How to Get Ahead of 99% of People (In 4 Months)

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You're going to know I am right and that this is true at a cellular level because there are four reasons why change is easier in September than any other time of the year. And in fact, it's not only just easier in September. Holy cow, what you do in September turns into this momentum that's carried through the fall, and you got to know this so you can use it to your advantage. Because once you learn what you're going to learn today, you're going to realize, well, that would be stupid for me not to get serious right now about putting myself first and focusing on my goals. That would be kind of dumb not to use this season to my advantage. One of the things that I love about the topic that you and I are talking about today is that everything that you and I are going to talk about today you already know is true.

 

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And so you're going to leave this conversation not only feeling empowered and not only knowing how to use this time of year to your advantage, but you're going to feel like smarty pants over there and you're also going to know how to activate that wisdom. And that brings me to the very first reason that September is the true season of change for everyone. January may get all the fanfare and the parties and the planners and all that stuff. Let's just level with each other. January is just when the calendar changes. September is when life changes. Just think about that for a minute. Everything about life changes When September hits, you go from summer to fall, that's a change. The leaves turn from green to orange and yellow and brown and all kinds of amazing colors. That's a change. The seasons can go from hot to colder or if you're in a different part of the world as you're listening colder to hot, that's a change.

 

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You go from a break to back to school, that's a change. Unlike January, September is not just a date on the calendar, and that's one of the reasons why this is such an enormous moment for change. And it's why I want you to start to look at September and the fall season almost like a bigger moment than January. And I'm going to explain more about why this matters for productivity and why it matters for momentum and how we're going to use this to our advantage in just a minute. 

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You go from one year ending to a whole new year beginning. It is this massive clean slate moment. I love January one. Why? Because all of a sudden you get handed this blank slate and January one has this massive psychological benefit that happens in your mind. It's called a temporal landmark. That's just a fancy way to say something that you've experienced, which is boom, calendar changes from one year to the next. You're on day one of a whole new year. You psychologically feel open to dreaming, don't you? You feel open to looking at the whole year. You see this vast open space and it's really important for you every single year to take advantage of this temporal landmark, this psychological vast space, this clean slate that you feel. And every single January, you should hit the pause button. You should take an audit of where you are in life and then you should look forward after that audit and you should allow yourself to dream big.

 

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And that's what you and I do every January. In fact, on this podcast, every single January, you and I walk through the process of completing last year and then taking the time to envision what is the next year or five years or 10 years of your life look like. January allows you to dream, and that is critical for you living a great life, but dreaming it's really different than doing and making a plan based on that dream that's very different than being productive as you execute on those plans. And that my friend is where September comes in. September is the season for momentum and productivity. September is the season where everything around you is changing and that's why you're going to use it to your advantage. I don't want to dis January. I love January. Yes, let's take January seriously and let's use January to create a blank slate and to dream big again and to lift our heads up and to look ahead.

 

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But there are four reasons why January isn't that great of a time of year for you to be your most productive. Number one, you're exhausted from the holidays. Number two, you just blew all your money on presents for other people so you don't really have that to invest back into yourself. Number three, if you live in a colder climate like I do, you're in a cold climate, which means you just want to stay indoors, which is not that great for being productive. And while we're on the topic of colder climates, can we talk about the fact that in December, the days get darker and seasonal depression kicks in and what saves you from those dark days and that cold climate and the fact that you're exhausted and you're out of money is big dreams. That's why you need to do it in January. Those big dreams give you something to look forward to.

 

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They give you something to work toward. And so if you're thinking about long-term goals and framing those goals, I want you to think of January because January is all about expansion, but the truth is only about 10% of New Year's resolution succeed. And I think after you really hear me make the case about September and the fall being a season of the year to really learn how to use to your advantage, you're going to understand why so many resolutions fail. They fail because it's a lot of work to make change stick. And that brings me to September. See, September is not about your dreams. September is not about the big stuff. September is about buckling down and getting serious and motivated and determined about the little stuff. While you still have time this year, and I'm a huge fan of January, I just think you got to understand the greater context.

