Inside Marcy's Mind

Reset Your Life: September's Fresh Start

• Marcy

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Ever noticed how September feels more like the start of a new year than January? As summer's chaos winds down and cooler temperatures arrive, there's an undeniable urge to reset, reorganize, and refresh our lives. September brings the perfect Goldilocks conditions – not too hot, not too cold – creating the ideal environment for meaningful change.

September's back-to-school energy affects us all, even decades after our last classroom experience. Suddenly those organizational supplies look appealing again as we examine our living spaces with fresh eyes. The season whispers promises of order from chaos, whether it's tackling overflowing closets, color-coding spice cabinets, or finally identifying what all those mystery cords belong to. This episode explores practical organization hacks that actually work, from creating whiteboard freezer inventories to setting up battery organizers that eliminate daily frustrations.

Beyond physical spaces, September naturally encourages fitness resets and lifestyle adjustments. But rather than falling into the trap of perfectionism, this episode champions the power of sustainable, small changes: trading chips for pretzels, walking while on phone calls, or simply acknowledging that grocery shopping counts as legitimate physical activity. The real magic of September isn't about complete transformation but about thoughtful adjustments that enhance your existing life. Because sometimes cleaning just one drawer or organizing a single shelf constitutes meaningful progress – and those modest beginnings often lead to the changes that actually stick. So embrace September's reset energy while remembering that you don't need to reinvent yourself completely to benefit from the season's fresh start potential.

Ready to harness September's natural reset energy without the pressure? Subscribe to Inside Marci's Mind for more practical wisdom delivered with a healthy dose of humor and reality checks. Share your own September reset wins, no matter how small, and join our community of imperfect improvers!

Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome to Inside Marci's Mind. My name is Marci Backus and I am your host. Welcome back to Inside Marci's Mind, the podcast where sarcasm meets common sense and somehow we survive the mix. Today I want to talk about September, the month that basically, is the unofficial reset month for our life. September, the real new year. Some people insist January is the time for new beginnings. Huh, january, it's freezing, especially here. You're broke from the holidays and your only resolution is to survive until spring without eating an entire loaf of bread in one sitting. And that is definitely the fact here in Chicago. Um, we get into our September, the new, the real new year. Let's see what's going on in my life. I am sorry for not having an episode last week I don't get paid for this and I just forgot.

Speaker 1:

And I was busy. Yes, I was busy. I did more than one on last Friday. Normally I try to do only one thing a day, like go to the theater, go to an AA meeting, like you know, other than working out. Working out happens anyway. But uh, on Friday I had four things to do, four important things to do. They were all wonderful, they were good things, but, oh my gosh, I just got myself off track, but life is good, life is happy. Weather here in Chicago has been spectacular. We are sliding out of summer slowly into fall, but not too fast. And, with that being said, I am a September reset person and I had an awful lot of things on my September reset to do and as of this afternoon, when I take some things out to the storage unit, I will have completed that list and I am quite proud of myself, and we'll talk about it a little bit more as we get through this episode. I am feeling healthy. I am feeling good.

Speaker 1:

I just recorded my podcast, aging A for Sissies. If you have questions about smartphones, if you are curious about smartphones, if you just want to hear about smartphones. That's kind of what our conversation was. I also um on my app aging oh my gosh, aging for sissies podcastcom. There will be a link to a great YouTube video that my friend Mary suggested for getting some information about your smartphones. But if you have questions about smartphones, listen to that episode. But today we are talking about September.

Speaker 1:

September is sneaky. It's got back to school, vibes, new notebooks, fresh calendars, pumpkin spice lattes Don't even roll your eyes at me. I know I do not like pumpkin spice. So I am not a pumpkin spicy, but I'm a cinnamony. So September starts my cinnamon month. It feels like the real start of something.

