How to Get the Most Out of Your Summer

Apr 13th 2018

Most people can’t wait until summer arrives. We’re excited for sunshine, beautiful warm sunsets, trips to the beach, and the vibrant nightlife. Once summer does arrive, though, it seems like it’s here and gone in a flash. If you live in a climate that has seasons, summers can be an especially precious time of the year, so how do you savor the season and not let it slip through your fingers? Read on to find out!

skydiving view

Do Something Completely Different

The key to getting the most out of your summer is to make it memorable. Keeping up the same routine you have year-round can make your summer blend in with the rest of the seasons and not seem too special, so it’s important to spice it up and make it stand out. One of the best ways to do this is to do something completely different. Try a new hobby. Visit a brand new destination. Go camping, hiking, skydiving or canoeing for the first time. Novelty excites the mind and allows for more vivid memories, so don’t be afraid to go out there and give something new a try!

planning a trip with a laptop and map

Plan

It’s tempting to think our summers will unfold and automatically bring lots of new and exciting things with it, but the truth is, it doesn’t always happen like that. A great way to set the summer up for success is to have things planned in advance that you can look forward to. Planning parts of your summer (no need to plan every detail, unless you want to) is a great activity to do when the weather is still a bit chilly, since everything still lies in front of you. Sometimes, having loose plans means they can keep getting pushed aside for “next week”, so it’s better to put them on the calendar.

woman dancing to music on yellow background

Give Your Summer a Playlist

Music is a great way to connect you with a specific time or event, as it taps into a special part of the brain. Discovering a new artist or album during the summer is a great way to remind you of that time when you listen to it later. If you have a list of songs that already remind you of summer, put them on a special soundtrack and label it Summer of (Year) to reinforce that association.

panoramic photographs laid out on a table

Take Pictures of the Small Stuff

Sometimes we take the little things for granted. Little happy moments come and go and then we forget about them. Fortunately, in the age of smartphones, it’s easier than ever to capture those moments. If you’re out having a great time, even just one picture of your surroundings can be enough to rekindle that memory for you later on. To take it a step further, pick out a collection at the end of the summer and print them out to display.

2 young women laughing on a beach

Rekindle Old Friendships

The summer is a wonderful time to rekindle old friendships, or relationships with members of your family you don’t see too often. If you still live in the same area, make time to hang out with them and share brand new memories together. If you live in different parts of the world, exchange stories and pictures of your summer along the way so you can still share in one another's’ experiences.

sunglasses on a pile of sand at the beach

Take a Vacation

Vacations are one of the most effective ways at making a summer memorable. It’s a break from the norm, and they can also help you remember other events of the summer that surround the vacation. Big vacations tend to be the most memorable, but you don’t have to break the bank to get a similar effect. If a grand vacation is not feasible this year, try a smaller trip, or even try becoming a tourist in your own city or town. You’ll be surprised how much you can discover about your hometown just by exploring its offerings and history a little deeper.

hands holding a tiny yellow flower

Be Present (Minimize Screen Time)

One of the biggest drawbacks to engaging with the cyber world - and most people can attest to this - is that time tends to pass by much more quickly. Our TVs and devices are engineered to grab our attention and keep us distracted. While this isn’t always a bad thing, it does tend to interfere with our ability to be present and in the moment, even if we are using our devices outside. If you find yourself itching for the screen, have some replacements handy like a book or an easy craft or activity that can be done indoors or outdoors. Try taking a walk and leave the phone at home (or on Do Not Disturb mode), or find a quiet place on the porch or in a park and really experience all the tiny pleasures summer has to offer, like the feeling of sun on your face, the sweet smell of fresh air, and the birds chirping happily in the trees.

power tools laid out on a wooden table

Get Stuff Done

If you have projects around the house - big or small - use the summer to tackle as many as possible. Start a renovation project, fix leaky or broken fixtures, repaint a room, anything that’s been on your mind all year, set out to get it done. Maybe there’s no big projects that need to get done, but there are small annoyances around the house like clutter, broken knick knacks, a stained curtain, an old burnt out light bulb, etc. that pile up and annoy you slightly every day. Make a list and handle everything one by one until everything on your to-do list is crossed off. You’ll be glad you did, and you might have some fun along the way!