It’s back to school time! Well, even if you and I aren’t going back to school, there is something about post-Labor Day that sets us in motion to GET THINGS DONE. It’s as if some internal clock has told us it’s time to begin working again after the restful summer. That’s probably because we have been so trained from many years of schooling to get back to the work attitude when autumn arrives. I suspect that if you are anything like me that your summer might not have been as relaxing a vacay as you wanted. Although you may have tried to just “be” as much as possible and do nothing, you probably were “doing” a lot! Still I hope and expect that you did take some time off from the crazy wedding and work mindset to unwind and now you are ready to rock and roll! It is time to dive back into the world of wedding planning. (And even if you don’t have a wedding ahead, use these tips to get back into whatever work lies ahead for you). Back to school time means—time to start moving! So how can you ease into the “doing” mentality and routine without killing yourself? Here are Rachel’s Rules to get you started.
#1. Reenergize your body and soul. After a summer of 
laid-back weather, fall is here to help re-energize you physically and emotionally. Use the crisp weather (if this isn’t true yet where you live—it will be soon) to bring some energy and vitality into your system. Go outside now. Take a walk, go for a bike-ride or just sit somewhere beautiful and breathe in the fresh autumn air. Find a pick-your-own apple orchard and go for a date with your partner. Frolic around the trees while you pick apples and talk of your future together. Read an inspirational book. The goal is to come up with at least 5 things that will help to restore your energy supply and get you ready to reengage with everything wedding related.
#2. Reignite your passion for your wedding with all things media. There is no reason why you can’t play even if it is no longer summer. Pull out your bridal magazines, sit back with your favorite beverage and enjoy getting some new ideas. Use social media and check out interesting blogs, pinterest boards and tweets. Watch your favorite wedding movies and be sure to have plenty of hankies on hand. Take advantage of all the wonderful media out there that will remind you how much fun all of this wedding planning stuff can be. You will reignite your passion for your wedding and will probably have many items to add to your to-do list in no time!
#3. Reinvent your “to-do” list. Speaking of to-do lists, you probably have looked at your wedding to-do list so many times by now and made so many notes in the margins that it is very messy and almost incomprehensible. So it is time to redo your list and amp it up a notch. First, take out your list and start a new one. Eliminate anything on the list that is already taken care of and add new items. (Keep your old list with the many items crossed off as a keepsake and reminder of all the hard work you have done so far). Maybe, like me, you have smaller lists and post-its with ideas and things you thought of in the middle of some other activity. Consolidate all of your ideas into one place. For a change, try going electronic if you haven’t done that before. Or get creative with colored pens or pencils and color-code your items. Anything food related could be green; decoration ideas in orange, clothes in pink—you get the idea. The point is to make using your list feel like it is something new and enticing. Use this opportunity to make something as potentially overwhelming or dull as a list—fun.
#4. Reorganize your plan for—everything! At this point, you should have some new energy and passion for your wedding planning—and a nice to-do list. You have already begun to get organized. Now it’s time to figure out how to put things into action and make best use of your time. Think about what worked for you in the past and what didn’t. Were you able to get wedding things done during your regular workday, perhaps at your lunch break or after work? Were weekends your most productive time at getting your list whittled down? How much time do you have until your wedding? Have you delegated tasks to professionals and friends? Do you know where they are on their to-do lists? With your list in front of you and your calendar at hand, reorganize your life to help you make the best use of your time to get wedding things done. Just don’t forget to keep time on your daily calendar to reenergize yourself—that should always be a priority. Keep active, be kind to yourself and don’t skip meals when you get really busy.
With a little bit of planning and a whole lot of fun, you will ease your way back into full-on wedding planning as easy as you can say back-to-school shopping! With some reenergizing, reigniting, reinventing and reorganizing, you will feel prepared for and even look forward to all the effort needed to get ready for your big day!
Tell me what you do to re-engage with work or wedding planning now that summer is at an end. I’d love to hear from you so comment below!
XOXO Rachel
Wondrance 