Speaker 1:

The weather cools off, the chaos of summer slows down and suddenly you're looking around at your house thinking, wow, when did I become a contestant on hoarders? So with that being said, yes, I think there is something to be said that people do like routine. And as much as we are excited that summer comes, committees take a break. If you have kids, your kids take a break. There's no rules. It feels like you can do what you want when you want Kids go to camp, blah, blah, blah, blah, blah. But I think there's a point in summer, at least for me and Lynn, my best friend, knows this I loved the going back to school.

Speaker 1:

It wasn't really getting rid of the kids that I love so much, it was routine. I am a routine person, I like routine. I'm also a person that likes change. So put those two together. I don't know you come up with me, it's a very confusing mix, but I love change as much as I love routine. So I think the fact that in September we change back to a routine is probably why I like it.

Speaker 1:

So we're going to talk about that today. We're going to talk about just resetting our lives. What September means right after this. So hang in there, all right. So do you remember a Trapper Keeper? Now, trapper Keepers came out, I think, after I was in high school. I do believe they were an 80s thing, but they were the epitome of organizing your schoolwork. September tricks us into thinking we're getting organized. I don't know. It does me, and I had a long list and I feel very good that as of this afternoon, it will be completed. Some of the things on that list were getting my closet organized once again and changing to my fall, my fall clothes and then there's a small switch again when winter hits and getting some of the heavier gear in there.

Speaker 1:

But Craig and I also have a storage unit. I wanted my clothes organized out there, got that done. That is a whole story in itself. Brought a clothing rack. I wanted a heavy duty one. They were out, bought this one flimsy, got everything on it and it collapsed and it took me an hour to put together with all these stupid screws. Here's the thing. I didn't save any time. I wanted to do it that day. It ended up costing me.

Speaker 1:

Sometimes, when we think we're saving time, we're not. I ordered the heavy duty one from Amazon, craig and I took it out there. It took 10 minutes to put together and the clothes are hanging beautifully and it's nice and heavy duty. Again, I will just cautionary tale. Sometimes we think we're saving time, we are not. It's the season when stores put stock bins full of pencils and planners and you get this wild idea that buying a calendar will magically fix your life. How many times have you done that Newsflash? It won't, but hey, at least you know exactly how behind you are. That is true. I have bought more pads, I don't know, yeah, and I love everything electronic, so it cracks me up when I buy analog things.

Speaker 1:

September is the Goldilocks month Not too hot, not too cold, Just right for pretending you're going to become the best version of yourself. You start fantasizing about routines, meal prepping, decluttering, maybe even the gym membership that you've been donating to like it's a charity. Bless your heart. Planis, Fitness. I yeah, I have gotten my life more together in the last few years. I have a consistent, consistent routines. We have a very small living quarter so you have to keep it organized, but even it can get out of shape and I, every nook and cranny of this condo in the last couple months has been gone over. We actually the last month has been gone over reorganized. My front closet is done my closet.

Speaker 1:

Yesterday I did the kitchen cabinets. I um, I am unable to put my spices so you can see them all. They're kind of all shoved in but where they need to be on the spice shelf. So I got a list. I printed out from the internet, a list of spices you should have in your cabinet. I went through, I've checked off so I can look at a list on the side when I open the cabinet and tells me what spices I have. So I know if I'm going to cook something, if I need to get a spice, because right now I have two basils, two chopped onions and I don't even need them. But because I didn't know I had them, I re-bought them. So it kind of helps that way. I also have always kept on the side of my freezer, since we moved here, a whiteboard list of what's in the freezer. We brought our full-size refrigerator into a non-full-size space it's really not a space for a side-by-side so our freezer door opens, you can get into everything, but it doesn't open all the way. So I have a list on a whiteboard marker on the side that tells you what's on the top shelf, what's on each shelf, so things don't go forgotten, and it really is helpful. I'm going to tell you. If you make a list of what's in your freezer, I think you'll find that it's extremely helpful and making sure that those things get used.

