how to take your favourite summer habits with you

How to take your favourite summer habits with you

I love the lightness of summer, the long days, the slower pace. It inspires me to do things differently, to let go of the structures and routines a bit. That is, until the reality of daily life rolls around again. In this post, I’ll share some ways in which to take your favourite summer habits with you as you return to daily life.

This post first appeared in my August 2021 newsletter. Want to read my best tips, strategies and behind-the-scenes first? Sign up for my newsletter to get them all in your inbox.

Taking some time off during the summer always works well for me. I feel inspired + motivated, full of new ideas and especially with a greater sense of clarity of what I want and where I’m going. Late August and early September are my favourite times of year to make plans. 

There’s something about that back-to-school vibe that gets me going. Or, as in that 90s romcom that I watched way too many times in my late teens: it makes me want to buy a bouquet of sharpened pencils. In this post, I share some ways to take your favourite habits with you, and make plans for your return to daily life (scroll down for a free printable around this topic!).

your favourite summer habits

So, what is it that you’ve particularly enjoyed over the summer? You might have taken some time off like I did, or just enjoyed the slower pace of life. Or, you worked as usual, but might’ve enjoyed more quiet around you as lots of people went away on holiday. 

Think about some of your favourite things this summer, such as:

• slower mornings, with time to meditate, journal or simply stare into space in silence with a cup of tea
• evening walks 
• gardening
• spending more time with your loved ones—quality time, not just hurrying from one chore or event to the next
• time to read, knit, sew, craft or any other hobby
• more sleep

Next, get clear on what you love about this. Is it a sense of connection to the people you love? Is it stillness and space that you want more of in your life? Write down the feelings. 

add your favourite summer habits to your days

In many cases, you won’t be able to do the whole thing every day, like you did now. If you have kids, sleeping in past eight o’clock will most likely not be a daily occurrence. But can you do 50% of that thing? Or even 10%? Can you carve out fifteen minutes for yourself after school drop-off to have a quiet cup of tea? Can you replace some of your social media time with ten minute gardening bursts? 

Can you do 50% of your favourite habit? 10%? Or even 1%? We don’t always have to do the entire thing to get the benefit.

look ahead

If, like me, you too get inspired by the late summer and that back-to-school feeling, take a moment to look ahead. What are you looking forward to? What feels good + exciting? This can be either related to your business or to your life outside of your business. 

For me, it’s writing. Over the summer I wrote a lot. I wrote drafts of blog posts + my newsletter. And, taking a step back (especially not having to do anything), also gave me a lot of clarity. Around the things that I’m really pleased with (such as how I changed the way I market + how I feel about it) + things that I want to do differently. 

I’m dreaming up new digital products, like guides, worksheets and e-courses. I like the idea of giving myself more room to experiment in my business, and flex my creative muscles a bit. Importantly, I want to experiment with launching in a different way: a way that is not pressured, or requires me to be ‘on’ all the time.

I’ve also decided to let go of the newsletter schedule and aim for semi-monthly instead. It might be every three weeks or every five weeks, who knows. I realised that I was spending way too much time + brainspace thinking about what the best moment to send the newsletter is. So, instead, I’m leaning into my energy, and write it when I feel most inspired (which I know will happen, since I love writing it). And, I’m going to be giving my subscribers more exclusive content. I love creating worksheets that are quick + powerful, and I’m going to be adding them more to the newsletters.

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