I’m having a really hard time with the transition from summer to fall.
Don’t get me wrong. Fall is my favorite season, and I am so excited for what it brings (huge fan of all things pumpkin spice over here!).
And I did all of the summer things.
I paddleboarded and kayaked and jet skied in lakes. I spent afternoons by the pool with popsicles.I ate more than my share of summer fruits – bring on the watermelon and peaches! I took a vacation with my kiddos (and didn’t spend the whole time working!). I tasted new things at farmers markets. I saw outdoor concerts. I escaped the heat by escaping to the mountains. I made ice cream from scratch and ate it on the back porch during sunset.
But I hate change, and I’ve had a really good summer and am just not ready to let it go.
When I think about it more, however, I don’t think it’s that I want more summer (I hate the heat!). What I want is to hold onto that summer mindset a little longer.
Summer mindset, for me, is full of joy and laughter and flexibility and maximizing the moments.
But fall can be like that too (and then comes winter with skiing!).
So how can we hold onto that summer mindset just a little longer?
I’m starting by looking at some of the commitments I made for the summer that helped to make it what it was and thinking about how to take them with me into the fall, including:
1. Commit to being present.
I started worrying about summer going too quickly in April (before summer had even started), and so I decided then that I would commit to being present for the summer. I couldn’t do anything about how quickly summer would go, but I could be there for every minute of it. My commitment to being present meant:
Spending less time on devices and more time with real people
Not mutl-tasking and focusing on what I am doing right now
Empowering myself to make a list and do the things that bring me joy
Building in time to just be (and not do)
While it was hard at first and took a mindset shift, I am so grateful for this commitment. While I am still sad to see summer leave (and already a little anxious about how quickly fall will go), it means that I am leaving summer without regrets and having experienced it all. It means that I didn’t just “do” the things; I experienced them and will remember them. And it means that I really got to connect with people who are important to me.
As I head into fall, I plan to maintain this commitment. It makes me more patient, attentive, and intentional with my people and my work.
2. Be Intentional and efficient with my time.
In order to do all of the summer things and still work, I needed to either figure out how to get more time or make the most of the time I had. I stuck with the latter. And while I generally consider myself to be pretty effective with my time, I recognized that there were ways that I could be better. My being intentional and efficient with my time meant:
Articulating a clearly defined to-do list of priorities each day that I transferred into my calendar (time blocking) so that I knew exactly what I was doing when
Never sitting down at my computer without knowing exactly what I was doing in what order
Holding myself accountable through time tracking
Building in fun time and rest time so that I knew I was taking care of myself
Bringing awareness to where I waste time (coasting on my computer for 30 minutes before I actually start working) really helped me to make the most of my time and really get done what needed. And using time tracking and time blocking meant that tasks had a container and couldn’t just take as long as they took. All together, being more intentional and efficient with my time meant that I was able to do more, feel more productive, and still have time to enjoy summer.
As I head into fall, I plan to maintain this commitment. While my schedule will be more regular and predictable, I appreciate the feeling of flow and productivity that comes from this intention (and I’m all for anything that avoids long hours and burnout!).
3. Make realistic commitments to myself and others.
I traveled a lot this summer. I was away most of May for work, half of June for a family vacation, the last week of July and first week of August for work, the second week of August for family. And even when I wasn’t traveling, I had kids at home and different schedules to navigate. With all of this in mind, I was very careful about what I committed to myself and others so that I set us all up for success. My being realistic with commitments meant:
Looking at the calendar before committing to a deadline to see where (really) the work would take place before the deadline.
Clearly articulating timelines and delineating what needed to be done by whom in order to meet those timelines
Maintaining open and transparent communication always
Giving myself grace if I couldn’t do it all
My natural inclination is to want to say yes to everything and commit to having it all done…yesterday. And no one actually expects that. While it started as a matter of necessity, giving myself the summer to beta test what it would look to be more realistic with commitments helped me to understand what systems and processes could be put into place in order to make this work for everyone.
As I head into the fall, I plan to maintain my commitment. I don’t have as much travel planned over the next few months, and my kids will be in school. And, being realistic with commitments to myself and others sets us all up for success for the long game, building sustainable routines and expectations.
I really do love fall. The colors. The scarves. The school supplies. The pumpkin spice!
And I know that through committing to being present, being intentional and efficient with my time, and making realistic commitments to myself and others, this will be an amazing season!
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