For me the start of September is reinvigorating. It enkindles new ambitions, renews energy, and a sparks joy in returning to a more productive get things done pattern.
Maybe it's a euphoric freedom realized as the temperatures cool, the lawn stops growing so darn quickly, the oppressive heat is behind us, and the pulls to relax by the pool wane.
Or maybe it's the back to school effect? Suddenly the days have structure again. Regular bedtimes, meal times, and the routines of getting the family to school and work.
It might also be the end of summer at work. At 37signals we switch things up and work 4-day weeks from May through August. It's one of our most popular benefits and it helps the team spend more time with family and enjoy the outdoors while the weather is nice. It's very much a product of the company's origins in the midwestern US where the summers are pleasant and short and the winters long and dark. The start of Summer Hours is something I look forward to every spring, and with almost equal enthusiasm I await its end in September.
But I think it's simply the change of season that means the most. While I certainly look forward to the end of summer and beginning of fall, I also love the first real wintery day, the first warmth of spring, and the end of routine and lightening of workload that comes with Summer.
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I watched Apple's latest keynote at lunchtime today and while they made the case for never taking those AirPods out of your ears, as AI does more and more work for us, and in a world where you can move between air-conditioned, artificially-lit spaces without ever noticing the weather, ultimately we're built for an older world. One where we're wired to change and adapt with the seasons, the amount of daylight, and the colors of the landscape. It's no wonder that when we embrace the rhythms of the seasons in our lives and work it feels... right.
It's been said that you can't truly feast without first fasting or celebrate without having felt sorrow and you can't enjoy fall without the summer.
