Fall Reset for Busy Entrepreneurs

Aug 13

Introduction: Embrace the Fall Reset

Let’s be honest—summer can be a whirlwind. Between trying to juggle work, kids who need endless snacks and sunscreen, and the need to feel like you’re taking in all that summer has to offer, it’s a wonder you got anything done at all. But now that fall is creeping in, with its crisp air and promise of routine, it's time to get your life—and business—back on track.

Think of fall as that friend who gently reminds you to get your act together. It's the perfect season to hit the reset button on your business, your priorities, and how you're managing your time. Because let's face it, if you don’t, the holidays will steamroll you before you can say “pumpkin spice latte.”

As a busy mom and entrepreneur who loves to give myself structure with time management and scheduling — with enough flexibility to adjust to when life blows up my plan — back-to-school season offers me that reset opportunity I crave to finish the year strong.

Below I’ll outline 4 steps to doing your own Fall Reset for your life and business, plus a free downloadable workbook if you love putting pen to paper.

Step 1: Assess Your Current Situation

Before we can talk about where you’re going, we need to take an honest look at where you are right now. And I’m not just talking about the clutter on your desk that somehow grew over the summer. (But seriously, clean that up—it’s also mental clutter you don’t need right now.)

Evaluate Your Business:

What’s working for you this year? What’s not? Are you hitting your goals? Or did you set those goals back in January and promptly forget about them the moment the kids started begging for beach days?

No judgment here—just take a peek.

*full disclosure: Looking a metrics is one of my least favorite things to do because it means hard data that I have to face. That data has been not great for more years than it’s been exciting (because business is hard, right?) — but you have to be real with yourself to improve. Take a deep breath, you won’t die, I promise.

What are the services or products that you actually enjoy creating or doing? Which ones leave you feeling drained or ugh-ey? For the ones you don’t enjoy so much (or ones that aren’t selling), is there a way you can tweak that offering?

Review Personal Priorities:

This is a big one. Running a business is all-consuming, but if it’s not aligned with your personal values and life prioities, you’re on a one-way trip to Burnout City. (And trust me, it’s ugly there.) Take some time to reflect on what’s really important to you. Maybe it’s spending more time with family, or perhaps it’s carving out moments for self-care that don’t involve scrolling Instagram. Whatever it is, make sure your business isn’t standing in the way of your life.

If your normal routine got blown up this summer, are there things that filled your cup you’d like to keep and work into your schedule moving forward? For example, I spent more time hiking this summer and I’d like to continue doing more of that!

Step 2: Reclaim and Reprioritize

Now that you’ve done the hard work of looking at where you’re at now, it’s time to reclaim your time and energy. This means focusing on what truly matters to you — both in your business and your life.

Identify What Matters Most:

I love the David Allen quote, “You can do anything, but not everything.” Until they make that extra hour in the day, you simply won’t get everything done on your list. I mean, sure, you could try, but you’d probably end up crying in the school pickup line again (I speak from experience here).

So, what’s truly essential? Take a page out of the "Essentialism" playbook or apply the good ol’ 80/20 rule. Focus on the 20% of your tasks that bring in 80% of the results. The rest? It’s probably not as important as you think.

What Matters for Business

What services and/or products are bringing in the traffic and revenue?
What marketing strategies/platforms are working?
What are you doing that is getting you closer to your business goals?
Are there any business ideas that would be good to implement now?

What Matters for Life

What activities and routines make your mind and body feel good?
When do you feel present and grateful?
What commitments can you take off your plate? Which ones are now a higher priority?

As a busy entrepreneur, your business and personal life are intertwined and affect each other every day. If I know that I’ll be busy with fall sports for the kiddos (top priority), then I won’t have time or energy to create a new product or online course (I’ll save it for later when we have fewer family time commitments).

Setting Fresh Goals & Habits:

Fall is all about fresh starts, making it the perfect time to set some new goals and habits that align with your newfound clarity.

When it comes to reclaiming your focus and energy, setting goals and building new routines are both powerful strategies, but they serve different purposes and come with their own set of pros and cons.

Setting goals is like plotting your destination on a map; it gives you a clear target to aim for and a sense of direction. Goals can be highly motivating and provide measurable outcomes, which can be incredibly satisfying. However, goals can sometimes feel overwhelming, especially if they're ambitious or require significant time and effort to achieve.

Routines are the steady, reliable roads you travel daily to get closer to your goals. They create structure and consistency, making it easier to progress without constantly relying on willpower. The downside? Routines can become monotonous, and if not aligned with your bigger goals, they might lead you in circles instead of forward.

The sweet spot lies in balancing both: set inspiring goals and then craft routines that support those goals, allowing you to steadily build momentum while staying on course.

Step 3: Refine Your Time Management

Now that you know what’s important to focus on, let’s talk about time management and how to make sure those priorities get on the books.

