September is as good a time as January for goal setting for several reasons:

• Back-to-school mindset: even if you’re not at school, or don’t have children in school, September often evokes a sense of new beginnings and fresh starts
• End of summer: as holidays wind down, we tend to refocus on work and personal objectives.
• Four months left in the year: now’s a good time to reassess the goals we made earlier in the year and make plans to achieve them before year’s end.
• Changing seasons: the shift from summer to autumn can inspire reflection and new intentions.

• Health and fitness: it’s too easy in the summer to let fitness routines slide. You could start a new exercise routine to get back on track and move ahead from summer excesses. Planning and prepping healthy meals can really help as schedules become busier.
• Professional development: enrol in an online course or workshop to learn a new skill. This is a great way to slow down our perception of time as or brains take their time to process and learn new skills and information. It’s also a good time to update your CV and LinkedIn profile if appropriate. Also a good way of reminding yourself what you’ve achieved in your career recently.
• Financial planning: already thinking about your next trip? Create a holiday spending budget and have something to work towards and look forward to. Review your annual financial goals and adjust as needed. We’re all feeling the squeeze at the moment so be realistic about your outgoing and incomings.
• Personal growth: have you tried journaling or meditation? Both help you practice gratitude and calm the mind, helping you focus more on what matters. If you’re a reader, choose a new book to read each month for the rest of the year – your brain will thank you as well!
• Social connections: plan regular catch-ups with friends or family members. Nurturing these relationships is vital for our mental health. Shorter days and longer nights are no excuse for staying in all the time.
• Productivity: put in place a new time management system. Time is the one thing we feel we never have enough of, so careful management and planning will help you get the most from yours. If you can, set up a dedicated workspace at home if you're working remotely. If you can’t, take a daily commute walk before you sit at your workspace and find a different mindset.

You’ll find you achieve more if you take a structured approach to your goals. Rather than just having things in mind that you want to achieve, think about how you can get there. The goals may actually be too big to reach in one hit and may need breaking down into smaller, more manageable chunks.

I use a framework of ‘what’, ‘why’, ‘how’, as well as ‘what if’ – and then ‘take action’. You can apply this to anything – going travelling, for example.

• Start with what you want to do, where you want to go.
• Then why you want to go there.
• How are you going to get there? How are you going to pay for the trip?
• And don’t forget to factor in some what ifs – what if that destination suddenly becomes unsafe, or when you go to book, what if it’s out of your price range.
• Once you have all these elements sorted, you can take action – book it and start planning!

It doesn’t just apply to travelling. Looking for a new job, moving house, preparing for exams … try these steps and see how much simpler goals become.
You may also find it useful to plan backwards. Start with your end goal and map out the steps you need to take to get there.