“Summertime is always the best of what might be.” – Charles Bowden
With Memorial Day in our rearview mirror, summer is here. And boy what a summer it’s poised to be! A pandemic subsiding, families reuniting, and the chance to engage in activities we love (and have missed so deeply).
With so much joy that awaits, we think it’s important to be intentional about one important thing – how we’ll invest our time in these next few, precious months.
To support you with your planning efforts, start by developing a vision for how you’ll make your summer great. Incorporate a few of these tips to make this summer a memorable one:
Embrace a change to your routine. Don’t let summer be more of the same. Consciously choose to do something different, maybe it’s more time outdoors or less time on a screen or perhaps you’ll change up your workout or what you’re making for dinner. Get in the spirit of the season by recognizing what you love about summer and bringing more of that into your days.
“Some of the best memories are made in flip-flops.” – Kellie Elmore
Go casual. Enjoy the informal nature of the season. Whether it’s at the pool, beach, lake or river, plan for as much flip-flop time as you can. Invite the people you care most about, or the ones you didn’t see as much as you wanted during the pandemic, to join you at water’s edge. Being mindful about how you want to reconnect with people is an important step to reengaging socially. Keep things casual, keep things light, and go easy on yourself as you get used to community once again.
“Deep summer is when laziness finds respectability.” – Sam Keen
Deal with burnout. I recently read that there are two types of professionals right now: those who are burned out and those who know they’re burned out. We’ve been through a collective trauma over the past year and a half. Summer is the season of rest, rejuvenation, and relaxation. Just as we plan vacations and gatherings, take time now to block afternoons of white space at work or plan for a late start on a Monday or two, or an early end to the work week on a Friday or three. Carve out the time to soak up the laziness of summer. The performance and energy of your fall self will appreciate it.
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