It's summertime, so the structure and order of the school year are no longer around to keep us grounded. For some of you, this is great! You can be spontaneous and do things as you feel like it without having to plan weeks in advance. There are no classes to worry about, no assignments, so your days are free to be used however you want! And you find that amazing!
But for the other half of you, who are like me, the lack of structure is killing you.
Okay, it's not that dramatic, but not having a plan for every day-- chapters you have to read, essays you need to write-- leaves you feeling a little on-edge. I know that, for myself, the slow mornings of summer have become a time of anxiety as I try to figure out what I need to do before I head to my summer job in...oh right, eight hours. I have yet to decide how I want to fill those eight hours, which means that the days pass by in a blur of unproductivity.
So I needed to build a routine. Hey, don't make fun of me, routines don't have to plan out every part of every day if you don't want them to, and for some of us, routines can provide that extra surge of inspiration needed to make all our days spectacular.
For example, I knew going into the summer that I wanted to make time for work, friends and family, being active, and reading. Once you have your work schedule, you know how to make time for it in your calendar. And with everyone you know being busy during the summer with family vacations and jobs of their own, the time you get for that category pretty much creates itself, whether through late night screenings of The Bachelorette or movie nights at home. But there are so many hours in the day! How are you going to fill your time!?
By building a routine.
I like to try to make myself get outside or do something active and fun for at least an hour a day. Sometimes, when I'm watching TV on the couch, bored and restless, I'll decide to go for a bike ride or take the dogs to the park. That little alarm in my head that goes off every day, reminding me that I wanted to be active this summer, helps me set a routine so that I never wonder how I can fill up the time we have left of this glorious weather.
In a similar way, whenever I am feeling bored, I remind myself of the leisure activities that make me happy. I love to explore new places, read, go swimming, and am always available to do any of those things when the mood strikes because I have built it into a routine! Every day, something new, or maybe a repetition of an activity if I decide I want to do it again. Nothing is set in stone, so if it suddenly starts to rain or my car won't work, I can switch gears and do something else that makes me happy.
The point is not to keep so busy that summer flies by, but to allow yourself time to actually enjoy this season of happiness, free from stress. If you want to be spontaneous, build a routine where you have to explore someplace new every day. If you want a little more structure, try laying out every hour of your day until it's filled with something you want to accomplish, and stick to it!
To some of you, having a routine in the summer seems like the weirdest thing in the world. But to others, it's exactly what you need to enjoy the season for what it is. No matter what side of the spectrum you are on, building a routine can add structure to the haze of summer days and help you figure out what you value most and want to make time for.