Speaker 1:

So let's start with cleaning. September whispers in your ear. Clean up your act. So go grab the mop, open the closet and immediately regret being alive. That is true because once you start organizing, it's like pulling a thread on a sweater. You're suddenly knee deep in old shoes, expired coupons and a pile of mystery cords that clearly belong to electronics you haven't owned since 2007. And I am going to, today, give you permission to get rid of those cords. People, we are going to a universal charging cord. Keep what you need, but get rid of the rest. Obviously, if you have some equipment that requires old cords, keep one for each of those pieces, like I have a camera that has to be charged with an old cord.

Speaker 1:

So nothing humbles you faster than realizing you own three jars of paprika, as we've talked about, all unopened, and an oregano that expired when Bush was president. You're not seasoning dinner, you're conducting an archaeology research Again. That's why I did what I did with my spice cabinet. Spices, yeah, they taste decent, but they do expire, people, they really do. If you have anything in a metal tin in there, I guarantee you it has expired. It doesn't have the same robust, full flavor that they had. Also, toasting dry herbs gives them better flavor. So if you're going to put them in something, toast them.

Speaker 1:

September makes you believe that you will alphabetize those spices, color code your closets and finally figure out what the drawer full of batteries is really for. Fyi, I have a battery keeper. You can get them on Amazon. They're great. I love it. When I need batteries, I grabbed a little suitcase out of a cupboard. Here Again, I have to keep things organized here, people, because I am a small space, but I love my battery organizer. So if you want to buy one thing this fall and if you only organize your batteries this fall, amen. And let me tell you, if you're not buying your batteries at Costco, shame on you. You may not get it all done, but pick a few things this season and get them done. Think about it. Think about what are some of your dead zones, some of your zones that scare you the most, and clean those up.

Speaker 1:

This year I was able to get every in my car. I had a this weird thing on my bumper and I tapped it and it undid the clips. Blah, blah, blah. I got, I took that for $600. It looks brand new. While they had it I thought, ah, I asked the guy do you do um detailing? He said yes, I had my car detailed. What was there? They already had it for three days. Detail it. It was one less day that I was without my car, not that I use my car all that much, but nonetheless, all done one shot, one shot got that done. Car is done. I cleaned out my car. I've organized my car ad nauseum. I just trust me. I did it from the dollar tree. I have zipper, you know, like zipper pencil pouches. I have the, the keys and the codes and the things for that and one of those pencil pouches for our storage unit. I have another pencil pouch with extra cords. I have organized, made sure my, my registration et cetera, all that it's very organized Cleaned out my trunk. So I did get that done, all right. So if you can't get it all done, and it took me a couple months. I really feel like I've gotten it all done. Just pick those zones, those hot zones for yourself and get those done.

Speaker 1:

One of the things that sometimes needs a reset is our fitness routine. Now, I am very blessed that when I moved here, as you all know, I got involved in water aerobics with a wonderful group of people. I have my fitness routine under check five days a week. Unless I have a doctor's appointment or I'm traveling. I have coffee afterwards or iced tea or whatever it may be. We sit and chat for a while and then we all go on about our day. It is something that's very important. It's a routine in my life. It's a routine I don't ever want to lose and I love it. Through it, I get my socialization and I get my fitness. Plus, I walk around the city all the time. So that is another form.

Speaker 1:

But, of course, september is when we suddenly decide to become fitness gurus. As a general rule, you know how it goes. The kids are back in school. You've been living on ice cream and barbecue all summer. Then suddenly you think this is my time. I'm going to eat kale and run marathons, it's true. But let's be honest. By fitness reset we really mean maybe I'll walk around the block once and I'll call it cardio and that's fine.

Speaker 1:

September is about baby steps, like maybe trade in your night chips, for I don't know a carrot stick. You know what I have done. I have traded salty chips. I do pretzels. Pretzels are a lot lower in calories and I can't eat that many. There's a stop gap on my pretzel eating Pretzels.

