There is something about September that feels like a fresh start like January at the beginning of the new year. Summer vacations come to an end, children return to school, calendars become more structured, and organizations begin turning their attention toward how they’ll finish the year and start planning for the new year. Even when we are no longer students, September can still feel like a second New Year, a natural opportunity to re-evaluate priorities, reset goals, and return to work to finish the year strong.
September Gives Us a Chance to Begin Again
Researchers sometimes refer to this as the “fresh start effect.” Meaningful points in time can help us create some psychological distance from the past and motivate us to pursue important goals with greater intention and energy. September offers that kind of moment, but the real question is what we will do with it.
I was recently asked what advice I would give young professionals who want to be successful, and I shared some of those thoughts in this short video: Advice for Young Professionals.
Although the message is directed toward people early in their careers, the principles apply at every stage. I believe we should continue asking ourselves what we are learning, where we need to improve, whose advice we should seek, what habits we are developing, and whether we are becoming people others can trust. Success is rarely the result of one dramatic decision or a life-changing event. Usually, it is built through small choices made consistently over time.
Be Clear About Your Top Priorities
Returning to work after the summer can bring a surge of energy, but energy without direction can make us busier, increase frustration and lead back to procrastination.
So, before accelerating into a packed fall schedule, define your critical few priorities to complete between now and December 31st. Stephen Covey taught that we should identify and schedule our priorities rather than apply time management techniques to whatever has found its way onto our schedules. That is an important distinction.
If developing your team matters, where is it scheduled? If strengthening client relationships is a priority, when are you making time for it? If your health, family, or professional growth matter, have you protected space for them? Our calendars often reveal our real priorities more honestly than our intentions do. In similar fashion, our cheque books and e-transfers reveal what we value the most.
Build Habits That Support Your Goals
September is also a good time to reset goals, but goals alone are not enough. James Clear writes, “You do not rise to the level of your goals. You fall to the level of your systems.” A goal identifies where we want to go, while our habits determine whether we make progress.
If you want to become a better leader, your supporting habits might include asking for regular feedback to reveal blind spots, meeting consistently with your team to increase engagement and trust and reflecting on how you could have handled situations and meetings more effectively. If you want to grow your business, those habits might include reconnecting with clients, asking better questions, and following up when you say you will. Goals provide direction, but habits create momentum.
One of the greatest advantages any professional can develop is a willingness to remain teachable and “grow through learning.” Qualifications may help us enter a profession, but curiosity, humility, resilience, and trustworthiness help us build a meaningful career. I recommend you seek out people whose character, values, and results garner your respect. Ask thoughtful questions, listen carefully, request feedback, and learn from mistakes instead of trying to hide them.
You won’t have your entire career figured out this September, but with some reflection, focus, and targeted effort, you can finish the year well and in the process be setting up for a great launch into the new year that will advance your career.
Use September to Reset With Intention
As routines return, take a few minutes to conduct a simple September reset. Do the drop/keep/add exercise, which I have shared with many of you over the years. Ask yourself what you should continue doing because it is producing meaningful results, what you should stop doing because it is consuming energy without creating enough value, and what one or two things you should start doing that could make the greatest difference.
Don’t create a list of 20 changes, because you won’t do them and you’ll just frustrate yourself. Choose a few priorities you can realistically sustain. September may offer a fresh start, but lasting progress will not be determined by how motivated we feel during the first week back. It will be determined by what we continue doing when the calendar becomes crowded and the initial enthusiasm begins to fade. Remember, when nothing is a priority, everything is a priority.
You may not be returning to a classroom this September, but you should never stop being a student. Or as I like to say, commit to growth through learning.
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