I don’t know if it’s the crisper air, the pull to start my annual Gilmore Girls rewatch, videos of dogs jumping in piles of leaves, or the fact that getting lost in a book under a blanket is suddenly a perfectly legit plan for an afternoon, but fall always makes me want to slow down and enjoy my life a little more. After a summer of packed weekends and getaways, there’s something refreshing about getting back into a routine. But here’s the thing: Just because life gets a little more predictable doesn’t mean it has to get any less exciting. If anything, fall is the perfect reminder that we don’t need big plans or special occasions to make life feel special.
Maybe that’s why romanticizing your life feels so naturally fall. When we’re spending more time at home and settling into our everyday routines, there’s an opportunity to make the ordinary parts of life something we actually look forward to. And romanticizing your life doesn’t require a new wardrobe or a Pinterest-worthy life. It’s simply a way to find a little more enjoyment in the life you’re already living. If you’re ready to make the most of the season (and actually enjoy your life in the process), here are 30 ways to romanticize your life this fall.
30 Ways to Romanticize Your Life This Fall
1. Schedule alone time in your calendar. Villain era, main character energy—whatever you call it, make some space to get to know yourself better this season. Go to a bookstore, wander a new neighborhood, take yourself to dinner somewhere you’ve been wanting to try, or have a night in with a movie and takeout.
2. Create a fall alter ego. You’re not reinventing yourself or “becoming unrecognizable,” but being intentional about your identity can help you move toward the person you want to be. Maybe she’s the one who hosts book club, perfects her lasagna recipe, finally tries that weekly dance class, and says yes to spur-of-the-moment plans. You don’t have to become her all at once, just start picking up a few of her habits.
3. Leave room for a little spontaneity. Resist the urge to schedule every free moment and leave a little room for the unexpected. Say yes to a last-minute invitation, wander into a bookstore you pass on your way home, or take a different route just to see where it leads. You don’t have to book a trip or make a dramatic change to bring more adventure into your life–you might just need to be willing to deviate from the plan.
4. Keep a notebook on your nightstand and start a journal. Fall has a way of making you feel like you have permission to slow down (not that you need it). Don’t think of journaling as something you have to perfect; write down a few things you’re grateful for, keep track of little wins, or brain dump whatever is on your mind. If you find yourself staring at a blank page, spark some inspiration with these 90 journal prompts.
5. Make a playlist for your home. Summer is all about the windows-down, hair-in-your-face, singing-at-the-top-of-your-lungs songs; fall calls for more low-key vibes. Curate your own soundtrack to set the mood, whether you’re making dinner, taking a walk, or doing your “opening shift” morning routine. The right playlist can make even the Monday-est of Mondays feel a little more special and intentional.
6. Make the mundane parts of your day your favorite parts. Instead of rushing through your responsibilities, find ways to make them more enjoyable. Stop at your favorite coffee shop before running errands, listen to an audiobook while cleaning your apartment, or take an extra 10 minutes to make yourself a breakfast you actually look forward to eating. Especially as fall brings us back into our regular routines, the goal isn’t to fill your calendar with more exciting plans. It’s to make the life you’re already living feel more exciting.
7. Actually read your cookbooks. If you’re like me and have a dedicated shelf for cookbooks, grab your stack and a set of sticky notes and make a fall-baking to-do list. Cinnamon rolls, apple-spice muffins, and anything pumpkin are all fair game.
8. Replace “should” with “what sounds good?” Your body needs different things in every season—check in with and listen to it instead of following wellness practices you think you’re supposed to do. What worked for you in the summer may not speak to you now. Maybe fall means your body needs more sleep, slower mornings, warm, heavier meals, or low-intensity movement.
9. Dress like the version of yourself you want to become (even if you have nowhere to go). Enclothed cognition is a concept in psychology that suggests what we wear can influence how we think and behave. This fall, instead of saving your favorite outfits for special occasions, start dressing like the version of yourself you want to be–every day. Think of getting dressed as a daily opportunity to embody the person you’re becoming, rather than waiting until you feel like her to start showing up as her.
10. Make a fall vision board. Spend a few hours gathering quotes, wellness inspo, ideas for your home, and anything that puts you in the fall mood. The act of visualizing what you want has science to back it up; it can be almost as powerful as actually experiencing it.
11. Wear pretty pajamas. Sleeping is all about feeling your most comfortable, but it can also be an opportunity to tap into your feminine energy and feel sexy just for you. Invest in something silky, lacy, or with a fleece lining to keep you warm.
12. Give yourself something new to be curious about. Bring some of that back-to-school energy into your adult life. Pick a subject you know nothing about and go down a rabbit hole, learn a new language just for fun, or finally figure out the history behind something you’ve always wondered about (not everything you do needs to make you more productive, advance your career, or turn into a side hustle!).
13. Stop saving the “good stuff.” The candle, the silverware you inherited from your grandmother, the good workout set, the pricey matcha powder, the fancy olive oil. There’s never a perfect time to use your nice things—enjoy that time now.
14. Make community a ritual. Community care is self-care, so why not turn it into a standing date? Start a book club, knitting circle, dinner club, or Sunday walking group, and invite your friends, coworkers, or neighbors. After all, social connection is crucial for your overall health year-round, but especially when we’re spending more time indoors.
15. Keep a calendar specifically for things to look forward to. Do you treat yourself to a monthly massage? Counting down the days until your barn jacket arrives? Write down all of the upcoming events that fill your cup (no matter how ordinary they seem) to consistently incorporate novelty into your schedule.
