Three Ways to Simplify Your Summer
In Episode 2 of our 2023 Summer Series on the podcast, we explore the idea of letting go of the need for summer to be magical - and instead keeping it simple with three ways to design a more joyful, less chaotic summer this year.
Trying to make the most of summer can be exhausting. It’s as though the idea of hustle culture rolled on over into hustle summer. Instead of summer being a time of slowing down, we seem to speed up.
If you’re feeling this way - you aren’t alone … working parents get stressed over summer. We had to book camps, sitters and activities back in January, and now we’re faced with a schedule from Hell and kids who only want to watch TV!!
At our house, we have a hard enough time doing the same routine everyday and getting our kids to school on time. In the summer, every week is different. The stress of all the planning is so real, the Pennsylvania Psychological Society has even put out tips for how to handle the summer planning stress – THANK YOU!
In fact, a poll done by GROUPON and OnePoll in 2019 found that parents would rather do just about anything instead of planning summer break, including: go the DMV, talk to their in-laws for an hour or even file taxes.
Yep - the pressure is on for summer … but at reimagine ambition we’re asking - does it have to be?
What if we told each other (and ourselves), “Summer doesn’t have to be magical, it can just be simple.”
Would that sentiment help lift the societal pressure, and self-imposed burden off our shoulders to get it all planned and do it all “right”?
But how do we make it more simple? Here are three ways to simplify your summer that will change the way you plan for summer forever:
Get clear about your boundaries at work. Instead of assuming people will think you’re not committed, how about assume they trust you and will respect that you need more flexibility this summer. These hybrid days have a lot of us frozen when it comes to asking for “more” flexibility, but you still can. Most likely everyone else needs it too, so be the brave one that sets the boundary and starts the conversation.
Reimagine what “magical” looks like for your kids. In the words of our first podcast guest (Beverly Green, Episode 2!), creativity comes from boredom and our kids don’t need us to plan - every - single - second - for them. Sometimes it feels like we need to make the summer “magical” - the best camps, super fun vacations, LOTS of activities. Those are all great, yet we’re encouraging you to rethink magical and just go with simple. Give them some space to slow down. Let them be bored (yet safe :)). They will fight it at first. Let’s face it, they are used to immediate delivery from NETFLIX and you can’t compete with that. But their brains are hard wired to create, so come up with a problem to solve and give yourself a break while they figure it out for themselves.
Build your summer village. Let’s be real, daycare and summer camps are expensive. We’re in a care crisis in the United States where even affluent families are gasping at the cost of childcare. So our villages need to come through. Chances are your friends or neighbors are in the same boat. Trying to fill gaps between 2 pm pickups and 5 pm calls. Managing a rotating work schedule or trying to get by during the weeks they have the kids. So be the one who builds the village. Start asking around, find your camp mom bestie and make it OK to ask for help. Everyone will be glad you did, and so will you. At least on the days when all the kids are at your neighbors and you can work in peace and quiet.
The idea of finding and planning work/life balance in the summer can feel stressful and overwhelming - but we can also let it be simple, if we let it be slower. So consider this your mastermind moment - let go of that burden and instead of doubling down on the perfect, magical summer itinerary, try reimagining summer on your own, simpler, terms.
