It’s JUNE! Glorious June! We are in equal parts sprinting and limping towards the finish line, and it feels so good! As we look back on our school year, I bet most of us found ourselves saying YES to a lot of people. Yes to principals, parents, colleagues, students, support staff. Yes. Yes. Yes.
Do you remember our “7.4 in 74” list from last summer? We count up our total summer days (80 days? Make a list of 8 things!) of things we want to want to do, experience, enjoy, or accomplish this summer. That was a meaningful practice for me last summer, so I’m doing it again this summer.
Some of those things from my list are:
- Read the books in my TBR pile (books are ready! They are literally piled up on my nightstand OR in a queue on my Kindle)
- Play around with a digital sabbath (outside of the annual Facebook fast) for one week to see how it makes me feel.
- Redo our guest room (a carryover from Summer 2024)
- Enjoy the 7-mile Saturday hikes with Kristin during the week!
- Finish and submit drafts of the new teacher book and leadership book.
- Get fitted for a new nightguard (I’m telling you I’m 45 without telling you I’m 45)
- Tour nearby colleges with our daughter.
- Find a new primary care doctor.
- Find a better microphone sitch for the podcast.
Squeezing the Heck out of Your Summer
None of these things on the list are wildly earth shattering; but I do know as I move through this list it will help me feel a bit more grounded, steady, and content. How will I squeeze the heck out of this upcoming summer so I can say YES to those things? There’s only one way: by saying NO to other things. This small shift in action developed from a life-giving text thread in my life: my grad girls group. Let me tell you a little bit about this beloved group. Back in 2002-2004 we were in a Masters cohort together getting our degree as Reading Specialists. Being together every Thursday for over 2 years bonded us. We had a few years where we didn’t chat so frequently, but then life brought us back together about ten years ago (by a random run-in at PetSmart) and this is a group of friends I cherish.
Before I share small shift in action created by this group of brilliant friends, I’d love to share the original inspiration. You know the book Yes Day by Amy Krouse Rosenthal? The book was later turned into a movie by the same name and starred Jennifer Garner. If you’re unfamiliar with book or movie, essentially, the premise is this: Whatever the kid asks for that day, the answer is yes.
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Yes Day!
Ice cream for breakfast? Sure!
A trip to the movies and the zoo? You’ve got it.
Sleepover in the living room with the whole family? Why yes, indeed. Yes to it all.
Here’s that brilliant idea from the Grad Girls text thread: A NO Day. Really and truly taking a day (or whatever time frame you want) and consciously trying to say a hard no to things [gasp!]. Saying no can be quite challenging for many of us. Earlier when we thought about the yeses of this past school year, it’s pretty clear that we are conditioned to responding with immediate yeses. But this summer? Nobody is the boss of us or our yeses. This idea of a “No Day” gives us permission to pause and say no.
No Day!
Let’s give the idea of a NO Day a whirl and see how well we do practicing our NOPEs:
The sign-up genius for the thing you don’t even want to go to. Nope.
The closet that desperately needs organizing? That’s a no.
The email or text that rolls through from an acquaintance that says, “Got a minute?” No.
The voicemail that says something along the lines of, “Hey, since it’s the summer, I know you have a bit more time and flexibility. Would you be able to help with [insert committee/task/project that isn’t a full body yes.]. Nope.
Open up that school email account just to peek in and see what’s happening? Nope.
Will this be difficult? Yes. But will it also help create space in the summer so we can feel rested, recharged, and restored? Also yes.
If the idea of a complete No Day is a struggle for you, maybe consider pockets of time you are on “Do Not Disturb” on your phone so you can do something that brings you uninterrupted joy; or take off your smartwatch so you can take a deep breath. Maybe just start with a No Hour and see what that does to your head and heart.
Author Bob Goff has leveled up this idea. He often says on his Dream Big podcast that he tries to quit something every Thursday. It’s so interesting to me that saying no has become a goal for others and I am beginning to think I could find a place for this in my busy life as a mom, teacher, partner, friend, author, speaker, and all those other roles I play.
We must choose our absence so we can plan our presence.
Here’s to saying YES to a No Day.
Small Shifts, BIG Gifts!
Could you do it? Could you have a No Day this summer where you simply don’t take anything more on? Give it a try and see what this small shift in thought can do for your head, heart, or spirit.
About Suzanne Dailey
Suzanne Dailey is a proud member of the Teach Better Family! She is an instructional coach in the Central Bucks School District where she has the honor and joy of working with elementary teachers and students in 15 buildings. Suzanne is Nationally Board Certified, a Fellow of the National Writing Project, and has a master’s degree in Reading. She is dedicated to nurturing and developing the whole child and teacher. Suzanne lives in Doylestown, Pennsylvania with her husband and two children.
Check out the Teach Happier Podcast here!
