Back to (your) basics
New season, same you...just with fresher pens
Hi there,
Last month, I told you I used to hate the summer holidays.
Six weeks of sunshine and slowness sounded dreamy to other kids, but I missed school. I craved structure and I didn’t know who I was without timetables and tasks. I look back now and realise that I wasn’t bored, I just thought progress had to look a certain way.
Now here I am, writing this somewhere in Rome with Florence, Milan and Paris still to come on my summer holiday. I’ve never been more grateful for the pause. I’m eating well, sleeping better, and yes, planning to buy a very specific Louise Carmen notebook because nothing says “new term” quite like beautiful but entirely unnecessary stationery. Old habits die hard, okay!
There’s just something about September. Even without school assemblies or sharpened pencils, it still feels like a clean slate. The air changes. The light softens. The jackets come out. And suddenly, without warning, we’re ready for rhythm again.
It’s tempting to take that energy and launch into overhaul mode; to declutter, detox, and redesign your life by the end of the month. Sure, sometimes that’s needed. But more often than not, what we really need isn’t a transformation, it’s a return.
A return to what feel good in our bodies, to the habits that nourish us and to the people and practices that anchor us. So this month, I’m not setting any big goals or chasing reinvention. I’m coming back to my own basics - the small things that help me feel like me again.
Things like making time to write, but not for output, for joy. Cooking simple but delicious meals. Walking while listening to my favourite podcast. Checking in with my loved ones and with myself. Lighting a candle even if it’s still light outside, just because it feels good.
And if September really is a second new year, then maybe the gentlest thing we can do is give ourselves something better than a makeover… a homecoming.
WorkWell Wisdom
“Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… including you.”
- Anne Lamott
September can stir up that old “back to work, back to business” buzz but instead of rushing to be a productivity machine again, what if you paused and checked in?
Try asking yourself:
What do I actually want from the rest of this year?
What have I been doing out of habit that no longer fits?
What reset, even a tiny one, would feel nourishing right now?
Forget the five-year plan. All you need is a bit of honesty, a pen that writes smoothly and ten minutes to yourself.
WorkWell Recommends
Read: Wintering by Katherine May
Yes, I know I’ve mentioned it before but it’s worth revisiting. Especially as the seasons begin to turn. A quiet, lyrical meditation on rest, retreat, and the slow work of recovery. Not just for winter, but for any moment that asks you to step back and start again.
Watch: Practical Magic (1998)
Autumn energy in a film. Sandra Bullock, Nicole Kidman, a small-town coven, a tragic love story, and a garden you’ll want to move into immediately. Heartfelt, magical, and full of gentle lessons about sisterhood, healing and coming home to yourself. And guess what, they are filming the sequel as we speak!
Do: Buy yourself some beautiful stationery
Yes, even if you don’t “need” it. A new notebook, a satisfying pen, a planner that sparks joy, it can all be part of the ritual. Sometimes the best way to re-root yourself is through the small pleasures that make you feel like you’re almost excited to make a to-do list.
PS: In a leadership role or stepping into one? This is for you.
This autumn, I’m piloting a brand new WorkWell programme designed to help leaders lead themselves, their teams and their culture without burning out or burning bridges. It’s called The WorkWell Leader, and I’m inviting a small group to take part in a free 3-part virtual pilot.
It runs across three Wednesday evenings in November and December and will explore:
How to show up with more presence and impact
How to give (and receive) feedback that builds
How to delegate with confidence and clarity
If you’re curious, click here to read more. Places are limited and I’d love to have some of my newsletter readers involved. If you’re in, you can sign up here.
Before you go…
This season doesn’t require you to become someone new. It’s simply a chance to come home to yourself and ease back into the routines that make you feel like you. Fresh notebooks are lovely but what makes the season feel new isn’t what you buy, it’s what you bring back to life in yourself.
Until next time,
Dulcie x
Be gentle with yourself.
Work smart, rest well, play more.
And if you need a place to start, follow the feeling, not the checklist.
Feeling this: Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes… including you.