My summers are no longer officially defined by the ending of one school year and the beginning of another. But the sense of excitement for the summer season remains and summer is just around the corner. I plan to organize for summer fun, will you join me?
Here are the five things to do to organize for Summer Fun.
Prepare & Pre-pack
Pre-pack your summer activity bag. Whether it's a picnic basket, camping gear or a beach bag, add your routine supplies. Be ready to go and enjoy.
Create a checklist of any supplies you can't keep in your activity bag. It will save time and eliminate forgetting a key item.
Set Your Limits
Identify the minimum home care tasks you need to maintain your progress this summer. Can you delegate someone else to do a task? Sharing the load allows everyone to enjoy home as well as the summer fun activities.
Identify the one, and ONLY one, large project you want to finish by fall (if you have one, that is). Rather than over-promising, give yourself a chance to under-promise and over-perform.
Identify how often you'd like to go for a picnic, a hike, enjoy time by the pool, play in the sand, or listen to music beneath the stars. Do it more often, but decide if you're shooting for weekly fun, monthly adventures, or one big blowout vacation.
Make Space in Your Schedule
Make space in your schedule for both the organizing and the summer fun. If you're a 'planner' and prefer to plan out your fun and organizing time, then start planning for June. Set a reminder to plan your next month, and repeat. Don't let the summer slide by without you.
If you prefer spontaneity, you might still want to block out time in your schedule for the fun. You can decide WHAT to do in the moment because you'll have the time set aside. Do schedule your organizing time though. Because it's unlikely you'll "feel" like doing your maintenance tasks, the appointment you've set will remind you to do it anyway. Think of your fun blocks as rewards for getting the organizing tasks done each week or month.
And when will you work on your larger project? Get that in your schedule. Set time to make progress each week on it. Don't wait until the last week of August and then expect to spend all your time working to complete it.
ENJOY!
Enjoy your summer fun activities. Enjoy your home, office, and schedule because you've planned your organizing work and your working your plan. No guilt for not getting more organized — you've set your limits with intention and awareness. No resentment for not having fun this summer — you've planned it and made space in your schedule for it.
Be Ready for the Next Adventure
Take time to wrap up your adventures so you are ready for the next. Clean out and restock your activity bag, update your checklist, and plan your next adventure.
This is the step I often skipped, because I felt I was either too tired to do it immediately and promised to do it later or I wanted to squeeze out the last bits of summer fun and didn't want to get back to my regular life. But later never comes and summer fun is part of my regular life, as is the transition and preparation for work the next day. I find that I'm actually more relaxed if I take time to set up for Monday earlier. I then have a couple more hours to slip back into summer fun mindset at home with no nagging thoughts.
Don't let the summer fly by without you. I'm organizing to ensure my summer fun. Will you join me? Let me know what fun activities you'll enjoy this summer.