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3 steps you can take to embrace the season in your routine
“ The wind bristled, the fresh and cool-tinged breeze hit the air. The leaves their crisp green, but some already yellow and brown, even bright red as the fires of the time braise the leaves of the trees. ”
The above quote I wrote is why I love Autumn.
Even if Spring will always be my favorite, there’s a fresh feeling about fall that completely changes my outlook.
It’s the feeling to renew and refresh my surroundings, do you feel the same?
Every Fall, as I notice the first leaves take on a new hue, it’s the only time I feel motivated to clean every surface of the house, start wearing burnt orange, and slow cook a batch of apple butter.
Now, I’m not one for all the aesthetics, like the kind you may notice on YT shorts of girly fall decor and dark romance book clubs, but it’s a way that I’m able to renew my surrounds as nature renews itself, too.
As a friend once told me,
“Fall is my favorite. Everything is new and fresh in a different way [than spring], as the leaves change it creates a different atmosphere of life, even though it is just preparing itself for a brutal winter.”
So what might be 3 ways to embrace the season and slow down in your routine?
Setting your alarm differently
Doesn’t getting up at a new time refresh your senses?
At least for me it does, whether it’s a lil’ earlier or later, whatever you feel is needed to reach your autumn goals is, well, the goal!
To keep me from getting too sleepy though, I keep these tips in mind:
- Estimate the amount of sleep you’ll need (6–10 hrs) and either do your routine the day before at a time sooner (for less sleep) or later (for more sleep, if you plan on sleeping in).
- Plan out what your desired daily routine will be to fit in any autumn activities, like raking leaves, or cleaning up the leaves after your kids jump in the raked-up leaf pile (is that still a thing?)
- Try a new coffee-drinking routine, like the ones I mention in this story.
Integrating new habits
Been dreaming of trying out the latest book release in your fav saga?
During the last 8 months I haven’t had nearly as much time to myself as I’m finding now. So while the air grows cooler and days more overcast, instead of procrastinating with whatever you may have goin’ on, a book may get your mind in the right place.
This doesn’t have to be just a book though, it could be anything! I could suggest a list, but here’s what I’ll advise:
Pick up a habit that you’ve been meaning to for the past few years.
If your work situation allows you to slow down to think, finding a new thing to do may give you the needed satisfaction.
Add some spice to life
Metaphorically and physically, amiright?
Whether you have a spiced bundt cake in mind, or want to try a slow cooker recipe like me, plan a new ambition to help you transition to a slower frame of mind.
Cleaning what you haven’t
Like I noted in the beginning of this story, I feel more motivation to clean and get stuff together in Autumn, in fact, even more than spring!
So even if you use Spring as your spring cleaning time, take autumn as an opportunity to put on a new perspective. Perhaps with the change in lighting you see a cobweb you hadn’t noticed, or maybe there’s a better way you can see to drain your roof of the leaves falling down.
Doing these now will help you relax when winter comes, allowing you to sip your mocha carefree while the snow falls down ❄️
Changing up your environment
If you feel that tingle when the first autumn leaves fall like I do, the urge to redecorate everything is hard to resist. This is why I have this tip as 2nd to cleaning, because you can’t decorate without a clean base!
Now, I don’t mean to redecorate everything like some decorholics do, just some things to help you get in the mood, like:
- Picking pinecones and painting them (if you have kids this is a fun activity!)
- Switching throw blankets and pillows out with rustic-colored ones.
- Simply changing around the order of your space.
Even if you may not be the decorating type, doing a few new things with your space can differentiate the summer vibes from the autumn ones, helping you feel like slowing down.
Cooking a new recipe
As I noted recently, spice is nice to help you transition into a slower life. There’s no need for a complicated recipe either, as long as it fills the house with a warm fragrance is the biggest step to take into autumn.
For example, you can take 10 minutes prep to cut up ingredients for a slow cooker and have it perfectly done within 10 hours. Don’t believe it takes that little time to cut up? Try apple butter!
If you have less time after work, a slow cooked pulled pork makes for an incredible dinner, taking only within 10 minutes, though the recipe says 5.
Or, if you’re feeling a lil’ adventurous, a spiced bundt cake may be the thing you need. What I love to do is experiment, so I’ll be making a candy roaster pie sometime this year.
The seasons change for a reason…
whether it’s to refresh their leaves for the climatic summer, or to renew itself for the cool winter, changing with it not only helps you stay better stress-free, but it helps you get more done.
As Cal Newport says in his book Slow Productivity,
This seasonal approach to work, in which you vary the intensity and focus of your efforts throughout the year… feels natural.
