September: Budgeting and Multi-tasking

Time to Reflect and Then Reset. 

September Reset: A Fresh Start for Intentional Living.

It feels like Nature has taken a breath; things around us seem to have slowed down.
Let’s use this seasonal change to reflect and refine our planning and Intentional Living focus. Check in time for how you are Mastering Time!

Summer’s winding down. Distractions are fading. September brings a fresh chance to reset with clarity and Intention. Here’s how to transition smoothly into fall, while keeping Balance front and center.

Step 1: Reflect Before You Reset

These quick reflections set the tone for a reset that’s rooted in you—not just your schedule. Share your observations in your Intentional Living Canvas™.
Open Eyes of Insight™ and check in with the first prompt:
✓ “What is clear to me today? What truths do my eyes reveal?” Focus on your self-awareness and what you are seeing more clearly for yourself and or in your life.
✓ Try out this custom prompt: “What’s been working in my planning?
✓ Or this one: “Is there something that needs shifting for the rest of the year?”

Step 2: Refresh Your Everyday Planning

September is ideal for recalibrating your home rhythm—especially with budgeting and meal planning. This is where it is so easy to go off track and lose momentum.
Check what you’ve planned for meals using the Weekly Menu Master Sheet™ and then tap into the “Meal Suite” of Master Sheets™. They are hyperlinked to work together to simplify your budgeting and planning - and take the guesswork out of “what’s for dinner and if it’s in the budget.”
✓ Recipe Roadmap → helps you find exactly where your favourite recipes are stored.
✓ Menu Inspirations → gives fresh ideas when you feel stuck.
✓ Shopping Cart & Deals → helps you plan meals based on sales and store savings.
Now it’s time to reflect on how your menu planning ties into your budget. Check out your Shifting Sands Expense Budget Master Sheet™. Your budgeted amount for groceries will show if you are on track with your weekly menu planning. If your planning doesn’t match your current reality, time to adjust and reset your planning.

Step 3: Align with the Season

As nature slows down, let your rhythm follow. Our Intentional Living Resource, Every Day Echoes™ is your space to recognize that sometimes life is just an echo – a flicker of light, a passing shadow or sound, or a feeling that just lingers a little longer than expected.

This is one of the best times of the year to slow down and connect with the present, making room for clarity and meaning in your day. Plan time to respond to the prompts in Every Day Echoes™, it’s a gentle reminder that you are not just moving through time – you are Mastering Time, Creating Balance™ and choosing to Live with Intention. Step into fall with clarity and Intention as you follow your Head & Heart!

Digital Planning & Productivity: 5-Day September Reset Challenge

September is a natural time for reflection and renewal.

As nature pauses to reset, it’s time for you to reassess, realign your goals, celebrate wins, learn from challenges, and identify what needs refining. Clear your mental clutter and set fresh Intentions. Embrace new opportunities with clarity and purpose.

This isn’t just about prepping for fall—it’s about rebuilding momentum and realigning your mindset. Let MTCB™ guide you as you refocus and reset with clarity, purpose, and ease.

Day 1: Reflect & Reset

Find your Intentional Living Canvas™ and get ready to explore your thoughts related to the five key areas below, keeping in mind: Are these areas holding steady or does anything feel like it’s drifting off track? If there is some drift, what are you planning to do about that?

Health | Work | Relationships | Self-care | Personal Growth

Now it’s time to journal your insights, and then maybe review / reset how you are Mastering Time – Creating Balance™ based on what you have discovered about yourself.

Day 2: Clear the Clutter—Physically & Mentally

✓ Review your Brain Dump Vault Master Sheet™, Is there a new thought or worry that keeps looping in your mind? If the answer is “yes” – do your best to release it!
✓ Now, choose one physical space to declutter—even a drawer or desktop counts.
✓ Time to own up: What energy did I just free up? Can you let go of what no longer serves you—just like the trees do with their leaves?

Day 3: Refresh Your Routine

Head into your Daily Master Sheets™ and adjust for shorter days and shifting energy and reflect on:
✓ Does my morning or evening planning need a refresh?
✓ Could I cut back on some of my digital drifting by replacing one scroll session with a Get It Done™ task I’ve been avoiding.

Day 4: Set Seasonal Goals

Use your Monthly Master Sheet™ to finesse your focus:
✓ Under “Focus” → Add 3 Intentional Goals for budgeting, relationships, self-care, etc.
This may seem like a misuse of words, when in fact it is not. Not all goals are Intentional. Some are reactionary, vague or chosen to meet others’ expectations. Intentional Goals are those chosen with motivated purpose, aligned with values and not just thrown on a list.
✓ Under “Finances” → Use this as a trigger and plan to review your Financial Suite of Master Sheets™ and prep for December surprises. Remember you can “split screen” and access the calculator on your device at the same time.
✓ Schedule one recurring connection ritual with a Family or Friends.
✓ Make sure “My Time” is booked - because if you don’t plan for it, it may not happen.

Day 5: Create a Seasonal Reset Ritual with Insight

Open Eyes of Insight™ and reflect:
✓ What moments of self-discovery have surfaced this month?
✓ Using the prompt “What is clear to me today,” journal one mindset shift that you’re ready to carry into fall and the end of the year. Welcome fall with focus and flow!

Challenges & Activities: 4-Day Focus Flow Challenge

Are you multi-tasking, believing you are more productive?

Your energy is precious - and where you place your attention matters. Learning the strengths and limitations of single-tasking and multi-tasking – will help you optimize your focus, efficiency, and ensure mental clarity.

Mastering When to Single-Task vs. Multi-Task

This 4-day challenge helps you explore how your focus works best, so you can plan with more purpose and less pressure. Know when to focus and when to flex!

Day 1: Deep Focus Mono Focus Test

Choose one meaningful task. Set a 30-minute timer in your MTCB™ (GoodNotes 6 Navigation Bar) Go all in - no distractions.
✓ Identify this task in your Intentional Living Canvas™
✓ Then observe and note any distractions and how you handled them
✓ Rate your focus from 1 to 10—how locked in did you feel?

Day 2: The Multi-Tasking Check-In

Now try pairing two tasks—maybe something like listening to a podcast while dealing with emails.
✓ Identify these in your Intentional Living Canvas™
✓ Did both get done well—or did something suffer and slip by you?
✓ Reflect on how productive (or scattered) you felt and rate your focus again.

Day 3: Discover Your Golden Hours

Throughout your day, pay attention to your natural focus patterns.
✓ When did you feel most alert? When did distractions sneak in?
✓ Note them in your Intentional Living Canvas™ and consider adjusting tomorrow’s planning to match your best energy windows.

Day 4: Plan Forward with Insight

Look back at what worked. Were certain tasks better suited to deep focus? Did multitasking feel helpful or chaotic?
✓ Summarize your findings in your Intentional Living Canvas™.
✓ Update your planner if needed—maybe your Daily or Weekly Master Sheet™ needs attention.
✓ Set a strategy for balancing both modes for your future planning.

© 2025 Katheryn Atchison.  All rights reserved.