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Can you believe that Memorial Day is only two weeks away? Yeah, me neither.
Even though I’ve had a pretty eventful spring, I’m looking forward to (hopefully) slowing down and spending time with friends and family over the summer. I always like to kick off the season by making a summer bucket list; by writing these types of lists out and making them public on the blog, I feel a bit more accountable and motivated to achieve my goals.
Since I already travel a lot, this isn’t going to be your typical summer bucket list: I have a lot of self-improvement goals for the upcoming season. See what’s on my bucket list below, and let me know what your goals are this summer!
Summer Bucket List
Introduce Summer Hours
It’s no secret that I’m a workaholic. I spoke to a therapist last week, and they also told me that I had zero work/life balance. Cool.
Being a full-time blogger is an odd career. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten emails for a campaign or a press trip that require me to reply in a matter of hours. Last fall, I missed a trip to Austin because I, god forbid, logged off my computer at 3 pm one day and didn’t answer until 8 am the next day. I beat myself up about it and obsessively checked my email for months on end after that.
Y’all. It’s not healthy to check your work email 24/7. And I’m finally going to introduce some summer hours for some peace of mind — including Summer Fridays. I’m pausing my inbox with the Boomerang App for Gmail so that even if someone emails me after 5 or 6 pm, the message won’t hit my inbox until the next day.
Is there a chance I’ll miss out on some opportunities by introducing stricter office hours? Sure. But at the same time, I know I need to set boundaries for my well-being.
Read At Least Five Books
I used to love reading as a kid. I even got back into it last fall. But I want to pick up the habit again and make it a point to get through one book every two weeks this summer (this seems pretty attainable for me). I’m going to start working towards this goal a bit early this year: I’m headed to Columbus on Wednesday, and I’m going to try to put my laptop away for the flight and read during my travel day. I’ll let you know how it works out!
P.S. — any book suggestions are much appreciated!
Be a Tourist in My Own City
As much as I complain about my hometown, D.C. is a remarkable place with a ton of things to do. I eventually want to get my D.C. guide up on the blog, so I want to take a few days to be a tourist in my own city this summer.
Yup, I’m talking full tourist: visit the museums, monuments, try out new restaurants, spend time at the Wharf, etc. Sometimes I lose sight of what makes D.C. great, and I think by planning a touristy day in my own hometown, I might fall in love with it yet again.
Be More Active
I’ve been slacking in the fitness department, but this summer I want to get out and be active. Whether I take advantage of the gym in my apartment, take a free yoga class at the park, or even plan out times/dates to walk around town with my boyfriend — there are a lot of fun ways to get in shape. I don’t want to embark on a strict workout plan, but I would love to get up and moving a bit more this summer.
What’s On Your Summer Bucket List?
Photos by Tom McGovern
