This is how you get everything done when you still have a bizarre amount to do

On my phone, there is a countdown app where I can see exactly when our plane departs. 78 days, it says now. My friend and I celebrate every ten days that passes. But when I calculated how many weeks this was, I did feel a bit of panic. 11.5 weeks? I still have so much to do.

I work with focus hours, timing my pieces that I need to write, reading my email twice a day and exercising in between to clear my head and then continue again. You could say that I am a bit at my max in that regard, so what is left? Making sure I get through my summer well. On Instagram, I saw from Gwen van Poorten (who by the way has the most fun podcast) the answer: I need to design my summer.

It's actually strange, because for every project we make a plan of action. I know, this feels very high school, but it can be that simple. So why don't we make a plan for a season, a trip, or better yet: for our lives? The summer felt like a huge mountain of tasks to tick off before I could go on my trip, but by organizing and designing these months, it already feels much calmer.

How do you design that summer? Start broadly. First, see until when your summer lasts. In the Netherlands, that is usually until the end of September, but if you go away in October, you extend it. First, write down what you wish and want to do per month and then break it down into weeks and finally days and maybe even hours. Thanks to Gwen, I realized that I want to work in a different location once a week instead of in my home office. I want to move and meditate every day. In September and October, I will travel and want to work partly on vacation and partly remotely. You write down everything you would like in such a plan of action and work it out to the coffee you have every Wednesday with friend A and the visit to your grandma every two weeks. My summer design roughly looks like this:

June > Start with a healthier lifestyle, so: moving, meditating, and sleeping well
July > Quietly get a lot of work done, with enough breaks in between.
August > Prepare for departure and see friends + family
September > Go on a trip without having to do everything
October > Work remotely, on my own terms

With that rough outline, I will get to work. Which people do I want to see and when? Are there any personal goals I would like to achieve this summer? Do I want to go away for a weekend? And in my case, not unimportant: which days or weekends do I block to just do nothing? Grab those markers and large sheets and draw out that summer. Nothing is right or wrong, after all, it is your summer. What I do know: it helps me to live steadily towards my trip, without drowning in everything that still needs to be done before that time.