 

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And just so you know that I'm not really against January, let's throw in the other seasons in the context of productivity. Like let's take spring. I love spring. I love a good spring cleaning. But here's the truth. By the time I do that little b burst, right, and I'm like, Ooh, get out of the winter, push through. It's now burst to spring and I've cleaned out the closet and I've cleaned out the garden beds and I've wiped all the pollen off of everything. I'm freaking exhausted. I don't have any more energy or productivity or momentum. Now I'm focused on let's just get through the spring. Let's get ourselves to summer. Let's get done with school. Let's wrap up these projects and let's get to summer. Am I right? Of course I'm right. You felt this exact same thing. Now let's talk about summer. Summer is terrible for productivity.

 

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Why? Your schedule is all over the place. People are taking vacation. You want to be at the beach. You don't want to be banging out some project that you have to focus on. You don't want to be getting stuff done. You want to be relaxing, you want to be seeing family. And plus, even if you're not on vacation, your friends or your family or your kids are on vacation. And so what does that mean? It means the schedule is off. The rhythm of your weeks are off. And the thing about productivity is productivity. It's not about sprints. Productivity is about small consistent moves over time. And one of the things that helps you be productive is when you are in a rhythm that is consistent. In the summer, all bets are off, work schedules changed. You got long weekends, the sun is out. So you want to be at barbecues.

 

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If you also notice that your town is now doing all kinds of programming and there are festivals and there are things to do and you want to be outside. 

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And so I want you to know that one of the greatest reasons why you should welcome September and the fall season with open arms is because this is the season where the wind is at your back and it is in your sails. It is time to go for it. Fall is selfish time, fall is go time. Fall is about you. So grab your pumpkin spice latte and your sweater and your new notebooks and let's get busy because you are primed to be productive. You're coming off of summer, which means I hope you're rested and you're refreshed. And even if you aren't, you got outside more than you do normally because the weather's nice and the sun is out and the days are long. And so you got that vitamin D in you and you are now ready, ready for what? Ready to do something. So to sum it up, reason number one for why September and the whole season of fall is the true change of seasons for everyone.

 

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It's when life changes. That is the reason why you feel ready to change to. And that brings me to number two, and that number two reason why September is just where it's at is because back to school, there is something called the back to school effect that in my opinion is wired into your DNA. No kidding. This back to school season is this feeling of just wanting to go do something, this feeling that you're more productive. It's like the entire world around you is in giddyup mode. It's back to school season. And you can kind of sense it, can't you? Why? Well, the traffic starts to back up. The commute gets different to work the school buses, they're pulling up. Kids are back on the playground, back to school. Signs are everywhere in the stores and the grocery stores and this universal change that you sense that is in the air, not just in nature, but everybody's routines and rhythms and patterns change, and there's this energy around back to school. These are all what's called environmental cues.

 

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All of that's going on subconsciously. And I think kind of understand what I mean when I say the back to school effect, but it goes way deeper than just the signs that are in all the stores and the school supplies that we're buying and the new clothes that we have to get to go back to school. It actually impacts your nervous system, your brain wiring, all of it. And here's the thing about the back to school effect. This is in your DNAI don't care how old you are. I don't care if you're in school, if you've been out of school for decades, you have experienced every single fall of your entire life, back to school energy, this renewed sense of motivation. You may even feel nostalgia every time the fall hits. And the reason why you feel this is because you have lived it. You don't just unlearn these things.

 

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They go with you in your life. And that's why at the beginning of every academic year, you automatically think about fresh starts. You automatically think about new opportunities. You automatically think about your own growth. And every single human being including you knows what this back to school effect feels like, right? Because this is literally in your nervous system. Do you remember what it was like to go with somebody to go back to school shopping? Whether you were getting new jeans because you grew two inches over the summer or you're getting new supplies because you can't find the folders and the pencils from last year, you have been conditioned as part of your lived experience to think about starting something. In some ways, new Year's is optional. I mean the new Year's going to come and go no matter what. There are some years that you probably set goals, other years that it's sort of an afterthought with a hangover.

 

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But back to school's different. You were conditioned to shift the way that you feel and think since you were a kid to just kind of feel like you should be starting something. And you don't just lose that when you become an adult. It's part of who you are. I mean, I love back to school shopping as 56-year-old woman. I'd love to walk into a store, get me some pencils and a new notebook. In fact, when you get that new notebook, oh gosh, and it's got that crisp crack sound, and then you flip it open and you look at the blank page, you can almost feel it. You can hear a pencil sharpening. You can almost smell that smell. What if when you walk into the grocery store or any store and you see the back to school signs today or tomorrow, what if you bought yourself a new notebook?

