Hi all!
September (and even mid-to-late August) tends to have a “new year” feel, generally because, for many, it’s the start of a new school year.
I’m long past being part of the new school year rush now, but I still feel the energy of the start of new semesters and see the first day of school photos in my social media feeds. While I’m enjoying the season I’m in, I also kind of like the sense of structure a new school year brings to society as a whole (even though I can experience more traffic on our “rural” road that happens to lead to two schools!)
With the sense of new beginning that comes with September, it’s a good time to evaluate what works and what doesn’t in your routines. I’ve recently been journaling thoughts about choices that could make a Sunday better, a Monday better, etc. I’m thinking about what makes a particular day more stressful and what choices I can make to mitigate that.
For example, Mondays are “high power” days for me and my business. It’s usually the day I do the most for clients of any day of the week. It’s the day I’ll tend to have the most meetings, too. So I very rarely work anywhere but in my main office. I don’t make outside plans or appointments.
Monday is also a very full day for my husband and while we were chatting about Monday’s pattern, he suggested, “Why don’t we make Monday’s a fend-for-yourself night for dinner?” (I agree, and we’ll do it at least some Monday’s of the month. I may call it Make it Yourself Monday now because I have to have catchy ways to label processes.) That one change alone to improve a Monday could make a big difference.
That’s just ONE example of how I can make Mondays better and less stressful.
To help YOU think through each day of your week and what could improve it, this month’s freebie is a worksheet to help you jot down ideas unique to your week.
Last month’s poll asked how many hours a week you typically work. Those who answered indicated 21 or more hours a week, some 41 or more. That gives me an educated guess that readers and followers of HOPE Unlimited are both part and full-timers when it comes to their work. It doesn’t matter how many hours you work – you can always grow professionally and personally, and I’m glad I’m one of the sources you look to for that encouragement.
This month’s poll asks how long your lunch “hour” is. Looking forward to seeing your answers! And the featured service is our monthly Executive Virtual Assistance membership. Have you ever felt like you’d love to have an assistant, but can’t afford a full retainer package? This $40 a month membership could be perfect for you!
Check out the freebies, features and other fun on the September F&F&F page. Let me know how I can encourage you!
You’ll also notice a new button giving anyone the opportunity to make a donation if you appreciate the resources I provide through this blog, social media, free downloadables, free strategy sessions, etc. This service comes under the soft skills/stress management strategist portion of my business and is typically done on a volunteer basis at this point. Any donation is appreciated!
Here’s to a great fall. Thanks as always for reading and following!
Beth
PS: Turbo is growing and getting stronger! He’s now around ten weeks old and has about doubled in size! Here’s a “Turbo Tip” for you!