The Curriculum: September Edition

What I’m reading, watching and creating instead of starting another self-improvement project

If your FYP looks anything like mine, you’ll be seeing endless winter arc, September reset and end of year lock in videos right now. And while I can’t wait for autumn to officially start, some of us are forgetting that September is still the last month of the summer. Yes, September gives that fresh, second new year energy but as a summer baby, I refuse to turn this into another self-imposed performance review where I optimise myself just because the internet has decided we only have four months to become an entirely different person.

Instead of setting goals that I will probably fail (lol), I’m setting the tone for September that still gives that ‘new school’ vibe without putting more on my plate by creating The Curriculum:

WHAT I’M READING

I’ll be putting down my Emily Henry until next Summer and venturing into a new genre with dark academia. I’ve chosen two books that are very similar and while reviews have been mixed online, I’m treating this as an experiment to see if I enjoy the idea of old universities, secrets and mystery:

The Secret History by Donna Tartt

If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio

I’ve also been saving these Substack articles as they’ve come across my feed over the last few months and can’t wait for a rainy Sunday to read in bed:

How to bet on yourself without telling anyone

If No One Is Coming to Save You, No One Is Coming to Stop You Either

Aliveness and where to find it

WHAT I’M WATCHING

September is traditionally the month I start my annual The Vampire Diaries rewatch, but after barely watching any TV in August, I’m keen to cosy up and watch something new. Sticking to the academia theme, I have three options:

Legacies

One of Us is Lying

Wednesday

If you liked this, there’s plenty more where it came from. Successful on Paper is for women figuring out what they actually want to do with their life, from better friendships and more interesting weekends to travel, food, creativity and all the good stuff that doesn’t belong on a CV. Subscribe for free and come along.

WHAT I’M CREATING

Now that my busy summer of European travel is over, I can finally start the three projects I have been dreaming about for the last couple of months:

Making a Seasonal House Menu

Influenced by Shelby over at Pretty in The Pines, I’ve started to pull together delicious autumn inspired recipes to start cooking as soon as the autumn equinox arrives. While this may seem like a lofty and unrealistic project to some, I love cooking and this allows me to gamify the age-old question ‘what’s for dinner tonight?’ without needing to have UberEats on speed dial

Revamping our Bedding

After five years of living in our new build apartment, it is time for us to start making the place feel like ours and this month, I’m starting with the bedding. Our current bedding situation is simple, we have a pillow each and the duvet but for autumn, I’m looking to play with seasonal colour combinations and textures. Here are some inspiration ideas from Pinterest:

Successful on Paper

Obviously. After months of back-and-forth, I’ve finally figured out what Successful on Paper will look like moving forward. ICYMI, the shift in direction covers expanding beyond just work, ambition and success and into topics across self, wellness and life. After speaking with other ambitious women this summer, I’ve recognised that these topics are just as, if not more important to being Successful on Paper and this article is just an example of some of the content coming up.

Shameless plug

From October, I will be sharing personal stories, lessons and the behind-the-scenes of turning Successful on Paper into an independent media company.

Writing about challenging the status quo is one thing, but living it is another and that’s what I’ll be sharing as I take you through the decisions I’m making as I build a life that feels good as much as it looks good on paper. I’ll share what I’m trying, what works and what doesn’t.

Until 30 September 2026 you can go Off Paper for 33% off an annual subscription (£100 instead of £150) and keep that rate for as long as you remain subscribed.

Articles like this one will continue to be free as usual.

Regardless of whether you are still riding the summer coattails hard or you’re sipping a PSL whenever you get the chance, I hope you agree the September can be a reset without needing a full reinvention. You can borrowing the energy of September without turning yourself into a project again.

Now I want to know what’s on your September curriculum. What are you reading, watching, making or cooking? Leave yours in the comments, I’m always looking to be inspired by others.