If I’m honest, my calendar goes out the window during summer and I’m hanging on for the ride. If you have school-aged kids, your weekly schedule will have to work with a new routine.

But even if you’re not ruled by a school schedule, most working adults have that back-to-school and summer-is-over vibe when it comes to this time of year. We all know it’s our chance to take charge of our lives before we roll into the holidays.

Reevaluate Your Schedule:

First things first—audit your schedule. Throw everything on the table like you’re cleaning out that purse for the first time in a year. What’s essential? What needs to get tossed like all those gum wrappers or old receipts? What’s eating up your time? What can you cut? Maybe it’s the endless email inbox or the meetings that could’ve been an email. Whatever it is, trim the fat.

Create Your Ideal Work Week:

An Ideal Work Week can be your new best friend — the one you only talk to once in a while but is always ready to support you.

Before you break out the highlighters and stickers though, let’s be clear: it’s an IDEAL work week. It’s what you’d like your week to look like if all went to plan and you had the mental, emotional, and physical bandwidth to accomplish your tasks and projects while feeling satisfied and on point.

We all know those weeks also follow the 80/20 rule: 20% of your weeks end up being ideal, while 80% vary from just ok to a total sh*tshow.

But those 20% that are awesome account for 80% of your momentum in your life and business.

Block off non-negotiables first. This means sleep, standing meetings/appointments, taking kids to and from school, etc.

Then you’ll see the true time you have to work on your business and find time for your personal life and self-care (this is when most people have a big ah-ha moment that they don’t actually have time to sign up for that new class or take on a huge project). Go back to reevaluating your schedule and maybe go through another round of cuts if you can.

Try Theme Day Planning:

Time blocking never worked for me — it left me feeling more stressed and like a failure. I need bumper lanes and guard rails with my planning, not train tracks. So I created my own way of Theme Day Planning that is built on my Ideal Work Week.

The concept is simple: each day of the week is dedicated to a specific theme or category of tasks. For instance, you might reserve Mondays for content creation, Tuesdays for client meetings, and Wednesdays for administrative work.

By grouping similar tasks together, you reduce the mental load of constantly switching between different types of work, which boosts productivity and reduces stress. This approach allows you to dive deeper into each area, making your work more focused and efficient. Plus, knowing what each day holds gives you a clear structure to follow, which can be a huge relief in a busy week.

Theme day planning turns the chaos of a scattered to-do list into an organized, intentional schedule that aligns with your goals.

Implement New Routines:

Now that you’ve decluttered your schedule and have a loose weekly plan, it’s time to put some routines in place to keep it that way. Whether it’s a quick 20-minute morning routine, new habits around meal planning, or having a plan for what you can work on in the car during sports practices or in the school pickup line, find what works for you and do your best to give it a fair chance.

When your plan or your routine doesn’t go quite right, take a minute to evaluate why it didn’t and how you might tweak your routines to better fit.

Step 4: Reignite Your Energy and Business

Now that you’ve cleaned house with your business and life planning and routines, it’s time to reignite the spark that got you into this entrepreneurial game in the first place.

Reconnect with Your Why:

I know this is cheesy. “Your Why” sounds like an annoying platitude that doesn’t help when you’re up to your eyeballs in overdue tasks and trying to keep it all together. But every time I think about what I could do instead, I run smack dab into why I started my business in the first place.

For me, it was about never having to ask permission to take care of myself or my family. It was about the limitless possibilities of earning potential and the joy of creation.

Maybe for you it’s about making a difference, providing for your family, or simply proving to yourself that you can do this.

Whatever it is, hold onto it—it’ll keep you going when things get tough.

Explore New Opportunities:

Fall is a great time to explore those projects or revenue streams you’ve had kicking around in your head all year. Is there something you’ve been wanting to try but haven’t had the time (or guts) to pursue? Now can be the time to give yourself the space to create something new or plan ahead for launching next year.

Whether it’s launching a new product, collaborating with another entrepreneur, or reworking a product or offer, keep your mind open and your eyes peeled for opportunities.

Plan for the Future:

Last but not least, map out the rest of the year. The holidays are just around the corner, and if you don’t plan ahead, you’ll find yourself scrambling faster than a last-minute gift shopper on Christmas Eve. Set key milestones and checkpoints to keep yourself on track, and you’ll cruise into the new year with confidence.

Conclusion: Move Forward with Clarity and Confidence

There you have it—your fall reset. You’ve assessed, reclaimed, refined, and reignited. Now, it’s time to put it all into action. Start with one area, whether it’s setting new goals, refining your schedule, or reigniting your passion, and watch the ripple effects unfold.

And remember, this reset isn’t just about getting more done—it’s about building a business and life that feels aligned, intentional, and fulfilling. Because at the end of the day, you deserve a business that works for you—not the other way around.

To make it even easier for you, grab the free workbook to help you put pen to paper and get started.