There is something about August that makes you look around and think that maybe you should do something about that.
The garage needs sorting out. The garden has looked a little neglected. There is probably a cupboard in the house that you have been meaning to clean for months. And then there is that vague feeling that you should get out more, exercise again, see friends or perhaps just do something different at the weekend.
August is a random month in our busy lives and not really the start of anything.
That’s January's job. January is when we decide we are going to change our lives. We join the gym, give up something, make ambitious plans and convince ourselves that this is going to be the year everything falls into place.
But by now, reality has usually taken over.
A second chance
There is actually some psychology behind our tendency to see certain points in the calendar as opportunities for a fresh start.
Researchers Hengchen Dai, Katherine Milkman and Jason Riis identified what they call the “fresh start effect”, the idea that people are more motivated to pursue goals after what they describe as a “temporal landmark”.
These landmarks can be things such as New Year or a birthday, but they can also be smaller things like the start of a week or month.
The thinking is that these moments help us separate our past from our present. The failed diet, abandoned gym membership, or unfinished project somehow belongs to the person we were before the landmark.
August doesn't have quite the same psychological significance as January, but it offers something else.
We are far enough into the year to know where the time has gone, which good intentions survived and which disappeared somewhere around March. At the same time, there are enough months left to do something about it.
A change of season
In much of South Africa, you can feel winter loosening its grip. The mornings can still be chilly, particularly in the interior, but by lunchtime the sun has some warmth to it.
The days are becoming longer, and you realise you don't have to rush home before it gets dark.
Research into seasonal changes has found links between daylight exposure, time spent outdoors and aspects of mood and wellbeing.
While we shouldn't think that the arrival of August makes everyone happier, there is something appealing about having more daylight and more opportunity to be outside.
You start thinking about sitting outside again, lighting the braai or taking the car for a drive simply because the weather is good.
The garden suddenly looks less like a problem and more like something you can do something about.
The house begins to feel different as windows get opened, blankets disappear from the couch and doors that have been closed through the coldest part of winter are standing open.
It doesn’t have to be a life overhaul
We tend to think of a reset as something big like a new diet, a new job or cleaning the house, but it doesn’t have to be.
It could be a simple thing like taking a walk after dinner instead of sitting in front of the television or booking a weekend away you have been talking about since the beginning of the year.
There’s also a practical reason to get moving now. Once spring properly arrives, everyone seems to have the same idea. Gardens need attention, weekends start filling up, restaurants move outdoors, and suddenly December is not that far away.
August is a bit of a breathing space before all of that happens.
willem.vdputte@nationalmg.co.za