Dear Readers, If you are anything like me, you never quite lose the nostalgic feeling of getting ready to go back to school. From the fresh set of pens and highlighters, to the idea of tackling a new set of ambitions for the autumn, there is something therapeutic about that 'Back-to-School' mindset. Photo: WeHeartIt.com Even after moving on to that post-student phase, there is still a tendency to associate September with school/college and uni, and there are ways we can capitalise on all of those productive associations and translate them to a clean slate in our careers. 1. Expand Your Circle/Network When you're forced back into a structured setting, you'll find yourself speaking to new people, creating new bonds and friendships for the following year. Autumn is a great time to revisit being more diligent and expanding your network, rather than working closely with your usual contacts. Reach out to people on social media, speak to different people at in your work environment and make an effort during conferences or events. Most of your professional contacts are just getting back in the swing of things after the de-stress of summer. 2. Check in on Career Goals Without set deadlines and terms/semesters to keep us on track, it can be tricky to find other ways to measure our progress. Set yourself an appointment either for the week you are planning or for a goal you want to achieve in say, a months time. Dedicate a time on that day to review whether you have been successful or not. By creating a deadline, you will be naturally encouraged to get that task or goal done. 3. Assign Yourself Homework Without a strict schedule edging you to work on your skills and passions outside of work, set little tasks for yourself so you can be proactively challenged. Take up learning a skill you've always wanted to know how to do, like how to take professional photography or how to code. It can be literally anything. 4. Freshen Up Your Desk It wouldn't be back-to-school without some fresh supplies. De-clutter your workspace either at home or in your office. As we go into our careers, we often neglect to upgrade our work supplies.Treat yourself to a fresh set of pens or a new laptop case, rather than just splashing out on new clothes. 5. Learn to Switch Off Back in the day when school meant working 9am-3pm, Monday to Friday, it gave us clearly defined boundaries. When the day was over, we could check out of that regime after hours. A good lesson to take with you to your career, is to find ways to define your workday ending. It will help you switch off. Let me know in the comments below if you have employed any of these techniques. Stay Sweet, Alice xx