September is the beginning of fall. With the arrival of September, students go back to school, nightfall comes earlier, and the temperature cools.
September is also a great time to adventure outdoors. Apple picking, corn mazes, and fireside s’mores create memories and give us a chance to enjoy the cool weather.
September is also the perfect time to start a new routine.
Routines are important, and almost everyone has several routines they have followed for years. I have a routine for when I wake up, another for getting showered and dressed, another for planning and organizing my work day, and yet another as I wind down for the evening.
When we have houseguests or go on vacation, routines are disrupted, and often, the change adds to the experience. But for some people, altering a routine is stressful, frustrating, and invokes fear.
This September, consider adding a routine “disruption.” Use a jar of fun autumn activities, an app with suggestions, a bucket list, or a bingo card to help randomize activities or disruptions to your family’s routines. Maybe you plan to disrupt the routine on Saturday. On Friday night, you draw a slip of paper out of your autumn jar, full of fun ideas. You then have the evening to plan for the disruption to routine.
Making trying new things a routine creates predictability, planning, and a sense of control while also teaching the importance of flexibility, spontaneity, and adventure.
If an adventure every week feels like too much, you can add blank paper slips to your jar to signify, “no adventure this week.”
Or maybe you select a number between 1-31 using a spinner or app and that is the day you disrupt the routine.
It is not about quantity, but about having a systemic plan for the unexpected.
And who knows, you may discover an activity that you enjoy so much it becomes a tradition to look forward to every time you welcome September.