10 Habits To Make This Summer Truly Yours
The pressure to make the most of Summer can sometimes feel like a race to stay busy and occupied. Those slower mornings and longer days give the sense that there's an expanse of time we must fill with meaning.
Frankly, I'm done doing more to "become her". I am now attempting the reverse, slowing down to see more clearly, to gauge where I am currently and understand what I need to continue on that journey to becoming.
Without further ado, here are 10 intentional things I will be doing to keep this summer quiet and actually mine. I am sharing them in the hopes that you find this useful and perhaps spark a change in your own plans.
Curate Your Mornings
If the word "curate" sounds a bit pretentious, I apologize. Let me explain what I actually mean. It's so easy to wake up and immediately hand your attention over to the world, but your mornings are the most expensive part of your day. I've started treating that first 45 minutes like a non-negotiable appointment with myself.
It doesn't have to be some elaborate, aesthetic ritual; it's really just about finding that time for stillness before the day starts demanding things from you. Whether it's coffee, a quiet walk, or just sitting and thinking without your phone, you're commiting to checking in with your inner world before letting the outside in.
Practice the "One Thing" Rule
You might be wondering what the "one thing" rule is. Simply put, it's about choosing to do the single task that's been looming over your head, the one that you've been avoiding for weeks, maybe months, and finishing it before anything else.
I've found that when I prioritize that "heavy" task first, the rest of the day feels lighter. It removes that underlying hum of anxiety and the negative feelings that come with procrastination. So, by the time I tackle the smaller things, the urgency is gone, and I can just move through the rest of my day with ease.
Make the Mundane Matter
Most of my day isn't spent journaling or learning a new skill; it's spent doing the same small things on repeat: washing up, making the bed, the commute. I used to treat all of it as dead time, something to get through while half-distracted by a podcast, just to get to the "real" parts of the day.
This summer, I'm trying to actually show up for it instead. Not turning it into a whole production, just paying attention while I do it, and letting it feel like care instead of punishment. Most of your life happens in these unglamorous, repetitive moments anyway, so they might as well count for something.
Audit Your Input
Summer is as good a time as any to take stock of the content we let into our heads. If it doesn't inspire or ground you, let it go. We are constantly bombarded with digital distractions, making it very easy for our mental space to get cluttered with noise that doesn't actually serve us.
Most of what we consume today is meticulously designed to keep us hooked on high-stress, high-negativity loops. We forget that we're in control of the scroll. If a podcast, a newsletter, or a social feed leaves you feeling anxious or drained, hit unfollow or mute without a second thought.
Put yourself on a digital diet, reduce the noise, and see how much easier it is to hear yourself think.
Move With Purpose
Move your body. That's it. For a lot of reasons, it might not always feel easy, but it is simple.
Whether it's a walk at golden hour, a quick swim, a stretching session on a mat, or heavy cardio, take the time to find a form of movement that works for you. You are more likely to commit and be consistent when exercise leaves you feeling good and strong.
I think we've all done the version of exercise that's really just punishment in disguise; burning off something, making up for something, earning the right to rest later. This summer I'm trying to move because it makes me feel capable, not because I'm trying to shrink. It's a small mental shift, but it changes the whole relationship with exercise. You start showing up for your body instead of against it.
Learn One New Thing
Spend 30 minutes a day on a skill that has nothing to do with productivity. Pick something that just makes you curious; drawing, watercolour painting, a few phrases of a new language, or a book on a topic you know absolutely nothing about.
Nobody really tells you how good it feels to be bad at something. We spend so much energy trying to be competent at everything we touch, but there's a real freedom in just being a beginner again. No outcome to chase, no skill to perform; just 30 minutes where you get to be messy and curious, completely off the clock from your to-do list.
Personally, I'm picking up beading this summer. What new skill will you "learn"?
Practice "Deliberate Solitude"
There's a difference between being alone because no one else was free, and being alone because you chose it. So this summer I'm trying to actually pick it on purpose: a solo walk instead of a group one, lunch by myself when I'd normally text three people first, sitting with my own thoughts instead of quietly checking out the second it's just me.
That last part is the harder one, if I'm honest. It's easy to confuse "I'm fine being alone" with "I'm alone with three tabs open." Real solitude is quieter than that, and a little uncomfortable at first, mostly because we're not used to it being a choice rather than something that just happens to us.
Psychologists studying solitude have found that short, intentional time alone can genuinely calm an overactivated nervous system, helping people feel less wound up after socially demanding situations. The trick seems to be treating it the way you'd treat any other appointment, protecting it instead of waiting for it to fall into your lap.
Reflective Journaling
I didn't always journal, and when I did, it felt more like a chore than anything else. Lately, it's just become the place I put down whatever's too loud in my head to carry around all day, an event, a feeling, sometimes nothing in particular at all.
In this current climate, our minds can get cluttered with so many thoughts at once that it can feel more overwhelming than any single thing on its own. Putting pen to paper helps clear that clutter, easing the pressure of your feelings so you can focus on the things that really matter.
I'm not someone who journals every single day, if I'm honest. But on the nights I do, I try to write down one thing I learned about myself rather than just listing what happened, which helps with perspective. If you're staring at a blank page and nothing's coming, try using a prompt to get started; even something as simple as "what's been on my mind today" can break the ice.
Simplify Your Space
"Decluttering" isn't a chore that I particularly enjoy. But we are humans with busy lives, we make clutter as we go, so needs must. When the surfaces around you are untidy and full, your brain never quite gets to rest either, even if you've stopped noticing. So here are two things that have made the biggest difference for me.
The first is having one dedicated spot for the sentimental stuff; the old cards, the ticket stubs, the things that are hard to part with but also hard to look at every day. Giving them a single home means they're not scattered across every drawer, waiting to ambush you while you're just trying to find a pen.
The second is picking a moment each day to reset. Take five or ten minutes before bed to put things back where they belong. I call it the closing shift. Now, you can rest easy knowing that there's no mess snowballing in any corners.
Celebrate The "Small Wins"
At the end of every week, I'm going to sit down and name three things I did that moved me closer to the woman I'm becoming. Maybe it's the morning I actually got up before my phone did, or the day I picked solitude over distraction, or the time I let something stay simple instead of overcomplicating it. Just documenting proof that the small stuff adds up.
It's easy to only notice progress in hindsight, usually months later, when you finally see how far you've come. This is just an attempt to catch it earlier, on purpose, one week at a time. I hope you join me in doing the same.