Every September, there’s a day where the temperature drops and even if it bounces back to 28 degrees the next day, something in the air shifts. There’s a noticeable buzz this time of the year both online and off. Videos showing coastal towns along the Mediterranean morph into rainy brownstone backgrounds and yellow and brown leaves. You’ll be enjoying summer one day—you’ll blink and everyone’s talking about fall.
I’ve always been a hot weather girl myself and while I love autumn fashion and the cozy feeling the season evokes, I never got used to the rain living in Vancouver. However, after reading
’s essay on rainy-day nostalgia and Schmuddelwetter (how Germans describe slushy, grey weather), I feel inspired to reimagine fall and what my own rainy city has to offer.To be truthful, I also never learned how to conquer my SAD (seasonal affective disorder), especially when it starts to get dark at 4pm. Last year I made a conscious effort to schedule things from my dopamine menu so that I had something to look forward to when there’s no end to a rainy spell. I’ll be doing the same this year along with up-keeping some healthy routines like cooking, eating well, and moving my body.
If you’re in need of a pep talk (like I am), want to romanticize the season, or just need some new self-care rituals to try, here’s how I’m making space for fall.
Reorganize your systems
September will always remind me of back-to-school season so my brain automatically associates the beginning of fall with starting new stationary. While I’m committed to my Paper Republic notebook ecosystem, I do perform a seasonal notebook review to see if my current ecosystem still serves me.
In Japanese, the ritual is called a techo kaigi (手帳会議) which loosely translates to “notebook meeting”. It’s a time for you to review all of the different notebooks and planners you have, identify what worked and what didn’t, and figure out how you’ll improve your system for the next year.
I’m thinking of writing a separate article on how I conduct my techo kaigi for the year so let me know if you’d like to see that!
Besides your analog systems, you can also review any digital system you may have. For me that’s my current Notion dashboards, file organization, and other digital storage formats. I recorded my entire digital space declutter a while back so you can see how I do this in detail.
Conduct a closet purge
I’m always purging my closet but I especially love doing them between seasons. I’ve been inspired by Anna’s Wardrobe refresh series where she tries on every single thing she owns so I’ll be doing my own version very soon.
Purging your closet goes beyond simple decluttering and organizing. It’s a chance to reassess whether your style still reflects who you am and who you want to become. Clothes are a form of self-expression, so evaluating what your current wardrobe communicates about you and how it makes you feel is why I regularly purge my closet.
My biggest tip would be to have your 3 style words defined.
Mine are:
undone
refined
contrast
Having your 3 words defined makes it much easier to determine which pieces belong in your wardrobe and which should be let go.
Create a consumption syllabus
Loved Janice’s summer reading syllabus and although I’m infamously bad at staying on track with a TBR, creating a season syllabus is more about the mood you’re manifesting rather than creating a rigid checklist. Your consumption syllabus will make your media intake more intentional and less about random scrolling. It also makes it easier to be more mindful about how you’re spending your downtime and crafting the intellectual, artistic, and emotional atmosphere of your season.
As I wrote in my article about the art of doing nothing, our leisure time is precious and easily swallowed by content and activities that doesn’t nourish us. Creating a seasonal syllabus lets you reclaim agency over your attention by curating books, films, music, and podcasts that align with your current mood or aspirations. When you feel aimless on a rainy autumn evening, instead of defaulting to endless scrolling, you'll have a personally curated collection ready to embrace.
Refresh your space
Though I've banned myself from making any more changes to my living space—as I have an upcoming move to Europe planned—this is usually one of my favorite ways to get excited about a new season. I'm not suggesting spending a ton of money on a massive haul at Bath & Body Works and furniture stores. Instead, choose just one or two pieces for your home that you can reuse annually—items that automatically bring in that cozy autumn feeling.
Consumables like candles or hand soap are great options but I personally love investing in something like a tapestry or new cushion covers—items you'll actually keep and love for years. While we're often tempted to embrace seasonal imagery like pumpkins or leaves, leaning into autumnal colors rather than explicit imagery gives you more opportunity to reuse the items you invest in.
If you’re on a homeware ban like me, even something as simple as rearranging the books on your shelf so fall reads are front and center—or displayed in a different area of your home—is a wonderful way to embrace the seasonal spirit.
Make fall your season of intention
I love seeing the leaves turn color as it's a reminder that we have the ability to create change in our lives as well. By doing these reset activities, you're not only preparing for the colder weather, but you're creating the space for yourself to flourish and grow in the seasons ahead.
I'm slowly trying to reframe my mindset around seeing fall as simply the end of summer. This year I want to learn to appreciate it as a time for reflection, renewal, and cozy rituals. Whether you experience SAD like me or simply need time to get used to seasonal transitions, hopefully these small meaningful activities can help you thrive this fall.
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So fabulous, must share!
While I love autumn and all the content everyone is creating around it, it’s really refreshing to read a different take. SAD hits me most in late winter, especially in March, when others in central Europe are in full spring mode and Edinburgh didn't get the memo. I love your idea of a dopamine menu and will definitely give it a try. I love refreshing my space without buying anything by moving furniture around. It makes the home feel new again. I usually move my desk in front of the window to catch as much light as possible, which feels essential as the days get shorter.