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Estimated read time: 3 minutes

Fall can be your secret weapon to crush your year-end goals. It turns out our brains are wired for fresh starts. Psychologists call it the "fresh start effect." We're more motivated to tackle goals after temporal landmarks. What better landmark than PSL season?

There’s a reason fall is harvest time. Consider whatever you set out to accomplish in Q1. Now is actually the best time to reap the benefits of the last nine months of work.  

See fall for what it really is: changing leaves—and a chance to change the game.

How do you do this in a healthy way? 

First: Fast forward. Picture yourself in December. What does ending the year strong actually mean? What does accomplishing goals as you’ve defined them (career, personal life, health, relationships) look and feel like? 

Next: Work backward. From now until December, any step you take should align with those outcomes. This is your action plan. 

This simple mental exercise is one of the easiest tools to ensure you end the year with strength. Visualizing your success is a proven performance technique.   

Don’t mourn summer or worry that the year flew by (It’s common, but it doesn’t help). 

In reality, it’s go-time. With the power of this exercise, the best is yet to come.

One Simple Thing: Use the Energy Checklist

Your energy is critical to managing your success. Follow this abridged energy checklist to make sure you are managing yourself holistically heading into year-end:

1. Physical Energy: I will proactively make time to move during the day.

   How to Achieve This: Strategy

2. Mindful Energy: I will take 1-2 minutes to myself to gather my own thoughts before I check my phone in the morning.

   How to Achieve This: Strategy

3. Mental Energy: I will take and block focus time as needed to work productively. 

   How to Achieve This: Strategy

4. Emotional Energy: I will regularly ask myself, “How do I feel?” and adjust my actions accordingly.

   How to Achieve This: Strategy

Feel free to add on to the checklist and make the strategies your own.  

Pro Tip: 60 seconds to go—take a lap in the room you’re in while you read the rest.

Dilagence on the Move 

Weekend Read: This NYT oldie but goodie features my take on the benefits of a fall routine. 

On LinkedIn: If you’re a leader in the workplace, quick reminder that there are business justifications for movement.

Dose of Dilan

Where I’m Embracing Fall:

At least once this season, you’ll find me at Barton Orchards apple picking and doing their Tree Top Adventures obstacle course. It’s how I pre-burn the apple crisps I’ll be baking.

What I'm Sipping: 

Yogi Kava stress relief tea. Does it actually relieve stress? Debatable. But at the very least, it's a tasty placebo effect in a cup. Sometimes, the ritual is the real relief.    

What I'm Cooking With: 

My 7-in-1 Ninja Foodie grill is my kitchen MVP, perfect for whipping up my signature pumpkin pancakes. They’re gluten and dairy-free, and you’d never know it.

Thanks for reading, I’m glad you’re on the team. For regular doses of Dilagence, follow on LinkedIn and if you know someone else who can benefit from this newsletter, invite them to subscribe here.