Every January, we talk about turning over a new leaf. New year, new you, new goals on the whiteboard.
But if you've got kids in school, or you just pay attention to the rhythm of the calendar, you know there's a second new year. It happens right about now.
Back to school. New teachers, new classrooms, new routines. And this year, if you're a Gator like me, a new head football coach too. I had to get that in there.
All that "new" can be a lot. But I've noticed something else happens every year around this same time — I look around at my own routines and realize summer has quietly wrecked a few of them.
I'll blame it on whatever's convenient. Maybe it's because it's still bright outside at 9 o'clock at night, so nobody's brain believes it's actually time to wind down. Maybe it's because my son didn't have school the next morning, so one late night turned into a habit. Honestly, it's probably not any one thing. It's a dozen small things, all summer long, each one seeming harmless on its own.
That's how it goes, though. Nobody decides in June to blow up their routine. It just slips, one late evening or one skipped morning at a time, until August rolls around and you don't recognize your own schedule anymore.
For me, it's usually my bedtime. I know — bedtimes are supposed to be for kids. But mine is one of my dominoes. Go to bed too late, and the next morning gets rushed. Rush the morning, and I spend the whole day chasing it instead of leading it.
Maybe for you it's not bedtime at all. Maybe it's your morning routine — the workout you stopped doing, the quiet time you used to protect before the house woke up. Maybe it's something that has nothing to do with mornings or nights at all. Meals. Time with your spouse. Time in the Word. Whatever it is, you probably already know what it is, because you felt it slip a little more each week this summer.
That's what I like about this second new year. Back-to-school gives you a natural, built-in reason to reset — without waiting five more months for January to roll around.
You don't have to overhaul your whole life. Just find the one or two things that slipped, and put them back where they belong.
What's your domino?
Rusty is the founder of The Master's Lawn & Pest and writes Rusty's Corner to share real-life lessons from leadership, the wins, the struggles, and the growth in between. If we can help with your landscape or pest control, call or text our office, or fill out our online form.