It's begun, if very slowly: one little leaf fell from the oak tree in my front yard. Fall is coming. Now, if summer is my boyfriend, then autumn is my soulmate. I love the sparklers and counting fireflies and scooping up fresh berries at the market. But I'm almost jumping up and down with anticipation over crisp mornings, thick scarves and long sleeves. Not to mention jackets. I miss my jackets! I also miss the comfort of a daily routine - I'm a creature of habit, and summer means time off, which means relaxed goals.

I'm jumping back in by setting autumn goals

* Write more: My writing routine has been patchy at best. I still write a poem before breakfast (now on day 392!), but after that first poem, I get distracted. I’ve allowed myself to get distracted by everything (the Olympics!, Netflix! Twitter!) and am not really sticking to my usual writing schedule.  My goal is to try to get back in the habit of writing in the afternoon, editing in the afternoon and marketing in the evening.

* Internet less: I'm both better and worse at these lately. I am doing my very best to turn off everything connected to wifi and engage in the real world. Which is so much harder than I thought it would be.... I've fallen in love with Twitter! My goal is to have at least one "turn everything off at noon and don't turn it on again until the next day" day, a week. Wish me luck. Seriously...wish me luck, because this will be difficult. 

* Socialize: I love my own company; once a year, I go out of town by myself and explore a city on my own. I am never EVER bored. Solitude doesn't bother me. Which is wonderful, but too much alone time makes me weird and even more socially awkward. This fall, I'll attend more in-person meetups, conferences, events and workshops. Both as learning exercises, and as ways to interact with real, live humans, face-to-face.

* Take more photos...like....with a camera: I take thousands of cell phone photos a year. Seriously...I'm on my third memory card in two years. But I miss the heft and feel of a camera. And I have a bunch I'm not using: a few Leica cameras, a Nikon DSLR and a vintage Polaroid. There is really no excuse I can offer as to why I don't use my cameras except that I don't think to take one with me. My goal is to change that this autumn, and grab the nearest camera on my way out the door.

So, what's on your to-do list for autumn? Do you have any exciting plans for you or your business? Whatever your plans are, the fall is the perfect time to jump start your goals - change is in the air!