"With the chaos of back-to-school season in the rear-view, both for me as a university professor and for my school-age kids, October feels like the perfect time to catch my breath. It's like the quiet before the storm. The Holidays are coming and, like most women, I take on the majority of the shopping, cooking, and remembering all the theme days at school (looking at you, "Ugly Sweater" Day) from Halloween to New Year's."
"Your values are what give your life meaning; they serve as a compass for how you want to show up at work, for the people you care about, and for yourself. Most of us value things like growth, creativity, integrity, connection, or making a real impact. However, when life gets busy, it's easy to lose sight of them and focus on what's right in front of us: the full inbox, the errands that have to be run, or tasks that are piling up."
October provides a pause between back-to-school chaos and the approaching holidays and offers an ideal moment to reflect before year-end. Use the October pause to re-evaluate priorities now rather than waiting for New Year's resolutions. Measure success by alignment with core values—growth, creativity, integrity, connection, or impact—rather than by productivity alone. Identify what is valued at work, in relationships, and for oneself, and shift time and energy toward those priorities. Let go of perfectionism and aim to be more present for what truly matters this season. Four reflection prompts can help enter 2026 calm, grounded, and proud of time use.
Read at Psychology Today
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