September Reset: How Small Habit Changes Can Help You Finish the Year Strong

The lazy hazy days of summer may feel like a distant memory as September shifts our energy back to business and forward to new adventures.

It's the month when many of us embark on a new chapter, whether it's university, college or a new job or simply getting back to work and the school run.

It's also the time that "September Reset" trends on social media - the kind, chill sister of New Year's Resolutions. Instead of strict rules and major life overhauls, creators are sharing small changes aimed at finishing the year strong.

"It's getting ahead of the game," says Cami Sophia, 24, who has shared her new rituals on TikTok. Here's why September could be the right time for a reset and how to create a new routine that lasts.

For Cami, a content creator and podcast host from Northampton, September spells the end of summer spontaneity and a time to restore order.

"If you've been away for the summer you've probably not had a massive routine," she says. "And if you're a parent, then you've got kids at home and it's just a bit more chaotic," she says.

September feels like "back to school...getting back into your own rhythm", she adds.

It is the perfect time to "get everything sorted", she says "So when you get to January you're not trying to do everything at once.

For Bas Verplanken, professor emeritus of social psychology at the University of Bath, September is a chance to "reorient yourself".

He says his research suggests people who experienced a big change such as moving house "were more responsive to an intervention aimed at promoting sustainable behaviours" than comparable people who had not moved house.

"It's really an exciting way of looking at disruption," he told Chris and Xand van Tulleken on their What's Up Docs? podcast.

If your daily commute or school run works for you then relax back into them.

"But if there are alternative ways of doing things, explore it, this is the time to do it, and to make those changes," says Verplanken.

TikTok is awash with videos on how to "lock in" starting small - declutter your room, clear out your wardrobe, go for a walk, start a new book.

But Cami warns against videos showing spreadsheets of radical changes.

"It's very easy to look at all of these things and what you should apparently be doing and get really overwhelmed," she says.

Cami starts her own reset by "looking at the goals I set at the start of the year and see what I actually still want to do - and then what I need to do to get from A to B".

Then she recommends picking three small "non-negotiables".

"They could be to have fruit with your breakfast, have veg with dinner and have a glass of water before you drink coffee," she says.

She advises small changes that require little effort - she is getting back into sleep patterns by setting alarms.

Cami says planning is key - something she does on a Sunday morning.

"I go, okay, these are my meals for the week. These are my workouts for the week. Even plan your outfits for the work day if you really want to because it saves you time," she says.

Then she takes steps to "limit the choices" she has to stray from her routine.

"I will meal prep three days worth of overnight oats. Naturally, I'm going to grab those in the morning because they are made and ready. I've removed the friction of grabbing a quick meal or not having any breakfast."

Verplanken agrees the secret to making new habits that last is setting yourself up so that your new behaviours are the easiest option for reaching your goal.

He advises designing a routine where your habits can become "effortless".

"They are specific plans of where, when, and what you will do," he says.

"Let's say, losing weight, you can think when I go to the supermarket, I'm going to look specifically each time [at] the fat and sugar content [of food]. It's a very specific plan."

This means making the right choices when are facing the food shelf happen automatically "because you have already planned the situation in which you have to act".

If this is done frequently, Verplanken says it becomes "extremely effective" to turn these habits into your routine.