Five questions to start the fall in a structured…

Going from long-term leave back to work is a transition that always requires some effort — at least for me. The first few hours at work feel unfamiliar. The pants are no longer short and the shirt is now buttoned up to the neck. Something itches.

Even though the calendar is anything but empty, I ask myself what the fall will be like. What will I have time to complete? How should I make the best use of my time? What should I focus on above all else? How do I absolutely not want the fall to turn out? I want the fall to be great, but what does that really mean? How do I know if and when it was “great”?

For you who prefer listening to reading, this post is also available as an episode of the ""Done!"" podcast:

A few quick answers in less than 15 minutes

If, at this time of year, right now, at the very beginning of the season, I take fifteen minutes to answer these questions myself, the fall becomes sharper in its contours. The focus is sharpened and it becomes clearer what I should prioritize first and what I should do to work even more structured.

For me, this short exercise is valuable, so I can highly recommend you do the same. How to do it? Well:

Do this

First, find something to take notes on. As you know, I prefer a black pen with a thin tip (a Pilot G‑TEC C4, to be precise) and a horizontal white sheet — the bigger the better. Of course, if you do not like paper, there are plenty of suitable apps.
Then, ask yourself:
- How do you best use your time this fall? — What do you need to do? What is the most important thing you want to get done before Christmas? List the most important points. Consider how your workload usually is during that part of the year to make the list reasonable. For me, there were six items this fall; some big and some small.
- What vibe should autumn have? — Describe to yourself what it should be characterized by, even how it should feel if you enjoy it. I want this fall to be fun and inspiring. If it does not feel like that by October, I need to change something.
- How do you want the fall not to be? — Pinpoint what you do not want to experience or be involved in this fall. What should the weeks not look like and the days not be like? Maybe you have been through terrible weeks somewhat recently which you do not want to experience again?
- How do you know when fall turned out as you wanted? — What has to happen for you to be able to claim victory? What has to be fulfilled for you to say that it turned out the way you wanted? At this point, I formulated four very specific goals to check off.
- What will you do in a new way this fall, so that you get new results? And, what will you no longer do that you have done so far? — Define a new habit you would benefit from and an existing one you can eliminate to avoid the fall turning out as you fear.
Finally, if you wrote something in your answers that means you will do something, add it to your to-do list so that it is not forgotten when the pace of work accelerates. If you have defined any new goals, add them where you follow up on the goals you already have for the year, so that all goals are easily accessible in one place.
Done! Or, actually, here we go!

Structure provides focus

If you make it clear to yourself what you want autumn to be like and what you can do (and avoid) to achieve it, you are more likely to get what you want. Instead of “it will be what it will be”, your working days will be more like you want them to be. The clear structure gives you better focus.

How do you do it?

How do you ensure that your fall turns out the way you want it? Do you do anything special this time of year to make it easier to succeed towards the end of it? Write a comment and share.

(Feel free to also use my blueprint to compose your ideal week!)

Looking for more?

If you want more tips on how to create good structure at work, there are many ways to get that from me - in podcasts, videos, books, talks and other formats.

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