After Labor Day Is Time To Give Yourself Time To Think

Summer is typically the season of go, go, go. Let me suggest that the days after Labor Day be the time to think, think, think.

President Grover Cleveland signed a bill in l894 making Labor Day, the first Monday in September, a national holiday. Labor Day and the back-to-school season are great times to take stock of what we want out of life for ourselves, our children, our grandchildren, our work life, and our retirement.

Over the past 25 years author Nancy Kline, who wrote the thought-provoking book Time To Think, has identified many behaviors that dramatically improve the way people think, and thus the way they live, work, and retire.

In her book, Kline describes how we can renew ourselves by giving ourselves time to think. Whether you want to build stronger relationships, prepare for a better retirement, or improve your work environment, her advice to take time to think can offer a new world of possibilities.

Work life and retirement in the United States have changed greatly since the first Labor Day. Far fewer of us work in factories and on farms. There were no government programs like Social Security and Medicare. The life expectancy was far lower.  These days many of us work with our brains instead of our brawn. We mostly work on the telephone and at computers, not on assembly lines or behind a plow.

But there is still a strain. In an era of remote work and increased reliance on technology, maintaining a healthy work-life balance has become paramount. The Labor Day season underscores the importance of taking time for rest, rejuvenation, personal and family time.

We long for routine again, to get back into the groove. Just don’t get into a rut.

During this transitional time from summer to fall, think about the future.  Think about what you can do as a parent, grandparent, or member of your community. Pause in your life to reassess what is important to you.

No doubt you read our Safeguard Investments educational materials to plan for a healthier retirement. But what is the retirement you want to create? How do the investments you make serve you? When you reach the distribution part of the journey, what do you want your retirement to be?

Here are three points to ponder from Kline’s book Time To Think:

Everything we do depends on the thinking we do first. She says, traditionally, most of our societies have not created the conditions for us to think for ourselves. Many of us are therefore profoundly unsettled when confronted with the simple question: ‘What do you really think?’ The quality of actions depends first on the quality of the thinking behind them.

The quality of a person’s attention determines the quality of other people’s thinking. Share your thoughts with people who matter to you. How we give others our attention, listen, and say that “you matter,” directly correlates to the thinking quality of the person sitting in front of us. You help cultivate this solution discovery through the quality of your attention and listening presence.

Free up your mind to move beyond limiting assumptions and beliefs and access better ideas. The key question is, “What if?”  All ten component in Kline’s book are important, but even just using one component will dramatically improve the quality of someone’s thinking. An example is the ability to ask yourself and your thinking partners incisive questions to remove assumptions that limit ideas.

What To Think About

Please allow me to suggest a few topics you might want to think about:

The beginning of a new school year marks a significant period of adjustment for families and businesses. While families focus on establishing new routines, local businesses experience major shifts in consumer spending, community traffic, and staffing.

Consider these topics:

If you are a family, is it time to transition from a less structured summer schedule to a more rigid school-year routine?  School start and end times, bus schedules, and after-school activities force parents to adapt their work and family time. With the return to school comes increased traffic from school buses, parents, and teenage drivers. This can affect daily commutes and other logistics for the whole family.

If you are a grandparent, can you help with back-to-school expenses? Back-to-school season places a substantial financial burden on families. In 2025, families with students in elementary through high school are expected to spend an average of $858 on school-related items, including clothing, shoes, supplies, and electronics. These costs can create stress, forcing some families to cut back on other essentials.

If you have a retirement plan, is it time to get a second opinion? I would be remiss if I did not include this. During the last nine months there has been great uncertainty in the economy. In addition, there have been massive changes in U.S. tax law. What made sense in the past might not make sense in the future.

If you are an employer, can you use the Labor Day season as a platform to express gratitude to your employees for their commitment? Showing appreciation fosters a positive workplace culture, boosts morale, increases employee engagement, and reduces turnover.

If you are feeling anxious, can you find ways to reduce stress? The new school year can be an emotional time for students and parents. Concerns about adjusting to new environments, particularly for those starting a new school, can cause anxiety and stress. The economic stress Americans are feeling is real.

A Final Thought

Seize the opportunity this special time affords us to think through what is important.  In the words of author Bob Proctor, “Thoughts become things. If you see it in your mind, you will hold it in your hands.”

The idea is that our mental state influences our reality, so choose to think about a great one. And if you want to think about a great retirement, we are always here for you.