This morning when I was walking my dog, I saw about seven kids in an all-too-familiar place: brand-new clothes, backpack that weighs forty pounds, sparkling white sneakers, a spring in their step. They haven’t yet gotten into the grind of projects, homework, and too many consecutive early mornings, so today is all about possibilities: new teacher, new friends, new goals, new knowledge. I don’t envy going back to school, but I envy them for their engagement in newfound routine and their ability to harness it, if they want, and do something completely cool with their time.

I’ve written before about how I think autumn is a better time for resolutions than January 1. And yesterday I shared with you everything I’m working on for the fall. But here’s a list of everything you can do to catch the back-to-school fever, whether you’re a student or not. Read on!

  • Get a new bag that properly holds what you need it to – and nothing more. Your bag takes a hell of a beating every day. Why not make sure you have one that does everything you need it to? Equally as important, don’t get a huge bag if you’re prone to hoard things and never clean it out. [Um....yeah.]

  • Stock up on school supplies, but only the ones that make you more organized, efficient, or happy. The awesome thing about shopping for school supplies as an adult is that you have no list. You don’t have follow your teacher’s rule and get crayons when you’re really more into pastels or pencils or Photoshop. You don’t have to color-code your binders and your notebooks. You don’t need a red pen. [Seriously, does anything good ever come from children marking up each other's work in red pen? When I edit for clients, I always use green or purple or orange, because red feels so aggressive.] So go grab whatever you need to get to work – a nice notebook for journaling, some watercolors, a vertical file to organize receipts. Bonus points if you do it about two weeks from now, when everything’s on sale. However, a note of caution: if you already have a ton of office supply-type stuff or you’re susceptible to hoarding pretty notebooks and sparkly pens like I used to be, buy sparingly.

  • Pick up some extracurriculars. Join a class at your gym, or get a Groupon for some discount yoga classes. Get some canvases at the back-to-school art supply sale. Take your knitting needles back out. Develop a taste for French cooking and French new wave cinema. It’s about to get really cold and dreary outside, so all the time that you’ve spent lounging around outdoors all summer will have to be filled with something, won’t it?

  • Do a wardrobe revamp and cleanout. Pull your coats and sweaters out of storage, and get some new tights that you can wear under your summer sundresses on days when you lust for sunshine.

  • Change your bed linens. It might not be cold enough for flannel sheets yet, but in a couple of days you’ll be grateful for an extra blanket after sunset. Get out your throw blankets and the afghan that your aunt made you when you were born.

  • Go over your finances. I’m a DailyWorth subscriber, and yesterday’s email from them was a kick in the face. Do you know that we’re only eighteen weeks from the end of the year? Are you ready for holiday travel and gifts? Take a look and see if you can save some cash by buying some gifts early, or at least socking some money away.

  • Think about your Halloween costume. I have no idea what I’m going to wear, y’all.

  • Stock up on autumnal snacks – dark-roast coffees and whipped cream, pumpkin pie, slow-cooker soups, and everything you need to make a dozen different kinds of hot toddy. Yum.

Related posts:

  1. Getting Back to the Important Stuff
  2. Autumn 2010 Goals
  3. Inspiration: 1.27.2009
  4. 12:12 Tune of the Day: Hot Chip [An Entire Album This Time!]
  5. Things I’m Looking Forward to About Autumn 2010