What’s got you racing these days? 

Fall sports? Kid activities? Church functions? Fall festivals? Are you taking classes? Perhaps you’re the primary caregiver? 

While our specific list of things may look different, I sense that many of us are fighting that urge to do it all, be it all, and get it all done. Before we know it, the gloriously cozy fall season will have passed and we’ll be putting on snow boots and hunkering down for the winter. It will have gone by in a flash and some of the things we love to savor will have slipped by. 

But not so fast. It doesn’t have to be that way.

Say Yes to What Matters

I offer an alternative approach this year. One that is characterized as a Focused Fall. Instead of racing around trying to do it all, you can intentionally choose and plan the things that matter most. Then, pursue them.

If going to a Pumpkin Patch is your favorite fall activity go ahead and get your calendar out and pick a date and time you’ll go. If making it to a local Highschool or College football game has all the fall feelings, go ahead and get your tickets. Or maybe it is more simple. Perhaps fall is that back porch feeling, coffee cup in hand, crisp chill in the air. Make that time a priority. 

The reality is, if you don’t control your schedule this fall, it will control you. Preserve special family moments, slow down long enough to savor them, and decide how you want the fall to look and feel. Make your list and make it happen.

Say No When Needed (or Wanted)

This is not encouragement to try to do more this fall – but rather to be more intentional about what you do this fall. A well placed “no” is going to be one of the best tools you have in your pursuit of a Focused Fall. Just because something would be fun does not mean you should say yes to it. Sometimes saying yes to too many fun things makes them all no fun at all. The stress, tight schedule, and stretch of it all is counterproductive.

I hope you are willing to provide a well placed no so that you can turn on your favorite music, light a pumpkin spice candle, and be still. Or maybe you have a firepit on your back deck and a “no” to one more activity means a “yes” to roasting marshmallows with your family. 

It’s okay to slow down. Actually, it’s more than okay – it’s magnificent.

A Pursuit that Transcends Seasons

This isn’t really an issue just with the Fall. It happens every season. We try to cram in so much that the quality of the moments is diluted and spread too thin across the quantity of moments we try to grab onto. I’m suggesting you lean into a simplified way of living that allows each moment to count for more. In that measured pace I am confident you will breathe easier, enjoy more, and feel more present. 

I can only talk about this because it is something I wrestle with all seasons of the year. Left to my own devices I fall into a trap that I’ve got to say yes to everything, hustle hard and keep my days full. That lie of busyness is wearing me out – it is wearing us out.

Don’t be afraid of a Focused Fall. In the crisp air and quiet moments you will uncover the beauty of an unhurried life.