5 reasons September is THE month to set smart goals you’ll stick to
As we all know, most people use January to set themselves new goals. Whilst this makes sense as January symbolizes a fresh start and a new year, September may in fact be a better time to set goals. September is the start of a new academic year, a new season, and to me is a great time to set goals as we haven’t quite hit the darker colder days yet and therefore I am more likely to build better habits in autumn than in the depths of winter.
1) The back-to-school mentality
Doesn’t matter if you graduated from school 20, 30, or 40 years ago; for most of our lives September has symbolized a new beginning, and at least to me, I still see September as the start of a new (academic) year despite not working in a school or even having kids that follow school holidays.
For this reason alone, this makes September a great time to set goals and make positive changes. After a few months of either being on holiday or enjoying a lot more socializing and summer activities, setting goals as you adapt back into your daily routine is a great idea.
So take this fresh start to draw the line and go over what you are currently doing, what is working well for you in your personal, professional, and well-being life, and what is not.
2) You may have been “off” track over the summer
Whilst I don’t like using the words on track or off track, if you’ve had kids off for 8 weeks over the summer or if you socialize more in summer, stay out later, or eat and drink more; chances are you haven’t been following your usual routine. Therefore using September as a time to re-adopt healthier habits, knuckle down at work again, and prioritize some healthy behaviors may be beneficial.
For example, for me September is usually a time I go back to reducing my alcohol intake, prioritizing getting my gym workouts in again, getting back into reading etc…
3) Starting now gives you a New Year head start
Most people goal set in January and as a result we can compare ourselves to others and feel like we need to strive for more than maybe we can realistically commit to.
Sitting down and evaluating exactly what you want to achieve before the end of the year is a great way to get you in a better position and means you will not feel the need to compare yourself to others as you will have already started on your own personal journey.
4) September is lighter, warmer, and generally better weather
Most people (and I do recommend this) set themselves an exercise goal. Whether it’s getting outside for exercise, hitting up a class, or joining a gym, building the habit of exercising is much easier and more motivating when the weather is better.
For example, if you want to start running, building the habit of getting out now whilst it’s warmer and brighter will be far easier than January 2nd when it’s cold and dark and you’ve got the post-Christmas blues. On top of that, I can tell you when you finish work at 5 pm and it’s dark and cold outside it takes some serious willpower to choose to go to the gym over relaxing on your sofa unless the habit is already ingrained.
5) Finally for everyone who celebrates Christmas, it can be your target
Whether it’s a health and fitness goal, whether it’s a work project, we all have a date when we can set smaller goals.
It is easier to achieve long-term goals if we have several small goals to get there. Using Christmas as your first target will only motivate you to keep going post-Christmas.
