Take Back Your Summers ☀️
ˢˢ026 | You don't NEED to be productive 24/7, 365
This past week,
I was thinking about how wonderful it was to have summers off as kids and what that allowed us to do. Maybe go to camp or play summer league sports or travel with family or friends. Nowadays, summers consist of longing to be outside as we look through office windows, a schedule so packed full of things we don’t have time to think, or finally having “time” to work on that project.
But what if we could channel a little bit of the summers from our youth and live differently for a few months?
Let’s explore.
Before we get to the newsletter, a quick shoutout to Zohran Mamdani for effectively winning the NYC democratic mayoral primary. This is huge and deserves to be acknowledged. It’s extremely refreshing to be excited about a candidate’s campaign and vision after years of accepting the lesser of two evils. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, check out his site here: https://www.zohranfornyc.com/
🌟 Make summers chill again
Summer, like so many other aspects of our lives, has become a productivity supercharger. We have “more time,” so we should use it to the fullest. We end up swinging aggressively from beach days to to-do lists both figuratively and literally.
What so many people are realizing (or remembering) is that slowness is a gift and rest is indeed cool. Letting yourself just be is a radical act in this day and age.
For me, this summer is about experimenting with what it means to enjoy my time without monetizing it or turning it into a series of tasks. More time with friends (hopefully), diving deeper into pure hobbies, more long walks, saying yes to spontaneous activities, allowing myself to be bored, and most importantly, less screen time.
If I had thought about this earlier this year, maybe I would have planned one or two fewer trips this summer, but this mindset applies to the day-to-day activities during the week, too. The bottom line is you’re allowed to take some of the pressure off, and summer happens to be a great time to do that.
🔹 Small Step to Try This Week
Choose one thing you’ll do this week just for the joy of it. A swim. A nap. A new recipe. A conversation. Whatever it is just enjoy it.
📲 Upgrade Your Feed: Johnny Harris
Johnny Harris is a journalist, filmmaker, and storyteller who refuses to stick to just one lane and that’s exactly why his work stands out. From geopolitics to personal narratives, he embodies what it means to follow curiosity and show up as a multifaceted creator. I loved his deep dive into boredom, which covers what it is, why it happens, the history of boredom and some non-preachy solutions that you may actually implement. It’s good, I’d highly recommend it. Watch it here:
📺 Watch: Johnny Harris on YouTube
In closing, you don’t need to earn your right to rest. You already deserve it.
With grateful love,
Ikey