Here’s My 3-Step Summer Reset Routine As A Goal-Oriented Post-Grad

My favorite holiday is New Year’s. I love the whole package: the feeling of a blank canvas I’m about to decoupage with crisp, curated printouts for my vision board, the sound of the word I’ve selected to define the upcoming year rolling off my tongue. The holiday is a comforting reminder that there is always an opportunity to start anew, for the better.

But that energy, unfortunately, tends to fizzle out in a few months if I’m not careful. When I was in college, it was because I would burn out on assignments and summer job searches, my ambition getting pushed to the back burner in the name of just getting by. Now, after graduation, the issue’s been the opposite: Everything is much quieter. I have a consistent, comfortable routine, and I’m not deliberately trying to challenge myself; but instead, I’m subconsciously fading out on my future. 

That’s why the summer reset trend that’s going around online right now feels so perfect to me. It’s positioned at a time in the year when I have ample time to candidly reflect on how I’ve progressed in the last few months and make decisive, intentional changes where needed, as opposed to rushing to not have regrets when the reality of time’s passage catches up to me in November.

With that in mind, here’s how I’m embracing my love for New Year’s in June and embarking on my own summer reset routine.

1. Revisiting my vision board

I kicked off my reset by reviewing my vision board, which I hung up in January, to remind myself of what I walked into 2026 wanting to accomplish. It’s about more than just the “metrics” I set out for myself, though — I also wanted to focus on why I’d wanted to accomplish those things in the first place.

I really emphasize the second part of that because I don’t think all of the goals that I set out in the beginning of the year are going to come true. Not because I don’t believe in my ability to accomplish them, but rather because a lot of material goals reflect a deeper emotional or mental aspiration that can be fulfilled in other ways. 

Take, for example, my goal of getting more into content creation this year. I had set a goal of building a community of over 1,000 followers this year, but I can also recognize that some of my motivations behind that goal included building on my experience and growing comfortable being in front of an audience, securing more professional opportunities, and connecting with other creatives. 

So, even though I haven’t reached my goal in numbers, I’ve done all three of those things using social media and other tools. I’ve pushed my presentation boundaries by speaking at panels and tabling through a fellowship. I’ve gained more confidence to apply for national-level competitions and jobs, and I’ve been able to contribute social media content to publications. That’s all progress that aligns with goals that were on my vision board, without actually being on my vision board, and they’re not things I would account for without reflecting on the rationale behind them. 

2. Reassessing my goals

Once I went through that portion of my reflection, I transitioned to asking myself why I hadn’t accomplished certain goals. Were there factors that were out of my hands, or is there room for me to take more risks or put in more work? That’s really the meat of this reset. When I set my goals in January, a lot of them were things I hadn’t attempted or at least given my all to. Now that I’ve had six months to experiment, knowing what did and didn’t work, and being real about where my responsibility comes in, allows the next few months to be better informed. 

3. Setting new goals

One thing I do like to include in this last part is setting a few goals I can accomplish within the same day. Maybe it’s sending out emails to brands I’d like to work with before the end of the day. Maybe it’s checking in with a few friends and getting some plans on the books to keep cultivating my relationships and networks. I just like to have accomplished something, so that the bigger steps ahead feel just as feasible. 

The one physical goal that I always try to include is a cleanout of something: Whether it’s my phone storage, my closet, or my bookshelf, having something old that I can physically move out of my space allows me to feel like I’m creating room for the new things I’m trying to bring in. 

One of these includes getting back on track with my financial goals not only by “earning more and spending less,” but specifically by making the most of every opportunity I have and finding more creative ways to use what I already have instead of reaching for my wallet. The latter also helps me further my goal of learning creative skills like sketching and crocheting, a goal I’d pushed away in pursuit of professional opportunities. Another big one for me is consistently preparing my materials for my post-graduate schooling, and with that, finding my way back to hobbies that can help me with that, like chess and self-studying. 

The key to heading out of my reset and back into action is reminding myself that this check-in and the changes that came with it isn’t supposed to be something to feel bad or guilty about. Structuring my reset this way allows me to meet the future with both appreciation and understanding for what has passed, and clarity for what’s to come. 

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