Monday, 9/25/23: Talking about planning for October

Happy Monday!

It’s a new week, which means it’s time for your next Monday motivation newsletter.

Read on below for some steps to a happier Monday, a short story and a roundup of positive thoughts to get your week started.

Three Steps to a Happier Monday

Each newsletter starts with three prompts to inspire gratitude and simple intention setting. Take a moment and jot down answers to these three questions. To give an example, I share my answers below.  

Step 1: What are three things I appreciated from the weekend? 

Step 2: What is one thing I can be excited about today?

Step 3: What is my intention for this week? 

GRATITUDE: I’m thankful for feeling great during my half marathon yesterday (!!!!!!), fun day with friends Saturday and relaxing time. 

TODAY: Today I’m most excited to have a slow start to my morning.

INTENTION: My intention this week is to focus on my transitions throughout the day. 

Okay, your turn! And if you want to share your three steps, I am all ears. 🙂

Meaningful Musings: October 2023 Intentions

We still have a week of September left, but I always get excited when I see October 1 creeping up on the calendar.
 
The start of October reminds of a quote from Anne of Green Gables, where Anne is described as “reveling in the world of color about her,” (love that description) and saying, “I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers. It would be terrible if we just skipped from September to November, wouldn’t it?”
 
YES. It would.
 
Last week, I had fun taking a few moments to do my monthly planning routine. The simple exercise – taking time to think about what I love about the month ahead, big things happening, and crafting intentions – helps me feel more present and intentional as embark on the start of a new month. Let’s get to it!   
 
October 2023 Planning
 
What do I love about the month of October?

• Fall! Yes, I am a summer gal through and through, but I can’t deny the appeal of crisp air, changing leaves, wearing sweaters and football on in the background. 
• Routine. It’s hard to believe we’re entering the last three months of 2023! I appreciate how this month is still grounded in routine, before the holiday season officially kicks off.  

 
What big things are happening this October?

• Seeing the play Hamilton!! I’ve seen the filmed version on Disney Plus and have listened to the songs countless times, but I’ve never seen it live! So excited to see it here in Chicago.
• I have a friend visiting Chicago. My friend Maura is coming with some friends for a weekend. She used to live here and so many of my Chicago memories involve the two of us navigating a new-to-us city together. Really looking forward to running around the city with her again.
• I’m headed to Notre Dame for a football weekend with friends. Our third year running of going to a football weekend in South Bend – can’t wait.

 
October 2023 Intentions

• Celebrate FALLIDAY. Falliday is simply a day in October dedicated to doing all the fall things. Last year, I went to an apple orchard and pumpkin patch, and this year I’m looking forward to stocking up on fall treats from Trader Joe’s, making a pumpkin bread and ending the day with chili, pumpkin beer and a cozy movie!  
• Cleanout and edit closets. Now that Matt and I have been in the new apartment for a few months, I want to go through my closets and our utility closets and see if there are any adjustments needed. Plus, I need to swap summer for winter clothes!
• Curate a fall capsule wardrobe. As part of my closet cleanout, I want to take inventory of what I have and put together a version of a capsule wardrobe for fall, focused on outfits to wear to work.
• Settle into new workout rhythms. With my half marathon training plan behind me, I’m excited to figure out my new weekly workout routine.
• Start thinking about holidays. Feels early, but at some point in this next month, I want to sit down and map out the high-level plans for Thanksgiving and Christmas (will be here before we know it!).

 
What plans are you looking forward to in October?

On My Monday Radar

Sometimes we just aren’t ready to jump into our Monday to-do list right away. In case you want some content to procrastinate with, here is a roundup of a few positive things on my radar:  

• How to enjoy your evening hours. Enjoyed listening to this podcast episode last week and getting some ideas for how to make the most for those valuable – but sometimes ambiguous – evening hours. 
• Tips for beating burnout by creating meaningful boundaries between work and life. Also some good ideas in this article that feel related to the podcast episode above. 
• Whattt – I completely missed the recent release of this book, Build the Life You Want: The Art and Science of Getting Happier by Arthur Brooks (columnist for The Atlantic, author of the article above) and Oprah (!!!!!). Excited to read this one! 
• They are a little pricey, but I’m swooning over these ballet flats (in the color Raspberry) – they might just need to be the centerpiece of my fall capsule wardrobe I’m working on next month! 

Picture of the Week

That’s all for today! I hope you found something in today’s newsletter that sparked motivation, made you smile or inspired a positive Monday thought. Don’t underestimate the power of starting small… a fulfilling week starts with just one fulfilling day. You’ve got this! 

Let’s make it a great Monday!
Megan