prior school year and made alterations where I thought I needed them. I created systems for cleaning and meals. And, of course, I wrote down alllll the things in my planner, trying to color-code as much as I could for maximum organization. It was helpful for a while, but it didn’t last. I think I tried to change too much too quickly.

But, you live and you learn and then you make adjustments.

[For a similar post, check out “Living an Intentional Life”.]

Same But Different

While the act of making the transition from summer will be the same, this year will be different because I am starting a new job! This makes the process more difficult because there are a lot of unknown factors. I am still going to have a time of resetting, but I am going to be a little gentler. A little less ambitious right from the start. Try a more gradual and grace-filled approach, instead of a complete overhaul with strict boundaries. Let’s discuss my plan of peaceful attack!

My focuses for a mid-year reset include: my main routines (morning, after work, evening), meals, cleaning, and habits for the remainder of the year. I use my planner to keep track of/organize most of this. It is easiest to have as much of it as possible in the same place. This year, I found an almost perfect planner that I hope will help streamline things for me (but I’ll talk more about that later)!

Routines

Because I am starting a new job, my schedule will be very different. This means my routines will also be different in some ways, although I will still have a morning, after work, and evening routine. The main components will still be the same as far as what I will need to get done, but the timing will have to be adjusted. This part of the reset is going to be very loose in the beginning, and as I get used to my schedule, I will tweak things as needed.

Stay tuned, because I will definitely be sharing more about each of my routines later on, either in my newsletter or on my blog. Make sure you subscribe so you don’t miss it!

Meals

Last school year, I really dove into meal planning, so not much will need to change this year. I currently have a list of meals that I choose from, with notes about where I can find the recipe. It’s not a perfect system, but overall it works pretty well for me. Knowing I am starting a new job, I decided it would be helpful to go ahead and plan all of my meals for the month of August. I tried to choose meals that were easy, and I also decided that we would eat out or order food at least once during the week, because I know I will be extra tired as I get back into the swing of things.

Cleaning

While I really excelled in meal planning last year, following a cleaning system probably lasted all of the first month before it fell apart. I knew I didn’t want to spend my whole weekend cleaning, but I also found it was so hard to come home after working all day and clean. This year, I will be getting home earlier, so I am hopeful I can make the daily cleaning approach work for me. I plan to start small with only the absolute necessary tasks, and I am going to try setting a timer so that the finish line is more tangible. Again, stay tuned as I figure out what works best for us!

Goals (Habits)

I didn’t do any habit building during the summer, because I didn’t want too much structure. Instead, I just tried to do something for my mind, body, and to bring myself joy each day. As I go back to work, I am also going to go back to building habits in my life. I am going to build off what I did over the summer, and my first habit of the school year will be moving my body every day in some way, even if it is small. I don’t think I am going to track anything, at least not the first week or two of returning to work…maybe not even the first month.

Planner

I love a good planner, and this year I found my favorite one so far! It is a Sugar Paper Planner, and I bought it at Target. Each month has sections for goals (personal, health, work, and financial), and each week has a spot for weekly goals, notes, and multiple places for to-do lists! So far, it has been a great way to keep all my information in one place, rather than using a planner along with other apps. I am still color-coding my calendar, something I started doing last year. I have different colors for appointments, work, fun, church, and holidays. It is helpful, but it also adds some color and makes things a little prettier!

Suggestions, Not Rules

There are a lot of factors that go into a transition from summer break to returning to work. The above things are what is most important to me, but they are different for everyone. I encourage you to use my plan for reset and adjust it to fit your life. Think of them as suggestions instead of rules. It can be so easy to try to copy someone else’s routines and ways of doing things (believe me, I’ve tried many times), but it never really works because I am not her and you are not me, etc. My goal for sharing my plan of attack with others is to inspire and encourage, not necessarily to instruct. Happy resetting, whatever that means for you!

When you have a time of reset, what are some of the main components for you? Leave a comment or reach out on social media! I would love to hear all of your tips and tricks! 

[For more tips related to mental health and school, check out “Creating a Mental Health Toolbox”.]