When I was a brand new mom, I remember overhearing a pair of veteran moms lamenting over how they only had a few summers left before their kids went off to college. At the time, it was hard for me to imagine how these moms felt. My daughter was so new and with 18 years ahead of me, I wasn’t the least concerned about how we spent our summers – I just wanted to get through the night!
Today, my oldest is eight and I’m struck by the realization that I only have 10 summers left before she heads off to college. But the first eight flew by so quickly! And this is why, despite my desire to forge ahead with my career and go about business as usual, I take the summer breaks seriously and engage in this three-step planning process:
- Mental Planning;
- Resource Planning; and
- Scheduling
There are many ways to spend your time during the summer months and given your unique work situation, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. However, there are some steps you can take to develop your own custom summer schedule in 20-30 minutes of quiet planning time. Before you get started you’ll need blank, monthly calendar pages for the summer months, pencils and an eraser (prepare for edits!).
Step 1. Think Big Picture First
In the Mental Planning phase, you should have developed an “end in mind” for the summer. In this step, you’ll narrow your vision to smaller periods of time, like monthly – June, July and August. As you look ahead to these months, what major events (i.e. vacations, visits from family, doctor appointments, etc.) are coming up? Pencil them into your blank calendar pages. Next, you’ll think about possible age-appropriate themes to assign each month. Some theme ideas include: Animal Adventures, Cooking Tour, Splish Splash Fun, Around the World, Island Get-a-way, etc. Themes are helpful in keeping your time and energy focused. For example, during the Cooking Tour month, you and the kids can experiment with new recipes, plan a bake-off, create a mock cooking show, and more.
Step 2. Break it Down Week by Week
Now that the major events and themes are decided, it’s time to break down each week. This step will vary depending on your work schedule and how you plan to use your Resources, like outside child care. I block out the dates and times when I’ll work. Since I work a modified schedule during the summer, it’s important for me to visually see those blocks of time so I can schedule resources like child care or summer day camp. During this step, I also map out theme-related activities for each week. Continuing with the Cooking Tour theme, you might schedule a date for the mock cooking show (i.e. Saturday morning) and then insert mini-activities throughout the week to prepare for show day.
Quick Tip: Since it’s summer and as much as my hyper-organized personality would LOVE to schedule every moment during the summer, I always keep the calendar loose and flexible. I try to leave 25-35% of the time free in case emergencies arise, unexpected invites are received or I just don’t feel like doing anything!
Step 3. Prioritize Daily and enjoy!
With your monthly calendar in place and weekly activities planned, you’re pretty much set! At this point, it’s all about maintenance with a dose of discipline (be committed to the plan) and some flexibility (but it’s not necessary to die by the plan). Every evening, take a few moments to think about the day ahead. What will you be working on? Where will the kids be? What activities, if any, are planned? What resources will you be using? What should you prepare now, so the morning goes smoothly?
Two Great Resources for Summer Fun: The Family Manager’s Guide To Summer Survival
and FamilyFun Boredom Busters
are two invaluable books with tips, ideas and how-to’s to get through the summer months.
Your Action Plan
Follow the steps above to develop your summer calendar. Remember, this process isn’t designed to be a rigid schedule, but a loose planning tool that guides through the summer months.
Happy Summer!!
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I couldn’t agree more. Time is fleeting and minutes matter. By scheduling our summer ahead of time, my wife and I ensure that we’re pulling the most of the only ten unbroken weeks the four of us can spend together.