🛬 How to Reset for September

Your full back-to-routine reset guide — in 5 minutes.

Author

Flocus
August 31, 2025

In partnership with

Hey there! Welcome back to The Flow by Flocus. If you’re new around here, welcome! 👋  You can catch up on our previous editions right here.

This week: We’ve got your pre-September reset: why this time of the year feels so weird, easy ways to reset gently, and how to make this busy, stressful time of year a little more fun. Let’s dig in!

😣 Why This Time Feels Weird

If you’ve read The Flow for the last couple of weeks, you’ll know our recent newsletters have been all about the “summer scaries”.

This period of limbo between August and September can feel weird for lots of reasons:

  • 🏎️ Pre-fall momentum

  • 🌤️ Post-summer comedown

  • 🙇 New season energy meets pressure to “do it all”

  • 📔 Need for more structure without losing your summer softness

  • 🎄 Fear of “running out of time” as end-of-year holidays creep up

Doesn’t matter if you’re studying, working, parenting, or doing something else — September is almost always a busy month, which is why the end of August can feel a little blue.

If your summer passed by in a blur and you need a reset before returning to your routines? This one’s for you. Scroll on to learn how to gently reset and shift your mental gears from chill summer vibes into a more energetic fall mode.

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🛬 Designing a Gentle Back-to-Routine Reset

🐢 Ease back in

We’ve talked a lot about FOMO (the fear of missing out) in our recent newsletters.

It can feel especially intense this time of year as our social media feeds get flooded with last-minute summer adventure pics and posts from friends.

One of the best ways to care for yourself in this tricky time? Resist the urge to do a big, whole-life reset.

Instead, try to go small, with 1-2 grounding morning habits and nourishing wind-down cues in the evening.

Rearrange your workspace, add “welcome back” notifications to your calendar — whatever small things help you switch gears.

🔄 Where to Reset First

When everything feels up in the air, it helps to start small and focus on a few categories that make the biggest difference:

  • 🖥️ Digital spaces: Clear out your browser tabs, update your desktop background, and give your inbox a quick sweep.

  • 🏠 Physical spaces: Reset your bag, clean your desk, or swap out summer clutter for fall staples.

  • 🧠 Mental spaces: Write down one word you want to guide September, make a short “not-do” list, or reflect on what you actually want from the season.

Even one tiny reset in each category can make September feel less chaotic and more intentional.

🧸 Add comfort & play

Tasks, chores, and responsibilities rarely feel fun — but why shouldn’t they?

Remember how playful life felt during childhood? There’s no reason we can’t add a bit of that magic and wonder to our lives right now, too.

Even if it feels silly or slightly forced, try adding some of these touches to your reset:

  • Romanticize your daily routine with cozy elements (fall playlist, cute pens, iced chai)

  • Treat yourself to something new (a comfy hoodie, solo café work sesh, etc)

  • Pick up a craft or activity you loved as a kid (drawing, finger-painting, air-dry clay)

🪞 Reflect before ramping up

Before diving headfirst back into your September routines, pause to look back on your summer:

  • What worked well? What didn’t?

  • What kind of rhythm feels good to you now?

  • What’s holding you back from a fresh start?

  • What habits do you feel pressured to re-adopt, even though they made you miserable?

These are just a few questions you might like to ask yourself before the new semester, season, or quarter begins.

📝 A Mini Routine Menu

If you’re not sure how to start, try these simple swaps:

  • Swap doomscrolling for a morning playlist

  • Swap late-night snacking for a wind-down tea ritual

  • Swap your desk clutter for a 5-minute clear-and-reset each evening

Think of it as a “routine menu” — pick one or two items and see how they change the feel of your day.

🪅 Flocus Picks

A curated list of things worth sharing.

✨ Flocus: Your Personal Productivity Dashboard

Whether you’re closing the book on summer or sketching out your fall routines, Flocus is your cozy corner of the internet. With a customizable dashboard, built-in timer, and ambient soundscapes, and lots more, we’re here to help you reset your day, cut through distractions, and start September feeling good.

🗳️ POLL: What’s your vibe for the last bit of summer?

Any other thoughts? Let us know in the comments!

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That wraps up our mini series on shifting away from the summer scaries into a relaxed, playful mindset for autumn.

What did you think about our latest batch of newsletters? We read all your feedback and do our best to include it in our posting schedule!

Until next Sunday,

Flocus Team