3 Ways to Get Back into a Routine After Summer

Summer has a magical way of pulling us out of our regular routines and encourages us to live in the moment and take advantage of sunny days. This is true for me anyway.

So much of our life is scheduled with endless appointments, meetings, and to-do lists. Since I can remember, I’ve always eased off the gas as July rolled around.

But as August comes to a close, I always find myself so excited to get back into a routine. I’m a very type A personality, with calendars and lists and I love sitting back, looking ahead to September and all the potential the month brings.

Here are my top 3 tips for getting back into a routine after summer:

1. Set Goals 

Take some time and think about your intentions for this next part of the year. What do you want to focus on? What routines would you like to start back up? What new habits or classes do you want to weave into your life? You could even revisit the goals you may have set at the beginning of the year here.

My morning routine has fallen to the wayside this month, and my training, whether at home or in the gym, has been really inconsistent. I’ve also been meaning to get to more in-studio yoga classes, and that just hasn't happened. 

But you know what? All of this is okay, and in my opinion taking a break from a regular schedule is a good thing, it allows space to feel refreshed and inspired. In my experience, taking a break only ignites more motivation and excitement for my goals. 

So, if you’ve found yourself out of routine and “off track”, it’s okay. Look at it as a rest that you may have really needed, and get excited to refocus. 

Set aside some time before the end of the month, even if it’s just an hour and write a list of things you want to incorporate into your life this fall. Don’t overthink it, just write anything that comes to mind. Then, number the items from most important to you to least important. Once you’ve done this, get a bit more specific on each of those important items. 

For example, I might write, “go to more in-person yoga classes this fall” as a goal for the fall. This is a little bit vague. I can get more specific on this by writing down exactly how many classes I’d like to fit in each week. 

Revisiting and refocusing my goals is one of my favourite things to do, hope you enjoy this as much as I did. 

2. Make a Schedule

Now that you have your goals, and you’ve gotten specific on them, it’s time to schedule them in. 

In my experience, if I don’t actually put things into my calendar, they don’t happen. On top of that, I often think I have more time than I actually do in a day. Once you account for a work day, errands, dinner prep, bedtime routines, etc, there’s not a lot of time left. If something is important to you (like starting a new training schedule or taking a yoga class), make sure to schedule it in. 

Everyday life and never ending responsibilities have a way of getting in the way of big goals, and deciding that your goals are a priority and non-negotiable and assigning them a place in your calendar can be game-changing. 

3. Pick 1-2 Things to Focus On To Start

I have to admit, I have moments of getting a little bit overzealous with creating a new schedule for myself. I add too many workouts into the week, I schedule too many class, and I overbook myself. And then of course, as you can predict, it becomes too overwhelming and I don't stick to any of it. 

Don't make this mistake. 

Choose one or two things to focus on to start. For example, let's say you want to start eating a more nutritious diet. Instead of starting with creating 3 different meals every day, just start with focusing on creating healthier lunches. Keep the other meals the same. Once you have your lunches figured out and having you feeling great, start to think more about your dinners. And so on. 

It's really hard to build a lot of new habits at a time. Start with one or two, and go from there. 

I hope these tips help!

Let me know in the comments below.