back to school, back to work: resetting for the "new year"

by Scott Guy (they/them)

It’s the beginning of September, which means that many folks - students, teachers, seasonal workers - are gearing up to return to school and work. Personally, I started my Master’s in Public Policy after Labour Day weekend. Since I’m neurodivergent, there are a lot of different ways that I need to prepare for the beginning of my rigorous program, because if I don’t, I’m setting myself up for failure. I don’t mean “oops I had to ask for an extension on an assignment” failure - I mean real crashing and burning, not-getting-out-of-bed-because-it's-raining failure. And as long as tuition is outrageously expensive in Canada, I can’t afford failure - literally! So, here are some ways that I am resetting my day-to-day to ensure that I (and maybe you, too,) can be as successful as possible and feel ready to tackle the months ahead with as little stress and chaos as possible (I know, sounds rich coming from someone with ADHD, right?).

YearCompass

One of my favourite beginning-of-the-year rituals is completing a sort of self-assessment called YearCompass. YearCompass is a comprehensive workbook that helps people reflect on the past year and plan for the new year in a holistic way, asking questions like “who would you like to see more of next year?” or “what are you proud of yourself for doing this past year?” While it’s designed to be completed in January or late December of each year, I like to do it at the beginning of September or late August, since that feels like a more significant resetting time than an arbitrary month change that causes everyone to mess up writing the correct year for the next 3 months. 

Budgeting

This task is certainly not my favourite, but unfortunately it must be done. For many folks, the fall is when we start spending more on kids’ extracurricular activities, our own extracurricular activities, saving for the holidays, or other large expenses. And since I have ADHD, each time I spend money feels like a crazy dopamine rush - it doesn’t matter what I’ve spent money on. Paid my rent? I feel a dopamine high for the rest of the day. A latte that I can’t afford? Another mood-boosting purchase. When your neurodivergent brain can’t tell the difference between a responsible purchase and something you just don’t have the money for right now, you can board a slippery slope that leads to being broke or even incurring debt. Luckily, having a budget that you check in with regularly (I check in with mine weekly!) can help you feel more in control of your spending and dopamine responses.

Cleaning Out My Email

This one may feel kind of random, but it’s a personal ritual for me every year. As a neurodivergent individual with soooo many interests and activities that I’d like to try (seriously. So many!), I am always signing up for newsletters, substacks, Facebook groups, and various other email-notification-inducing stuff. A few days ago, I sat down and made a list of the most annoying emails I receive on a regular basis, and all the ones I simply do not open on a regular basis. I then searched those keywords in my inbox and deleted all of the unread emails (because let’s be honest, I’m not ever going to get around to reading that article about dogs’ visual spectrum from 2 months ago) and unsubscribed where applicable. Now, I only have 1000 unread emails in my inbox, which is still a lot, but it’s less than before and makes me feel a little less crazy when I open my phone or laptop!

Now, for some ADHDers, a repetitive task like this may feel daunting, and completely pointless (because, let’s face it: you’re probably going to have to sit down and do this again next year). And if that’s the case, and you don’t feel like this will help you, that’s totally okay! This is a list of things that I have found helpful in planning for the new year, and I encourage you to try them, but if they don’t speak to you that’s alright!

“Spring” Cleaning

Think of this one as a broader activity in the fall. An autumn reset clean can include going through your wardrobe, bookshelf, games cupboard, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen… Okay, maybe that’s a bit overwhelming to think about. 

Let’s start with going through your wardrobe: This is not only a good way to get rid of clothes that don’t fit anymore, that you don’t like, that need mending or to be gotten rid of, that need to be put away for the fall and winter, or that need to be taken to consignment or the thrift store. I like to go through my wardrobe and organize it by colour (where my ROY G BIV fans at!?), followed by going through my hanging shelf and making sure all my foldables are, well, folded and in the right section. Since my ADHD causes me to struggle a lot with object permanence, this is a fantastic way for me to stay mindful about what clothes I actually own. Plus, this way, I can start planning some epic fall outfits in my head! Bonus points if you use this opportunity to plan your outfit for your first day back at work or school. 

I like to do my reset cleaning in chunks, because doing this all in one day would be way too much to handle, and too much pressure to actually start or get done. The next few months will involve the accumulation of a whole lot of junk, especially if you’re a student or teacher - receipts, handouts, assignments, flyers… a lot of random paper and other items. Even if you just declutter your room by going through your shelves and confronting the monster under your bed, you are winning and setting yourself up for success!

Putting Everything (And I Mean EVERYTHING) In My Calendar

Like I said before, my object permanence issues are extremely severe, and this ranges from items of clothing to food in my fridge to even people and events (if you’re waiting for a text back from me I’m sorry, I probably forgot, but I still love you!). The only way I’m able to solve this personally is to put absolutely everything I do, want to do, or have planned, into my Google Calendar. There are a lot of other software tools, like Motion, Notion, Trello, Airtable, and probably a million more for any type of brain - sometimes all it takes is a bit of searching to find a tool that will literally change your life. 

Planning and Getting Supplies

Need some notebooks? Pens? 25 differently-coloured highlighters? Make a list, find out where to get everything you need, and make a cute little day of fetching supplies, kind of like a scavenger hunt! I still haven’t gotten all my notebooks yet, full disclaimer, but I already know which designs I’m gonna get, how much they cost, and where I’m gonna put them. I love colour-coding my classes as well. There are so many ways to gamify getting supplies, but don’t forget to budget!

Overall, there’s no one way to be prepared to return to work or school. September is an overwhelming time, but there are ways to set yourself up for success! I hope that even one of these suggestions was helpful to you, and if you have any suggestions of your own, please send us an email at hello@kristenhydescounselling.com !