Strategies to Infuse Your Summer Free Time with Fun and Memories – Even When You’re Working!  

The last time I ever had a true “summer” was after my freshman year of college: there was no summer school, and no work. Instead, the long days consisted of nighttime beach bonfires, dancing at local clubs, drive-in movies and sleeping in until 1 p.m. It was also the summer I met the man I married.

Now “summer” for me means trying to figure out ways to trick my five-year-old into getting into bed at 8 p.m. — despite the fact it’s broad daylight outside — since we all still need to wake up early for preschool and work.  It means trying to figure out the right layers to wear to commute on the cool morning ferry, on the warm evening ferry, for the air-conditioned office, and hot lunchtime outings in between. It means figuring out what on earth I might feel like cooking after that warm commute back to my non-air-conditioned house.

It also means being jealous of my sister’s teaching job (the only time of the year I am jealous of it) as she spends her summer with her kids by the pool or out on the lake.  It means waiting all summer for one or two weeks of vacation and trying to cram all the summer fun into that short time frame.  Sound familiar?

But summer is so much more than a week. And summer is so much more than a vacation. How can we, as working women, make the most of our summer that isn’t summer?

Create a Summer Intention List

Even though it’s a carefree season, take an hour or so to dig in with purpose for this task: kick off your summer by creating a checklist or Pinterest board of things you would like to do that can still fit into your busy schedule.  Fill it with recipes you’d like to try,  local sights you’d like to see, activities in which you’d like to participate, and occasions you want to create (a memorable 4^th of July, for instance).

The key is to then schedule your weekends with proactive plans, and accomplish one summer-fun goal each weekend. It could be as simple as making summer cocktails to taste-test with a friend, or as involved as a weekend trip.

Dine Deliciously, on Fresh Ingredients

Infuse summer into every meal and every snack, whether it’s in the office at your desk or at home.  Start with the food:

• Make sure your weekly meal plan and shopping list is laden with the tastes of summer. Fresh fruit, corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, salads, and barbequed meats all spell summer.
• Cut up strawberries, peaches, watermelon or cantaloupe and put in containers for lunch or snacks to take to work.
• Make your morning or afternoon coffee more like summer by getting into new cold brews or adding summer flavors like coconut.
• Take advantage of the summer feeling to take a staff meeting on the road to a frozen yogurt shop.  Nothing says teambuilding better than summer refreshment.
• Replace the candy dish on your desk with a fruit bowl, and make a point to visit the farmers’ market to replenish it weekly. I am lucky enough to have a farmers’ market that takes place near my office (i.e. visit-able on a lunch break), but making a Thursday night or Saturday morning farmers’ market part of your summer routine is a nice tradition for you and for kids (our farmers’ market has a “Bounce House,” which of course is a big bonus!).
• Make your meal plans for the week, including any opportunity to grill or utilize your slow cooker and barbeque flavors to get the same feeling.
• Dine outside as much as you can to enjoy the summer evenings. Taking advantage of the later light in that way will make you feel less guilty when you clean up, bring the kids in and close the black-out curtains during bath to prepare for that early bedtime (and hear those complaints!). 

Go for Breezy, Shimmery, Colorful Style

Regardless of the various layers you may have to wear to look professional and battle the air conditioning of the office during the day, embrace summer fashion in other ways:

• Study your current closet and pull together bright jewel tones, Nantucket reds, linen fabrics, nautical stripes, tropical and floral prints to saturate your summer wardrobe options.
• Layer them as appropriate, and see what current summer fashions you might want to buy to enhance the feeling of work-appropriate summer-wear.
• Add a beachy necklace, coral accents, cop some new shades, or even dare to take your hair a shade or two lighter to embrace summer’s style.
• Switch out your signature scent for something more seasonal with citrus, floral or tropical notes, or just make sure you are sun- protected (perhaps with that nostalgic scent of Hawaiian Tropic sunscreen).  Adjust your summer time make-up routine to try summer inspired color schemes and dewy textures.

Using these tips, as you get ready for your day, every sense will be immersed in summer and set a lighter tone – even if it is a workday! 

Fun, Festive, Free Time

Even if you are planning the most fantastic summer vacation ever, summer days still stretch out in anticipation of that wonderful week, and then again long after it’s over.  So figure out ways to “summer-ize” your everyday activities:

• Stretch your weekend fun by actively taking advantage of longer, warmer weekdays to get quick chores accomplished (grocery-shopping, dropping off the dry-cleaning) rather than spending Saturday doing them.
• Choose summer novels for your bedtime reading or public transportation commute – i.e. read to transport yourself to lake houses or sandy beaches even for a few moments before you blink into the hot sunshine of a workday.
• Freshen up your porch or balcony with new outdoor pillows, then take the time to sink into them and drink your coffee or evening glass of wine there.
• Fill your home with wildflowers, or blooms from your own garden, or from the farmers’ market/grocery store.
• Use a couple of weekends to have mini-vacations/summer activity festivities to keep you going til your big vacation. So enjoy local activities: take day trips to see waterfalls and swimming holes, or set out on a hike, with a picnic and lemonade to refresh you when you get to the top.
• Invite friends for seasonal-specific cocktails (try these from the Food Network) or s’mores to create small summery affairs, even if you don’t have time to throw large bashes or barbeques!  (Or do both!)
• Enjoy more of everything outdoors from marshmallows around the firepit in your own backyard to finding a drive-in or outdoor movie.

The point is, despite the fact the rhythm of work, meetings, reporting, deadlines, and priorities continue,  take every free opportunity to enjoy the essence of summer. Spring cleaning just happened, so no need to spend every Sunday cleaning, right? Let a few chores go to take advantage of more memorable activities. By adding summer in small doses, even while keeping up with work priorities, you can create memorable experiences for you and your whole family.