The Value of a Mini-Reset Right Now

It’s August, which means September is right around the corner…

September often has a “new year” feel, being that it’s associated with back to school, the close of lazy summer days, and the slow transition to crisp fall air and even crispier leaves under our steps.

As an adolescent, I remember spending the end of my summer planning self-improvement projects as a transition to the fall and my return to school routines – a foreshadowing of my love for all things self-care and personal development. Habits expert Gretchen Rubin has always referred to September as The Other January – an excuse to use the strategy of the “clean slate” in order to change your habits. My friend Melissa Urban’s Whole30 eating program always holds an early September challenge group for the same reason.

And so it happens that August is a month of anticipation. Preparation.

Maybe you’ve got some big things you’d like to accomplish before year’s end. Maybe you’re just feeling the drift of summer, avoiding the reality of the changes to come.

Before this season shift, why not take some time this month for a mini-reset?

What is a mini-reset?

A mini-reset is the act of taking a little break from your typical routine. Shaking things up a little. Not only can it help you learn more about yourself (a skill pivotal to better work-life balance, stress management, relationships, and self-care), a reset can do so much more. It can:

• Increase motivation for whatever you’re planning in the upcoming fall season
• Restore creativity so you can solve lingering problems
• Cultivate gratitude for the bounty of the passing summer season
• Reconnect with important people in your life before a busy time of year

How YOU can reset

There are lots of ways you can accomplish a mini-reset. Here are a few ideas:

1- Take a weekend, or even a day, and go somewhere. It can be anywhere different – a camping trip, a staycation at a local hotel, a body of water, or a locale that serves as a foil to your home or office.

2- Do something hard. Complete a challenge, something you aren’t sure you can do. It could be hiking a peak, running a race, meditating for 5 minutes every hour, or even just doing a day of news fasting. I know someone who takes the entire MONTH of August off of all media – social, TV, print, etc. That would be really hard, and I’ve tried (and failed) at something similar before, but he’s done it for years and always praises its effects on his life and relationship.

3- Meet with a friend you haven’t seen in ages. Someone who you’ve been putting off calling or texting because you know the catch-up conversation is too involved. Bonus points if you go do something different and out of your routine together.

4 – Get outside. Go or a hike, a bike ride, or any sort of adventure involving the outdoors. Take notice of the air temperature and scent, the bright flowers currently blooming in your area, and the vividly green grass (which will soon be turning to brown).

My August reset

We’re combining many of the “how to” ideas I just mentioned into one long-ish reset this month by diving head-first into off-grid living on our newly purchased alpine property in southern Utah. We’re outside a lot, since it’s essentially raw land with a tiny house on wheels as the only current structure. There is some internet but no phone service. We have no TV. The nearest city with Amazon delivery and groceries and big box stores is about an hour away.

But trees abound, the water in the creek is rushing, and there’s a lot of physical work to be done. It’s all brand new: the environment, the skills needed to live, the challenges of going without certain conveniences.

It’s shaping up to be a great reset.

What about you? Have you ever done a mini-reset? What’s your favorite thing to do in the month of August?