How to let go of the hustle and recalibrate your routine

Sep 11

This year, I was excited that Labor Day landed on September 1, thinking it would help me slip back into routine more quickly and efficiently than years it falls later in September.

Despite my impecable organization and detailed daily task lists, not much went as expected. Tasks took longer, time blocks shifted, and plans unraveled.

Instead of seeing this as failure, I recognized the reminder: our routines need flexibility.

Too much rigidity and controlling will leave us feeling frustrated, depleted and disillusioned.

I realized I was trying to squeeze myself into a hustle-and-grind routine that no longer aligns with the current version of me. And this version knows that my future self doesn’t need burnout by December—she needs space, flow, and rituals that nourish instead of drain.

If you’ve been feeling resistance to falling back into a routine, you’re not alone. The 5th season is not a time for snapping into structure—it’s a time for reflection and adjustment.

What is the 5th Season? A time of Transition

Although the calendar still places us in summer, in the Eastern medicine calendar, the weeks between late August and the Fall equinox (September 22) are known as The 5th season.

Spring and summer carry the fiery yang energy—light, heat, and outward activity. In these weeks first weeks of September, we begin shifting towards the yin seasons of fall and winter: cooler weather, less light, and a natural pull toward rest, introspection, and slower rhythms.

This transitional time asks us not to rush, but to pause and realign according to these seasonal energy shifts, especially when it comes to our routines.

When trying to manage our time and routines, many of us fall into patterns that unintentionally reduce productivity and leave us feeling frustrated or burnt out.

The Illusion of Time: 3 Common Mistakes We Make

Trying to do too many things at once

Our culture rewards busyness and multitasking, but in actuality our brain physically does not have the capacity to multitask. Instead it “task switches” mentally jumping from one thing to the next. Each time it jumps the brain expends extra time and energy honing in on the new task at hand that it doesn’t expend when we focus on one things at a time. Throughout the course of a multitasking day, all of that extra energy leads to mental fatigue.
Forgetting that change takes time

New habits and patterns will always take longer to establish than familiar ones. Honoring that truth and planning more time than you think you need helps set you up for greater success and lower levels of frustration.
Skipping the small steps

Big goals are only achieved by breaking them into clear, realistic, and doable steps. Often we don’t put these foundational steps on our calendars or account for the time and effort they take and then wonder why we aren’t accomplishing the big goal.

Rethinking Routine in The 5th Season

Run the different components of your current fall routine through these filter questions and realign accordingly so that you get the ultimate ROI for the time and energy spent on your routine commitments:

What’s currently working well about my routine?
What isn’t working?
What feels aligned?
What do I want to do differently?

Your routine should feel life giving and support your energy, not heavy, overwhelming or draining. This is your permission to keep what works and let go of the rest. By embracing this transitional season, you can design a routine that will carry you gracefully into the final months of the year.

As we shift into the yin energy of fall, consider this your invitation: let go of the hustle and create a routine that truly reflects who you are now and who you want to become.

If wellness is a priority for you in this current season, I invite you to jumpstart your routine with the