Summer seems to slow us down from the heat and a shift in routines for most of us. I can’t say I needed the heat to crank up like it has recently here in NTX but the shift in routine has proven to be critical to my body, my mind and my soul as I’ve moved through the first few weeks of it.
During this shift, here’s 5 things I’ve decided to take intentionally slow right now, and invite you to come up with your own list as well.
#1. The pace of my business
Ya’ll, this last spring was fast and furious. It seemed to wildly fly by. I was wrapping up the creation of my new Organized Home Masterclass that rolled out literally the day my oldest daughter finished school. I couldn’t believe I had made it to the finish line.But all along last spring, my intention was to roll out that program in order to down shift for the summer with my girls. And somehow I did it!
Last summer was quite different, as I rolled out my Ultimate Kitchen + Pantry Guide smack in the middle of the summer to celebrate my 10th year in business as Fuzzy Hippo Shop in July of 2021. For me celebrating this milestone meant I wanted to create something new for you, and that’s exactly what I did! I knew, however, this summer needed to be different, as I didn’t have the mental or physical energy to repeat this. It was critical I shifted my timeline to make space for a slower paced summer.
This summer, while I am still very much running my business on reduced and adjusted hours around being with my kids, the focus is a lot more about letting my mind wander and hold space for new ideas to develop, while my business mind is allowed to be less busy and more quiet. I can’t wait to share with you more about the new shifts in my business that will happen in the future! So excited!
#2. The speed in which I do things all day
Up until summer, I found myself rushing through almost everything I was doing all day, even when there was no reason to do so. Rush to wash my face and put on make up, rush getting dressed, rush making the bed, rush making breakfast, etc. You see where I am going. This had all been conditioned to get my babies to their school on time, which is all fine and well, but I was struggling to control when to go fast and when to go slow. It’s like I always tell my kids, there are times to move quickly (like move across the road quickly because a car is coming) or slow, when chopping veggies for dinner so we don’t get hurt.
Those are two basic examples, and I’m finding we need both rhythms everyday in some capacity. Some days need to be intentionally slow to rest and refill out bucket. Some parts of our day might be more action packed, but then maybe we downshift later on to reduce that feeling of rush that we all dislike so much. Either way, we can control these rhythms and we can decide when they happen or need to shift. And this lady is currently in slow down mode.
#3. How I exist with my children
Kids move fast, run fast, play fast. I’m intentionally trying to join in with them during the day when I can in slow ways. Reading or snuggling together on the couch. Sitting on the floor with them to have a tea party or play a game. Sit on the floor and watch them build something while I stretch after we walk the dog. Often I find the change in position/change in the level I am on helps a lot. Getting" out of the “standing over and observing mode” and sit down on the floor, lay down or pull up a stool to engage always helps things slow down. And my kids love when I am on their level by the way. We all win!
Also worth noting, anytime outside with my kids (or even if I am alone) feels slower, whether it is picking tomatoes in the garden, listening to the birds, watering, looking at butterflies bouncing around on the zinnias, or looking underneath the big vining leaves for cucumbers. Being outside seems to freeze time, especially if you have an ice pop or popcicle in hand!
#4. Taking slow walks with my dog
I am walking in the neighborhood with my girls most mornings now that we are all home and at first I was feeling a little annoyed that my morning walks were no longer a fast-paced exercise for me to get my rear moving. Now we’re walking at a much slower pace with little legs. Once I got out of my head about this I was just simply grateful to be with my kids outside during the coolest part of the day, getting fresh air, listening to the birds, practicing our car/street crossing safety, looking for cool leaves, rocks and feathers to bring home, etc.
My walks during the summer have a different purpose and I have learned to be ok with this. It’s also given us a chance to connect more with some of our elderly neighbors we don’t get to see as much during the rest of the year, bring them tomatoes from our garden or flowers, and just so many other things that in the rush of the pace before would not have happened before.
#5. My meal planning structure
You know I’m an avid meal planner during most of the year because it saves me so much brain power, time and money. But during the summer I ease up a bit on the planning and loosen the reigns with how I meal plan. If I feel like doing it one week, I do it. If I decide that we’re going to eat meals to “clear out the fridge this week” then so be it, and I write nothing down. A lot of our meals right now are swirling around how I am going to use all these beautiful garden tomatoes, and what a wonderful problem to have! I don’t know about you but my appetite shifts a lot during the summer as well, in that a lot of foods don’t sound as good because of the heat. So often what I will do is jot down a few dinners that do sound good and just put those bad boys on repeat and not look back. I highly recommend it!
And when you’re ready to dive back into meal planning or want to test it it out to see just how much mental bandwidth it saves you, check out all the notepad/list helpers I have in the paper shop to make all of this so much easier to do! Your brain space and energy during those more chaos filled days will thank you!
Now I’d love to hear from you in the comments.
What’s something your doing this summer to intentionally slow down? I can’t wait to hear what great ideas you have to share with us!