 

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I mean, why not? It's $2. Buy yourself a new notebook. When you pick up a brand new notebook and it's got that bendy sound too in the fresh blank pages, that's you saying, I'm jumping in. That's you saying, I recognize that this is an experience that I miss of having something new and I'm going to buy myself this notebook and I'm going to keep track of this change and I'm going to journal. I mean, this would be cool. This is your new notebook mentality. Yeah, I'm giving you permission to go spend $2 on yourself. In fact, it might only be a dollar by now. I mean since everything's on sale as second that the kids go in. I remember when I was a kid simply getting a new binder and a brand new notebook. It was like, okay, I'm going to valedictorian this year. I wasn't.

 

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But you get it and you're like, oh, I have smarty pants. That's a way that you can opt into this season. And then here's what I want you to do. I want you to not only go buy a blank notebook and take a photo of yourself with it, put it on social media tag at Mel Robbins, tag the Mel Robbins podcast and we will find you and repost you. But here's how I want you to take it another step further. Take that brand new notebook and then take a sharpie and write September, 2024 on it and you're going to claim it. This is going to be my semester, man, my semester of change. And if you're listening to this a year from now, write September, 2025 on it to signal, that's it. I'm in whatever year you're listening, write fall, and then the year, just like when you were in college and you got new notebooks with the college label on it, with the college seal on it, you can create your own.

 

(19:07):

You know what I love about this idea? I mean, I'm just sitting here riffing and I'm like, I need a new notebook right now is because you are saying I'm taking the next four months of my life into my own hands. The notebook symbolizes you making a decision to take advantage of this moment that every single fall creates to tap into the momentum and the productivity and the organization all around you. That's why reason number two, the fall is so fabulous for momentum and productivity is because back to schools in your DNA, you know how to do this. You do. And the second that you drop back into it, you're going to remember how good it feels to really focus on yourself. And that brings me to reason number three. Like it or not, you're going to be getting things done in the fall anyway.

 

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So why not be intentional about what you want to get done instead of just ramping up that productivity and drilling it back into work? Why not recognize, oh wait, I'm in the season of change. I'm going to grab my pumpkin spa latte and my brand new notebook and I'm going to write September, 2024 on that sucker and then I'm going to get to work and I'm going to put all this momentum and organization that's around me. I am going to use this for something that matters to me. Because the fact is the fall is the time that everyone is naturally the most productive. And this isn't just me saying it. This is the research. And the cool thing about the fall is you don't just get the boost in September. One of the downsides of January is you get that big boost of planning your goals, but then you got to carry it out for 12 months.

 

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It's like, holy cow, not with the fall. The research shows that you get the boost in September and it carries all the way through October, November, boom. The statistics prove it that this is the time when most people enroll in a weight loss program, go to the gym, start cooking at home, change their haircuts, start getting seriouses about their finances. They did this study where they surveyed adults in the uk and I love our listeners in the uk. So I wanted to shout out this UK study. 69% of adults believe that small improvements in September are way easier to achieve than New Year's resolutions. How cool is that? And now you're starting to understand, well of course they're because you've got the back to school effect. You're energized from the summer, you have all this momentum and organizing energy around you. Everybody around you is in new change.

 

(21:39):

Your DNA is like, let's do something. Of course it's easier. Plus studies show, check this out. You want to know the season that ranks the highest when it comes to productivity. That's right. Give it up for fall, give it up, let's go. Fall is head and shoulders. I'm not even talking competition here. People. You want to know the least productive season, eh? Winter, winter, you are 25% less productive in the winter than you are in the fall. Case closed. So this is happening whether you realize it or not. And I'm saying that because I think this back to school, DNA effect is a very real thing that you're giddy up and go is just triggered by the changing of the seasons and the changing of everybody around me. And so I want you to wake up and go, okay, if I'm naturally going to be more productive and motivated, what do I want to be productive and motivated around?

