Even though we have not made it to the official first day of summer, it feels like summer is already off and running…albeit running a little differently this year. I’m out of sorts, I’ll be honest. School ended a few weeks ago, I have a sassy teenager home and bored, we are still social distancing, and the urge to veg is stronger than ever. Much to The Mayor’s (my son) despair, a summer schedule was needed, both for me and for him.
At the beginning of the pandemic, when stay-at-home orders were in full force, most businesses were closed and we were still homeschooling (school has now ended here), a work colleague mentioned a schedule he had put together for his child. I thought it was a great idea, so I did some reconfiguring to make it work for us. Here are some of the basics to keep in mind when putting together your own schedule.
Sleep is Still Important
Everything I read lately talks about making sleep a priority, and this is true even during the summer months when things get a little more lax. It’s easy to stay up too late and then sleep in too late. Then at the end of summer we all try to get back to a more normal sleep schedule. Make yourself a sleep schedule and try to stick to it. Even if you are staying up and sleeping in, having regularity to your sleep makes a big difference.
Make Time for Downtime, Hobbies, and Even Screen time
Screen time seems to be a never ending battle in our house, so we try to keep in as best we can under control. Adding into a schedule time for downtime and hobbies helps to break up the screen time monotony. One hour a day is in the schedule for reading or true downtime (not doing much of anything); and one hour is scheduled for hobbies. For my son it’s legos, or drawing; for me it’s baking or working on a fun house project.Then there is time for tv, phone games or Playstation.
Chores and Responsibilities
Since we are spending time at home everyone is expected to pitch in a little more than usual. Every day there are chores and regular occurring tasks that need to be done. We use Rooster Money for The Mayor’s chores (chore tracking available in the paid version), and I use Todoist for my to-dos. Having a list creates accountability, so even having a physical list that you leave on the counter every morning helps to keep everyone on track.
Have a Project
This summer Hubby and The Mayor have been working on a vegetable garden. It’s been great for The Mayor to learn about growing and caring for a garden, and it’s been fun to watch the interaction between the two of them as they work towards a common goal. I on the other hand cannot keep a cactus alive…so I stick with my house projects which is great for me.
All things considered, making a conscious effort to have a routine really helps to quell the boredom that comes along with the lazy summer days. Boredom that is often filled with mindless stuff can leave a feeling of “where did my summer go” when it’s time for the kiddos to head back to school. The added plus is that if you are working from home, you are able to fall back on the routine or schedule in order to help your personal productivity.
Head on over to my Resources page for a downloadable sample summer schedule. This style can be printed at the beginning of the week and hung in a place where it can be used daily. While this version is geared towards kids, it can easily be adapted for anyone to use.
