We are rapidly slipping from summer into fall and it is always bittersweet. I love the changing leaves, the mums and pumpkins, and the cooler temperatures. But, it’s sad to take the pool down, trim back the flowers, and start preparing for winter weather. I find that the change of seasons inspires me to make some changes in my house and do a seasonal reset.
A rest can mean a lot of things and be tailored to your individual household, but today I am going to share 4 ways that I do a seasonal reset in my own home.
How To Do A Seasonal Reset
Declutter
The change of seasons is a great time to declutter. I go through my whole house with the change of every season to identify which areas have accumulated too much stuff. If you have summer clothes that you didn’t actually wear all summer don’t store them away for another year, get rid of them! Maybe you didn’t use the shaved ice machine your kids just had to have, or perhaps your taste in decor has changed. Decide to go into the new season with just what you need, and not extra clutter that will just weigh you down.
I have written quite a bit about decluttering before, but I’ll give you my method in a nutshell. I like to go room by room with a clothes basket. Break it down as far as you need to – drawer by drawer, or area by area. How do you know what to get rid of? I’ve been at this for long enough I can pretty quickly decide what needs to go, but if it is something you struggle with The Minimalists have some great tips.
Deep Clean
A seasonal reset is a great time to take care of some deep cleaning. You can choose to do the whole house, or just choose specific areas for specific seasons. As we head into fall I like to get the outside of our house clean and tidy. That means extra trimming, taking down the pool, putting away lawn furniture, etc. I power wash the house and deck, and even re-stained our deck this year. That way we are ready when the snow starts flying.
This is also a good time to move furniture and vacuum underneath it, clean carpets, wash curtains, etc. This is also my time to paint any rooms or furniture I want to as I find it’s a lot easier to do when it’s still warm outside and I can open up the house.
Goals, Journals, and Memory Keeping
My seasonal reset also includes reviewing my goals for the year. I typically go through a goal setting book before each new year and it helps to set the tone for what I want to accomplish. As they year goes on my priorities change, or I may have new goals. This is a great time to commit them to paper and review.
This year I really wanted to start memory keeping. That includes journaling daily, adding a monthly memory recap to my planner and making sure I print photos for our albums. I’m usually pretty good about keeping up with this, but a seasonal reset is a good time to catch up if I need to. Plus it’s fun to look back on the year!
Health Reset
One area I think we sorely neglect when thinking about keeping our houses in order is our health. I started the year really strong with the Engine 2 diet but as time has gone on I have fallen off the wagon. When I was doing my fall reset I took the time to read back through the book and look up some new recipes to try. I set daily, actionable goals that involved my health and I also made a doctor appointment I had been putting off.
Self care does not always involve bath bombs and shopping sprees. Often it looks like adding more greens to your diet, cutting back on the wine, or adding exercise to your routine. I’ve neglected myself terribly in this area and now that I am pushing 40, it’s catching up to me. Don’t take your health for granted, make it a priority! A seasonal health reset feels like less pressure than resolutions for the year, and it just goes to show that it’s never too late to make a good decision.
So those are 4 ways that I am resetting this season. Even though we have already passed fall on the calendar, it’s not too late to put together a seasonal reset of your own!
