I love routines. I love rituals (so much I wrote a whole book about them). But if I’m being honest, I don’t always love when my routines and rituals change.
That’s what happened this year on Labor Day.
For 20 years, with three kids in school, the week of Labor Day had a certain cadence – finding out which teachers they got (sometimes cheers and other times tears), starting pre-season sports, finishing summer reading, and of course, going back-to-school shopping.
But this year, the week before Labor Day seemed like just another week. My girls have officially launched into their post-college “real” jobs, and my son Daniel (a rising college junior) was moving back into his same house and didn’t need much, if anything, from me.
So without kids to make lists upon lists for back-to-school events to enter into my calendar…I wanted to do something to mark this moment. I decided to use my extra time to put together a roadmap for the girls (and all newly minted college grads) on how to bring your human to this new phase of life.
- Connect to your values. You will often find yourself at a fork in the road at work. Should you send an email or pick up the phone? Work remote or still go to the office when your manager is OOO? Go out with your new work friends for a drink or stay in? When in doubt, your values (and the values of your organization) should help drive the decision. If you aren’t sure what those values are, take some time to define and understand them. It’ll be time well spent.
- Connect to others. Left to your own “devices” (pun intended) it won’t be as easy to connect with your former college classmates and high school friends who are now scattered to the wind, working in their own jobs. And, you’ll be tired at the end of the work day! But, where there’s a will, there’s a way. Make an effort, pick up the phone, schedule a walk on a Saturday with a friend—even and especially when you don’t feel like it. (And don’t forget to call your mother!)
- Connect to your own development. You’ll be learning and growing on the job in spades, but don’t forget about the importance of taking your professional development personally. That could be starting a side hustle, dedicating time to read a good book, training for a 10K race, or volunteering with a charity. Whatever you do, always stay curious, and find ways to grow that are important to you.
Even though this advice is aimed at my own newly launched kids, I think it applies to everyone, whether new to work, still in school, retired, or right smack dab in the messy middle! We all need to stay connected to our values and purpose, to each other, and to our own development. If it resonated feel free to pass along to a young person in your life!
And for anyone whose kids have already flown the coop, please feel free to drop me a line with any gems of advice! I’ll be sure to pass them along to my own kids.
9/2/25