There’s something about this time of year - the fall. Even if you’re not sitting in a classroom anymore or sending kids off to the first day of school, you can probably feel it—the shift that comes with back-to-school season.

Maybe it’s the shelves full of notebooks and pencils. Maybe it’s seeing school buses on your morning commute. Or maybe it’s simply the way your body remembers the years of programming from when you were a kid. Life feels different when fall routines start to take shape.

As a Working Mom Coach, I’ve noticed this season brings up a similar theme for almost every client I work with: a chance to reset. Back-to-school isn’t just for kids—it can be a fresh start for you, too.

The Transition Season for Working Moms

In my own house, back-to-school season always comes with a little chaos. Camps end before school begins, schedules overlap, and I find myself rearranging my work hours to fit it all in. As a working mom, that means juggling Teams calls with snack breaks and squeezing in emails while also making sure that we have clothes that still fit.

If you’ve got school-aged kids, you know that the first couple of weeks after school starts are all about supporting them—keeping schedules light, making easy dinners, and giving everyone time to adjust. It’s a transition for the whole family.

But once you find your footing, there’s an opportunity waiting for you to harness the energy of a fresh start.

Why Back-to-School Feels Like a Reset

Here’s the thing: you don’t have to be in school (or even have school-aged kids) to feel this reset. Every August, I still feel that same “new notebook” energy.

Think back to the start of the school year as a kid:

Fresh notebooks and supplies
A clean backpack or locker
No homework piled up (yet!)
Optimism for what’s ahead

It’s like a blank slate. Why wait for January 1st to decide what you're going to write?

Four Months Left—Plenty of Time

One of the reasons I love leaning into this back-to-school mindset is that there are still four whole months before the new year. That’s plenty of time to:

Try out a new routine
Reconnect with personal goals that you set earlier in the year
Build momentum on something that matters

You don’t have to wait until the new year to assess your progress or start something new. You can start now. And you can be even further along when you get to the new year.

How I’m Using This Season as a Working Mom

Here are a few ways that I’m personally using this season to reset and rethink my own routines as both a mom and a professional:

Resetting My Evenings and Mornings

Summer always pushes bedtime later - for the kids and for me. This fall, I’m inching my bedtime earlier so I can wake up earlier, feel energized, and stick with the new weight training program I recently started. (Another thing that I'm not waiting on January 1st for!)

Planning a Trip

Instead of putting it off until next year, I want to see if I can still fit in a short trip before the holidays. Four months is more time than we think.

Shaking Up Dinner

I’m tired of the same rotation of meals. With our evenings full of extracurriculars, I’m experimenting with new crockpot and make-ahead recipes to simplify family dinners while still being tasty.

One-on-One Time with My Kids

This was on my list in January, but I haven’t given it much attention so far this year. This fall, I’m making intentional space for it, even as activities ramp up. I want to see what progress I can make yet this year.

Your Fresh Notebook

When I think about this season, I picture a brand-new notebook—blank pages waiting to be filled. So here’s my question to you:

👉 If you treated this back-to-school season as your fresh start, what would you want to create before the year ends?

Would you build new fall routines? Start a new hobby? Revisit a forgotten goal?

As a Working Mom Coach, I believe you don’t need a new year to start fresh. You just need to decide that right now is the perfect time —and then a willingness to take small, intentional steps.

✨ What’s on your “fresh notebook” list for the rest of the year?

I’d love to hear—send me a note at katelyn@themothernurture.com or connect with me on Instagram @lovemothernurture.