September: time for new stationery, winter boots, crunchy apples and … resolutions? Tradition says we're four months early for salads, gym, no booze and sensible spending. But then tradition also says it's a good idea to make unrealistic promises when the weather's appalling and your bank account's entirely empty.

Instead of waiting for the twinkle of Christmas to fade into the grey despair of January, the end of summer is surely the perfect time to reconsider fitness, fatness and financial standing. We're relaxed and jolly and full of zip – not to mention far too many indulgent meals and glasses of wine – after a summer break. We're at full strength when it comes to facing a few months of denial.

And a few months is the perfect window for resolutions. Christmas provides a natural goal to aim towards, and a treat for all your good work if you can maintain your pledges for those three-and-a-half months. There's even the (vain?) hope that your resolution will become a habit, and you'll be glad to get back to it in the new year, no matter how miserable it is outside.

The usual rules still apply, however. Just because you don't have to defeat January, doesn't mean you can defeat 10 different resolutions all at once. And there's also the issue of other people not getting in the spirit – invitations to lovely things are generally rather more abundant in September than in January. But how much easier to have resolve when there's still a sliver of summer sun fighting through the clouds.

So it's September resolutions all round – just as soon as we've worked through the duty-free booze.

Did your summer break inspire you to turn over a new leaf? Or will you be saving up your resolutions for January?