The summer is pretty busy. When I’m not working or spending time with family and friends, I’m trying to squeeze in time to relax and enjoy things I don’t usually get the chance to during weekdays. This might mean spending time outside hiking, getting back into yoga, or listening to a Podcast on a rainy day off.

While I’m definitely grateful for the more laid back summer moments, I also want to hold myself accountable for certain aspects of my time; I need to develop habits that are productive and growth-oriented as well. Here are just a few of the things I’m conditioning myself to be mindful of this summer, as I continue to discover what adult life entails.

1. Saying “there’s food at home” to myself when I get the impulse to run to Panera on work breaks.

Spending money on food is fun and convenient sometimes. I’m a novice when it comes to cooking and meal prep, and since I work at the mall, sometimes it’s easier to run to the food court on breaks, instead of sacrificing extra sleep to pack a lunch in the morning, or the night before. However, I’ve started getting better at catching myself with this.

Budgeting can be a hassle, especially when I realize that all the tasty food exists at restaurants, while I’m stuck at home trying desperately to make a decent stir fry. In the end, though, I’m working to remind myself that this is an opportunity to develop some new skills for myself. I may not be able to whip up anything fancy just yet, but I will by the end of the summer...just you wait

2. Actually putting clothes back in my closet instead of throwing them on a chair in the corner of my room.

When I’m late to work in the morning, or stressing about what I’m going to wear for the day, right before I run out the door, after raiding my closet and my drawers for anywhere from 10-40 minutes, I toss the clothes I don’t want, the go-backs, into a haphazard pile on my beanbag chair. I tell myself I’ll organize them once I get home, maybe even re-fold all of the clothes in my dresser. This is always a lie; I usually don’t clean off that chair until I need something from the bottom of the pile. It’s not a good system, and I plan on finally being able to use the chair for its intended purpose.

3. Getting rid of things from the “I’ll use this eventually” pile.

I realized recently that I continually save things that I know I’ll never use. Maybe this is because of some fake sentimental value that I ascribe to things, or maybe I’m just afraid of wasting things that could be put to use one day. Either way, all of these miscellaneous, “I should keep this just in case” items take up too much space.

There are several boxes I keep around for this exact purpose; I shove all the maybes into extra storage under my bed, in the closet, under my desk, and on shelves. Every once in a while I’m brave enough to purge some of the junk, usually when I get a spring cleaning itch or I’m making the transition from Maryland, back to Pittsburgh. This summer will be an exception to that rule. I’ve never used the stuff, I’m never going to use it, and it’s time to part ways.