5 Reasons Summer is the Perfect Time to Recalibrate Your Planning Mindset

Remember when you were a kid, you felt like summer vacation was a year long? You'd wake up and just let the day unfold. You got to actually Live. In. The. Moment! Ahhh...those were the days of sheer bliss!

Well, this summer will melt faster than that lip gloss that fell between your car seats unless we interrupt the time from flying by! Or at least trick ourselves to thinking that we did.

If you want to trip-up this year from flying by at warp speed and actually feel like you get to live the moments you planned, here are 5 Reasons summer is the perfect time to recalibrate your planning mindset to make the last half of the year slooooow down.  

Let's set you up for success for the craziest half of the year!

While you're still on a high from warmer days & the task of packing lunches is a thing of the past, let's double down on this summer kick-off spirit. Right NOW is a great time to plan, or as I like to call it "download your brain." Jot down a few big things & small things, too. When you do, you'll clear your mind just enough to wake-up like your 3rd-grade self with an eager & excited feeling about what the day holds! Ok, reverting back to my 9-year-old self is not the point, but having a clear mind to enjoy whatever the day brings is the GOAL!

With the busiest months of the year ahead, summer is a great time to begin thinking about all these things:

The phrase "Christmas in July" was no accident. Clearly, it was the brain child of a some wise individual who wanted put a crack in the dam of holiday planning. Every holiday, you have 187 things to coordinate in a couple quick weeks! You're on your toes more than all 10 lords-a-leaping! Hosting, traveling, shopping, gifting, baking/making, wrapping & entertaining...you're up to your jingle bells!

So, help your future (s)elf. Think on these things this summer:

• Are you travelling or hosting? Book flights or order that new bedding for your guest room.
• What's your holiday budget? Socking away a little each month starting now will lessen the blow to your bank account in January.
• Who's on your shopping list? I'm certain Santa's "checking it twice" protocol became a thing because he composed his list in the off-season, too!
• Are you sending holiday cards? [Psst...summer family photos are a lot easier to capture when school's out, not to mention, a little sun-kissed glow is a nice touch!]
• Tip: Address your holiday cards in between the "mom, watch!" events at the pool!

Get ahead of all that holiday planning by penciling out the high-level plan. Staying local? Traveling to see family? Or a vacation away from it all? Map out the big plan now with plenty of runway to get the smaller plans in place so you can really rock around that Christmas tree this season!

You're ready for the world...and the world is ready for YOU! Get out there! Bumper to bumper traffic, lines at the airport security checkpoints & waitlists at restaurants are commonplace once again. Whether you're packing up the family truckster or jet-setting to an island that's not in your kitchen, make a master list of what you need to stress less.

It's been a while, so here are few things to get out of your head now.

• What's calling your name(s)? Camping with kids? Beach with besties? Slopes with your posse? Big game with your buddies? A toast in wine country?
• Do you have the gear/clothes/accessories...and do they still fit? Kids grow like weeds and eating-in-place the last 16 months has taken its toll.
• What's the availability on flights/rental cars/hotels? Studies show about 96.8% of humanity is interested in booking travel the next few months, so ink your seat or place to stay now so you can get the most important part done without paying the premium price!

Jot it down, check it off, and avoid that last minute panic of forgetting something important.

I know, last year's backpack isn't even officially unpacked, but unlike the "year-long summer vacation" we had as kids, summer break is really about (8) weeks. If you're a teacher, it's even shorter! If you take too long to ramp-up the fun, you'll miss out! As you know, the fireworks of July 4th are barely fizzled when Target's $1 Bin area is chock full of crayons & pencil sharpeners. The last thing you want you or your kids to feel is "summer is over" before you even got a chance to enjoy it.

Dodge that FOMO by being intentional with making some summer plans right away to make it memorable.  
Here are some ways to get creative juices flowing:

• Call a family meeting (ok, like this never happens, so I usually spark-up the conversation when we are all in the car together) to ask everyone what is one thing they'd love to do this summer. You might be surprised how simple the ideas are. My 11-year-old wants to host an all-night gaming sleepover with his buddies, my 9-year-old wants to learn to surf and my 4-year-old wants to find the biggest spider in the world. I'm thrilled I don't have to splurge $1000s to go see the mouse this summer!
• What about an event with just your partner? Grab your fave beverage and make the topic of discussion: making short-term plans. Then, actually make a plan to do what you decide!
• Make a list of [3] things you'd like to do as family. Rank them by priority or by "epic-ness" level. Then ink a plan to bring 'em to life!
• If you have littles, here is list of Backyard Summer Fun activities that make some great memories and keep them entertained.

Yay! You get to schedule more than your grocery pick-up! It's likely everyone in your household is raring to go and you need to keep tabs on all the wheres & whens for everyone. You are also trying to coordinate events where you want all parties included, too. (Recall the family photo idea in #5, which is simply not possible if everyone scatters!)

If you need to be in two places at once or your teen takes your car without you realizing it...these are things that get summer fun all wet! No fun for anyone!

Avoid the stress and set-up a simple system to keep up the momentum without overbooking yourselves.  
Here are a few tips to get your entire household on the same page...of your planner!

• Use a different color for each family member and one for the plan "as a family."
• For the days/times when everyone needs to be available, mark those dates ASAP so that everyone knows to schedule around it.
• Let everyone know they need to be onboard with this system to ensure the most fun for everyone...including YOU! Growing up, my own mom used to say, "If it's not on my calendar, it's not happening!" #truestory

BONUS: In the end, you'll have a commemorative calendar outlining everything that everyone did that year! Lucky you to have a memory book without even a swipe of a glue stick!

In January of any given year, there's zero chance any woman is in any condition to plan anything more than Target run for post-holiday sale. Speaking for myself, it takes me a few months to get my momentum back. By summer, I'm revitalized and ready to dig in! It's like a mid-year fresh start. If only there was a planner to make it a TRUE fresh start. Oh, wait...

There is!
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