16. Do cozy girl cardio. Rather binge-watch Gilmore Girls than work out? Habit-stack your favorite mother-daughter-duo obsession with a cardio session. Embrace hygge—you know, lighting candles, fuzzy socks, pumpkin spice lattes—while you walk at a comfortable pace on your walking pad. Flannel PJs are encouraged.
17. Become a manifestation girly. Want a better love life, a healthier body, or to land your dream job and make more money? You can manifest it. Whether it’s by way of the 3-6-9 method or the 30-Day Dr. Joe Dispenza Challenge, focus this time of year on taking charge of your actions, emotions, beliefs, and habits to achieve your best life.
18. Romanticize your screen time. There’s a difference between spending an hour mindlessly scrolling and spending an hour watching a movie that makes you feel inspired, nostalgic, or excited about your own life. Rewatch the movies that make you happiest, find a show that gives you something to look forward to at the end of the day, or swap your usual doomscroll for a documentary about something fascinating. Think of your entertainment as something that can add to your life, rather than just distract you from it.
19. Treat cooking as a hobby, not a chore. When did cooking become just another thing to check off our to-do lists? Whether you’re making homemade pasta or simply taking your time preparing breakfast, let the process be just as enjoyable as the finished meal. Put on a playlist, pour yourself a glass of wine, experiment with seasonal ingredients, or challenge yourself to perfect one recipe this fall. Not everything has to be done as quickly or efficiently as possible.
20. Start seeing your life through an artist’s eyes. Instead of moving through your day on autopilot, start paying attention to the little details you might normally overlook: the way the afternoon light hits your apartment, an interesting conversation you overhear, the colors changing on your usual walking route. Take photos of things you find beautiful, write down observations in your Notes app, or simply challenge yourself to notice three things each day that you would normally miss. The more you practice looking for beauty in your everyday life, the more you’ll start to find it.
21. Give your evenings a closing scene. Instead of letting the day blur into doomscrolling until you’ve somehow lost an hour (or three), give yourself a soft transition from working to resting. Make a cup of tea, take an everything shower, read a few pages of your TBR, or do some light stretching. No need to subscribe to a 10-step nighttime routine.
22. Play up your commute (even if you WFH). If you go into an office, don’t think of your commute as simply getting from point A to point B. Instead, take the scenic route, visualize crushing your day, or listen to a song reminiscent of the opening credits of a classic rom-com. Or if you work from home, make your own version of a commute: Go for a walk around the block before opening your laptop, grab a coffee mid-morning, or take your work to a coffee shop or your balcony for a change of scenery.
23. Let yourself go a little MIA. Detach from your phone, whether that looks like putting it in a different room while you read, letting your text messages go unread for a bit, or taking a social media break for the day. Everything will still be waiting for you when you check back in. Some mystery (and boredom) can be good for you.
24. Become an outdoor person. Not in the outdoorsy, Reese-Witherspoon-in-Wild sense, but someone who makes it a point to spend more time in nature. You don’t need to hit 10,000 steps or plan a whole outdoor adventure to reap the benefits for your stress, mood, and sleep. Sit outside with your coffee. Take a five-minute walk between work calls. Take up gardening. Whatever you do, don’t look at it as another thing to check off your list, but something that adds to your everyday life.
25. Become a regular somewhere. Make your own version of Central Perk. Pick a coffee shop, farmers’ market, bookstore, or gym you genuinely like, and frequent it enough that it becomes your spot. Because sometimes, just showing up somewhere where everybody knows your name is inherently romantic.
26. Have a signature fall thing that has your name all over it. Choose one little tradition to make your own this season: DIY fall simmer pot Mondays, Friday flowers, a weekly pasta night, or hot apple cider to wind down. Not a never-ending fall bucket list—just one small thing you look forward to every week.
27. Let yourself be. Not every spare minute needs to be optimized, filled, or become an opportunity to get something done. Just sit and be still without reaching for your phone, or take a cat nap. Rest is productive—and you don’t have to earn it.
28. Make your home extra inviting. Swap in orange or red light bulbs, put flowers on the table, add a couple of throw blankets and pillows to the couch, or finally clear off the chair that’s become a catch-all. Romanticizing your life gets easier when your surroundings make you want to stay awhile and set the right tone for your thoughts, feelings, and overall functioning.
29. Be the person who actually follows through on plans. How many times have you told a friend, “We should get together soon,” only for weeks or months to pass by without so much as a date on the calendar. Pick a date, send the invite, make it happen.
30. Actually let fall be slower. To make the most of the season, you don’t have to squeeze it all in—the pumpkin patch, the apple picking, the haunted house, the Friendsgiving. Spend Sunday morning doing absolutely nothing, or stay in on Friday night when you normally feel like you should be out and about. An unremarkable day can turn out to be a really good one.
LISTEN TO: Main Character Energy: How To Romanticize The Hell Out of Your Life
Isabelle Eyman
Isabelle Eyman is a Chicago-based writer and editor. She is currently the Managing Editor at Camille Styles, sharing inspiration and uncovering the beauty all around us through food, design, and wellness editorial.
Katherine Chang, Wellness Staff Writer
Katherine Chang is The Everygirl’s Wellness Staff Writer with over five years of experience in the health and wellness space. She navigates the latest wellness topics and trends through expert interviews and studies, and she’s always first in line to try them firsthand.
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