Summer is already here. Organization and schedules are important, but summer is a perfect time to ease up on this structure and take the time to savor your summer. Here are some ideas to help you slow down and really enjoy your summer.
Summer is often a time for vacations and changed schedules. Don’t let yourself become stressed by the changes. Set your summer schedule, prioritize, and enjoy.
Set up a summer schedule
Yes, you heard that right. If you don’t make a plan, your summer can fly by in a blur, and you will not have truly savored it.
Put any tasks you need to do on a consistent basis in your calendar. Delegate some of those tasks to children who are out of school.
Set your kids up on a schedule for chores and have regular routines for bedtime and mornings. Keep chores to the basic minimum but make rules and expectations clear. School will soon be back in session and while some time off is what we want, being completely off schedule is not.
There are a lot of fun things out there for your kids to do but don’t overload your schedule or the kids’. Don’t offer too many opportunities. Help the kids learn good time management by limiting the number of activities they can participate in at any one time. This will also save you stress.
Plug in any dates that are locked in like doctor appointments or camps.
Set up a quiet time schedule, especially if you have small children. This can be a nap time or a reading time.
Do not schedule an event for every day. Leave some time for spontaneity.
Make a list of activities that can be done spontaneously if the time is right. Summer is a great time for picnics, museums, parks, or a fun lunch with friends.
Take some time to look at your life balance
Look to see if you are working in all areas of your life – work, family, social, personal, spiritual. This does not mean that everything is given equal time, but it simply means that you establish a blend of work and personal life that is satisfying both to you and your family.
Maintaining the balance means getting and keeping control of your time and your life. This summer, brainstorm ways to simplify your life while keeping a balance.
Take some time to reflect on your priorities and commitments. Is there a commitment to a group that is no longer that important to you? Realize you are allowed to say no.
I loved this poem, Unbusy, by Joshua Fields Millburn. One stanza of the poem reads:
Each time you say yes to an unwanted task,
you unthinkingly say no to yourself
because everyone else’s urgency
is now your emergency.
Deliberately spend time, money, and energy on things that are really important to you. Reduce the time you spend watching TV or playing video games and get outside.
There is a fact of life, sometimes referred to as the Law of Excluded Alternative which simply states, “Doing one thing means you are not doing something else.” Choose carefully what you are doing.
Spend more time outside
The summer weather calls us to be outside more. Depending on where you live, it is a good time to find time for walks in the woods, enjoying the pool or beach, or spending time in the garden.
Research suggests that being outside improves your mental and physical health. The days are longer which allows time for some relaxed unhurried evenings. I love to just sit out on my deck in the evening and watch the birds. I also see a lot of families in my neighborhood taking walks or bike rides after the heat of the day.
Remember, no matter how well you plan, things happen, so go with the flow, be flexible and savor your summer season!
If you are ready to set up a schedule or plan how you use your time, or are ready to work on any other organizing project join Diane Quintana and me in our Clear Space For You virtual clutter support group. The group will offer ideas, support, and gentle accountability for working on developing plans or projects.
Jonda S. Beattie, Professional Organizer owner of Time Space Organization, and co-owner of Release, Repurpose, Reorganize. She is based in the Metro-Atlanta area. As presenter, award-winning author, as well as a retired special education teacher she uses her listening skills, problem solving skills, knowledge of different learning techniques, ADHD specialty, and paper management skills to help clients.
I would live outside in the summer if I could. We have a screened-in porch that we only use during the warmer months. It is special and wonderful. I love hearing the bugs trying (but failing) to get in during the evening hours. Nature feeds the soul!
Quality time is essential in the summer. This summer, we are moving my daughter into our new home for the start of her med school years. I am so glad that I scheduled and paid for our vacation in the winter so I could enjoy the move and then celebrate with a week-long vacation.
My favorite line in this post? “Do not schedule an event for every day. Leave some time for spontaneity.” I suspect the ideal summer, like the ideal vacation, is one in which you’re glad you did everything you did, and are relieved you didn’t try to do anything more.
I also like the idea of a quiet time schedule, even when you don’t have kids. It’s easy for one’s summer life to bear a striking resemblance to our lives the rest of the year: sleep, work, errands and housework. Lather, rinse, repeat. It’s easy to feel like there’s no room for play in our adult lives, especially if we don’t plan for active play and real rest. Your points are definitely apt!
It is very important to look at changes to a summer schedule. Children have different commitments. I always used to get caught when my university students came home and I had to take them to work and pick them up and I had not changed my work availability. Adding evening sports to our family schedule also meant changing the meal planning schedule so you could get out of the house quickly without relying on picking up fast food.