 

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And here's what I don't want you to use it for. Do not use this for work. Use this for you. You are already pouring so much into your work. I want you to take this lift and this productivity and organization and I want you to aim it at yourself because like it or not, you're getting things done. You're getting more done than you realize right now. And so let's get things done that really help you. Got it? Good. And that brings me to the fourth reason why fall. September right now is the single best season to use to your advantage. And the reason is simple. It's only four months. This matters a lot. We've talked about January versus September, and this isn't like a death match between these two things. It's about you understanding the context of those seasons and how to use them to your advantage.

 

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And earlier I shared with you that January is important because it's a whole year because it's a clean slate, because it opens up this ability for you to dream bigger than you normally would. And that's super important. But let's go to September. You only got four months between now and the end of the year. 

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20 minutes. See any project that you have expands to the amount of time that you have to give to it. Now what's interesting about this is think about January and when you're thinking about your resolutions or thinking about your dreams and thinking about this plan to achieve your dreams, how big did those plans and those dreams expand? 12 months. Why Parkinson's law? It expanded to the amount of time you have to give to it. Now let's think about September, how much time you got between now and the end of year. You got four months, that's what you're working with. And the shorter the amount of time you have, the more productive you're going to be. Why you have no choice. Tight deadlines amplify your focus. They increase your adrenaline If they're short enough, they force you to narrow your attention. And September creates a situation where your new goal or the thing you want to work on, we're shrinking that down into four months until the end of the year.

 

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Now just think about how different a goal feels when you make it in September. Alright, I want to stick to a budget between now and the end of the year versus January. I want to stick to a budget this year. Whoa, that's a big one. I want to get in shape in the next four months. I think I'm going to get in shape this year. Do you see the difference? I got to write a book by the end of the year. I think I'll write a book this year. Do you see how different that feels? Do you see how the difference of dreaming and expansion and 12 months to get something done versus, oh my gosh, it's going to be January before I know it. And if I want to make some stuff happen, I better use September and this fall season to my advantage, I better tap into the natural momentum and organization because if I want to get this thing done by the end of the year, I got to giddy up.

 

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If I want to be in a better place financially, I better get my budget done. Now I have to take this coding class Now if I want to get it done before the end of the year, I have to get my resume done. Now if I want to have a new job by the end of the year, and this goes even deeper than Parkinson's law, which has been around since the 1950s, it is a law about time that anything that you have to do will expand to the amount of time that you give to it. And if you want to increase your productivity, shrink the amount of time that you're going to spend on something, but it goes even deeper. And I love this next piece that I'm going to share with you because it allows me to bring January back in and allows me to bring January back in as a helper instead of somebody that we're up against right now.

 

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So Forbes Health did this survey where they looked at the goals that people set in January. And how long do you think the average goal lasts when someone sets it in January? So we're talking resolutions. I'm going to give up gluten, I'm going to exercise five days a week. I'm going to lay off the alcohol, whatever the goal is, right? How long do you think the average goal lasts for someone? And by that I mean how long are you thinking about it? You're working on it. It's on your radar. You're chipping away at it before you actually either achieve the goal or you putter out. What is the average in months? Are you thinking about it? Do you have a number in mind? Good. That survey found that the average goal lasts, meaning somebody's got a top of mind, they're chipping away at it 3.74 months.

 

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That's it. That's your attention span, that's your stamina for this kind of thing. And just stop and think, how many months are there in the fall season before we get to January? Pretty much the same, pretty much 3.74 months, right around the same. That's what you got until the end of the year. Isn't that great news? That right there another example of why your chances of being successful are much higher right now. You not only got the end of the year as your deadlines, we've got Parkinson's law working for you. We also got all this research that shows that's about what the attention span is anyway, when somebody sets a goal, you also have all this momentum and organization and amazingness happening around you. 

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So that's reason number one. Reason number two, back to school energy is in your DNA. And let's use that coding and that life experience in your DNA, not to go back to school unless that's what you want to do this fall, but to go back to you and to channel all of this back to school energy into you going back to focusing on yourself. Number three, like it or not, in the fall, you are going to be more productive. You are going to get things done. You are going to feel the lift of everyone around you also in this cadence of change and stepping it up and doing new things and going to school. And so that is going to impact you. And I don't want you to just waste it on work. I want you to put it into something that's going to make you happier.

 

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I want you to put yourself first. I want you to use that motivation to do the things that you've been putting off for too long.