Adults craving back-to-school routine are making New Year resolutions 3 months early

If you’re feeling sluggish and partied-out after a long hot summer, it might be time to hop on TikTok’s latest trend: the ‘September reset’.

Also known as the ‘September lock in’, the September reset is all about shedding the spontaneity and excess of summer for the security and routine of autumn. After filling your months with impromptu getaways, Monday margaritas (“just because”) and spending bank holidays drinking tins in the park, September feels like the perfect month to kick back into focus. As one TikTokker @emmakatarinaaaa puts it: “September is New Year for the girls.”

Plus, given that it’s typically the time of year when school term starts back up, it truly does feel as though class is back in session. So, how exactly do you “lock in”?

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While not everyone’s September reset looks the same, there are some common elements in place, which include redefining your goals, reorganising your wardrobe and sorting out your finances. There’s also the added idea of the ‘digital reset’, which basically means decluttering your phone.

One of the most detailed resets was shared by lifestyle influencer Amie Jane, whose 23-part September guide includes a “self-audit” (i.e. evaluating your social, physical, mental and emotional state), manifesting autumn intentions, reviewing spending habits, resetting your home and scheduling outdoor time.

However, it doesn’t need to get quite that complicated. At the end of the day, all good intentions need to be backed up by action, which is where the September reset can fall flat. Self-help expert and author Tam Kaur cautions that “most people fail to follow through on their September reset because they overcomplicate it”.

Fortunately, she’s provided three key steps that will help you stick to your goals.

Work out your 'micro habits'

According to Tam, the key component to any fresh start is having self-awareness. She recommends taking a few days to live your life as normal, while keeping a close eye on your habits. She says: “Notice what distracts you, what throws off your momentum? When do you procrastinate, and why?”

She continues: “For me, I realise I’m noticeably slower and more irritable on days I sleep in, even if only by an hour. I also noticed that putting the TV on “for background noise” while I make breakfast often leads to an hour or more of aimless scrolling or lounging. These kinds of micro-habits seem harmless, but they quietly steer your entire day off track.

The aim here isn’t to be harsh on yourself, but to gather the information you need to build systems that support you to achieve your goals in the last four months of the year instead of sabotaging them. Once you’ve worked out what those micro-habits are, you can move onto step two.”

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Adjust your lifestyle but keep it realistic

Of course, recognising your bad habits is just part of the battle. Tam advises that in order to remove these habit “you have to adjust your lifestyle” and create a new routine. “Use tools like habit trackers, calendars, or even simple checklists to build out your days,” she says. “If you have a plan for exactly what you’re going to do each morning, you’re less likely to fall into mindless scrolling, for example.”

When it comes to bigger goals, she suggests taking “consistent and realistic” daily actions. She explains: “If your goal is to walk more steps everyday, what small habits, like waking up slightly earlier or drinking water before coffee first thing, can help you find the energy and time to get there? You need to create a structure around those new habits."

Declutter your digital space

This last step can often be the hardest, since our digital lives have become so intertwined with our real ones. It’s also one that many people underestimate. Tam says: “[Your digital space] can have a bigger impact on your mindset than you think. Social media should energise and inspire, not drain or discourage you like it often does.”

She recommends unfollowing any accounts that make you feel bad about your progress, or which make you compare yourself, and replacing them instead with creators “who make you feel motivated and capable.”

She adds: “You can even take it a step further by reorganising your phone, moving apps that you want to use less, like TikTok or Instagram, off your home screen, and bring forward the ones that support your goals, like your calendar or a meditation app. Let your digital space reflect the person you want to become by the end of the year."

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