Speaker 1:

And you know what else I brought back into my life? Rice cakes, oh my gosh. You need something crunchy that isn't going to give you a lot of fat and calories. Rice cakes and the caramel ones I can't buy them because Angie suggested caramel ones. Angie, I ate the whole bag. You have to be careful of that. But just plain rice cakes I love. You can put a little almond butter on them If you want something that is a little healthy snack. Awesome, thinly sliced apples, a rice cake and it's crunchy. There's something about the crunch.

Speaker 1:

So September is also when gyms lure us back with specials. But let's face it, you don't need a treadmill. You need the willpower to put down the remote. You don't need yoga pants. You need pants that don't roll down when you bend over. Let's call it like it is. So, before you join a gym and spend the money, youtube has got everything you need. If you can keep up with YouTube and you keep up with a trainer, then maybe think about once you get it into your routine, joining the gym. But don't join the gym and spend that money just to sit there and let it waste.

Speaker 1:

The real secret to fitness in September trick yourself Well while you're on the phone, walk, dance while you're cleaning. Or, my personal favorite, put on sneakers and call the grocery shopping a workout. Those carts aren't going to push themselves, you know. Walk your halls, walk the malls. There is no excuse, even here, in the dead of winter. Chicagoans are probably, besides Minnesotans and Dakotans, the people in the North here, let me just put it that way are a hardy breed. I will look out of my condo down onto the streets of Chicago on a freezing cold day and people are walking everywhere, and I love people. In California. It's drizzling, I can't possibly walk. It's a little chilly out, it's 60 degrees, I can't go anywhere, and I was that way. I'm making fun of myself, people, but I'm also making fun of you now, because I am a much hardier breed living here in the North.

Speaker 1:

It's not just about cleaning and fitness. September is about life resets in general, finances, relationships, that hobby you swore you'd pick up. September makes you think this is the month I become the person my Pinterest board says I am Want to start journaling. September says yes, want to meal plan. September hands you a shiny new notebook and a pack of pens. Want to finally read that stack of self-help books? September says go ahead, be enlightened.

Speaker 1:

One of the things I do, and I have been doing since Craig and I moved here, is I do Hello Fresh meal kits. You do all the cooking, they just give you the ingredients. Three of our meals a week are HelloFresh. Unless we're traveling, you can stop it for the week. It's a great thing. I highly recommend HelloFresh. Hellofresh, hellofresh. I've tried all the services. Hellofresh is my favorite Super easy to cancel a week. I'm not having it come next week because we're going to be going to Seattle. I do like having my meal plan. My sister is the best at meal planning. She is so good and she does her grocery shopping to it. I admire Cindy and her grocery shopping and meal planning skills, but let's be real. You'll get through one chapter, highlight some deep sentence like be the change you wish to see, and then use the book as a coaster. And that's okay, because even trying counts as progress.

Speaker 1:

In September, now let me rant for a second. September gives us all this energy to restart, but it's also a weird guilt trip, like if you don't reinvent yourself by Labor Day, you're feeling at life. No, you're not. Listen, not everything needs a reset. No, you're not. Listen, not everything needs a reset. Sometimes you're fine just as you are. Your spice cabinet can't stay, excuse me, your spice cabinet can stay messy. Your socks don't need to be rolled into perfect little sushi rolls, and if you only work out by carrying your groceries into the house, congratulations, you're still alive and you're still thriving. So let's calm down with the September pressure, okay? Well, obviously I didn't. Nobody's winning a medal for most improved. That is a fact. The only person that you have to satisfy is yourself. So here's the deal.

Speaker 1:

September is like life's little reset button. It gives us hope, it gives us structure and sometimes it gives us unrealistic expectations. But even if you just clean out one drawer, walk around the block or finally toss that oregano from 1995, you are actually ahead. So don't stress about becoming a new person. September isn't about perfection. It's about small fresh starts, and sometimes those are the ones that actually stick Until next time. This has been Inside Marci's Mind. Stay sarcastic, stay funny and remember when in doubt, just clean out your spice cabinet. It's cheaper than therapy. Go out and do something positive.

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Marcy Backhus

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