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Don't Waste Your Summer

Practical Ways to Make the Most of the Next Months

*What if you had an opportunity to have the best summer ever? 

*What if you had a chance to rest, relax, recharge and squeeze in enough time to plan for the future?

*What if you had a chance to be intentional about spending time with people, clean, organize and not run out of time doing things that fill your soul each day?

*What if you could find a balance that worked for you? 

The good news is that each of the things previously mentioned can happen, and the summer in front of you can be one you feel amazing as you look back at the end of the season. 

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Color Code It

Start by figuring out what is working and what is not. Do a time audit of your day. If you want to figure out how to maximize the hours in your day, consider listing everything you do, and then attach certain colors to different activities. For example, as a mom of three teenage kids, I spend some of my days driving to different activities. I might attach the color yellow to tasks that need to be completed that day. On the other hand, I read a lot of fiction, play the violin, and run daily. Since those three activities are things that spark joy in my life, I might write them purple. Projects and planning might be written in blue, and red might involve intentional time spent with members of my family. The nice thing about color-coding a schedule is that when I look at a few days, the week, and ultimately the month, you can discover what colors are showing up most, and least and then focus on making the necessary changes. 

Be Persistent About What Matters

If something is important, make sure your day is built around it. 

During the school year, intentional time with each family member happens, but happens on a limited basis sometimes. During the summer, there is more unallocated time to work with. Therefore, one of my greatest intentions during the summer is to make sure that I am focused on spending a lot of quality time with each member of the family. Too much time spent away from family, journaling, reading, or running makes me restless and I realize that it contributes to a lack of energy that is needed to be there for the people who matter most. Overall, I am determined to make sure that the things that give me energy are a part of as many days as possible. 

Focus On What You Want 

Each month during the summer, a bucket list has been created to remind me of how I value spending time. Since our district finished school halfway through June, the bucket list for this month needs to be focused on rest and stepping away from planning for the next year. In July, the list will look different. Fortunately, this list for June includes quite a few things that I am already doing. Success will look like checking off most things 5 of the 7 days during the week.  

Summer Daily Bucket List for June

___ Sleep

___ Daily Gratitude/Journaling

___ Practice the Violin

___ Savor a song

___ Read fiction

___ Read nonfiction

___ Walk the dogs

___ Connect with each of the kids (spend time)

___ Spend time with my husband

___ Inspire/compliment someone 

___ Workout/Run

___ Write 100 words

___ Make something

___ Listen to a book or podcast

___ Project around the house

___ Necessary house cleaning

___ Something that makes us laugh

___ Be intentional about enjoying limited time watching a movie/episode

Practice Gratitude Daily

A week ago, I went to the movie theater to see Top Gun with my 15-year-old son. Sharing a movie in the theater made it feel like time had paused and had me thinking about how grateful I was for everyone involved in making this experience happen. I was overwhelmed with happiness as I thought about the screenwriters, the director, the actors, the music, costumes, set design, and everyone who worked at the theater who was involved in allowing us to see a movie on the big screen. 

Why does gratitude matter so much? 

Incorporating intentional practices that focus on gratitude is essential for having a fantastic summer. Before the last week and a half, I would not have placed so much emphasis on establishing a  gratitude practice. In the past, a pretty good day including gratitude looked like writing out a few things that I was grateful for and stopping there. However, after reading, Evolving With Gratitude by Lainie Rowell, I realize that life feels rich when we practice gratitude along the way.  

Realize Complete Balance is Not Possible

I used to think that part of the answer to a more fulfilling life was about creating more balance in my life. Just as is the case with the regular school year, there are days when something comes up and it needs to take priority over other things. Likewise, during the school year for example, I struggle to blog because I am grading essays and planning lessons. Additionally, time is spent running and trying to make sure I am intentional about spending as much time as possible with my kids. 

There are times when something does not fit in the schedule. However, I believe in a life without limitations, so while I cannot do everything each day, there is a way to do everything I want to do. I may, however, have to change the way I think about something I want to do. Sometimes it looks like combining items on my list (listening to an audio book while I run, or savoring music while spending intentional time with my husband or one of my kids). Or maybe, blogging takes on a new look. Either way, there is never a way to be a hundred percent balanced because that would mean you are not prioritizing what matters most or doing things that give you energy. I am realizing that what I can do is focus on starting each day with specific intentions.  If I start out with the end in mind, I have a good feeling I will build the impossible and not feel like I wasted the summer.