In my town, both celebrated and dreaded, it’s ”back to school” time. Although at this point in my life it really doesn’t affect me very much, except for good sales and bad traffic, I tend to become deeply nostalgic.  I loved back to school time. I relished the reliability and promise of a fresh start.  I would anticipate the new classes and teachers I’d have, the brand new set of pencils and notebooks, and with college and graduate school, maybe even a change in apartments.  While there’s a lot to be said for the stability of a long term job or relationship, it’s easy to take things for granted without an imposed transition, both in becoming complacent with what is and losing our perspective about how we could be doing better.  So in this post I’m going invite you to step back from your day to day to apply the perspective of a back to school mindset on the long term aspects of your life. 

Back to school offers a clean slate and with it the perfect chance for change.  But whether you’re truly starting something new or resetting something that’s been ongoing, to take advantage of the process, it really needs to start with self reflection.  How’s it going right now?  What went well this past year and what would I like to be different?  We can’t make any effective changes unless we understand where we are now and where we’ve come from.  I’ve been at my job for almost 8 years this summer.  I think back to the roles and responsibilities that I was hired to do, and compared to what I’m doing now, a lot has changed.  Some of it required some conscious thought, especially with changes brought on by the pandemic, and some of it just slowly evolved over time in reaction to things happening in my organization or in the field in general.  By acknowledging this change, I get the chance to decide if this is what I want.  I can then take the opportunity to intentionally see how I can shift my day to day in order to realign with what I would prefer to be doing.  

Through this self reflection, resetting naturally involves redefining your priorities.  Through the push and pull of daily demands, we tend to lose sight of what’s most important, giving in to what gets us through the day.  Resets allow us to take a broader perspective to see if we’re on track with what we really want.  It also involves being realistic about what we do have the power to change and what we can’t control.  A reset can shift us from putting blame on things to taking stock of what power we do have.

Once you have a better perspective on what’s not working, what you want to move toward, and what you can change, it helps to set goals and evaluate your progress toward them. This puts your reset into achievable steps.  Rather than simply saying, I’m going to do better this semester, we can break it down into specific pieces that help us take action.  For example, using the school analogy, I’m going to work with a tutor this year in Math, or I’m going to attend three school events each month, etc.  The point is, in order to achieve the desired change it helps to outline the action steps needed to take us toward the goal and then measure our progress. Do your goals align with your priorities and do the action steps bring you closer to the goals?  Unlike school, however, we get to choose when and how we are tested.  But if we don’t stop to evaluate the progress of our change, it’s easy for it to drift or to keep pursuing goals that don’t bring us the desired results.

And don’t forget to clean out your backpack.  Truly.  One of the things that helps people with a back to school fresh start is clearing out the clutter left behind.  This clutter could be mental, such as bad habits or attitudes.  A reset could offer an opportunity to create a new schedule or a new structure that will support our priorities, such as joining a group or journaling to keep track of our experience.  Or the clutter could be physical, such as the accumulation of stuff in your environment that bogs you down or gets in the way of feeling efficient and focused.  Sometimes we get so used to the broken latch or the stove that doesn’t really work that it creates an accumulation of annoyances that can be lifted by doing some simple reorganization or home repairs.  Just cleaning out my refrigerator makes me want to cook, for example.  Or fixing the light on the front porch that I curse every time I trip in the dark creates a sense of relief and a momentum for success.

And finally, and maybe the part I miss the most, don’t forget to reward yourself with some back to school shopping.  Just because you don’t go to school doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from a refreshed look that matches with your renewed priorities!  Or a new bag to hold the lunch you’re now packing!  Resets should offer a little bit of fun and excitement.  I still have vivid memories about the new dress my mom would let us choose each year for the first day of school (ah, that plaid jumper in third grade).  I would hang it on my doorway and count down until I could wear it.  My mom was smart to distract us with something shiny and new to look forward to. Because with four kids, what a relief it must have been to see us all off on the school bus after a long summer of us at home. 

There’s a reason why organizations have strategic planning sessions, annual meetings, and retreats. Just like Back to School time, without a planned break in the action, it’s so easy to just keep rolling along. A back to school mindset can help us clean off the dust we’ve picked up along the way and make sure we’re rolling in the right direction!