TL;DR:
- Embrace the slower pace of summer to reflect on activities that bring joy and well-being.
- Catherine Price’s “3 W’s” strategy helps assess and optimize our time and activities for better satisfaction.
- Understanding what activities make us feel good now can help us prioritize them during busier times.
It is July. The Saturday of summer. We finally arrived to the time when we aren’t go-go-go and do-do-do. We now have the opportunity to slow down and sink into some of the things that make us feel better in our heads and our hearts. On her podcast, Everything Happens, Kate Bowler interviewed Catherine Price, author of The Power of Fun. She says, “If we can clear out a little more space, we might find that there could be a little more possibility.”
With this gift of time, you can clear out a little space to better understand the connections between what you are doing and how you are doing. Why should we spend our precious July minutes doing this? If we can fall into our flow this summer, it may help us prioritize some of these things when we get back into the swing of things when we begin our next school year (I know, too soon!).
I have tried this exercise in thinking about what I am doing and how I am doing. I’m trying to use these less-structured summer minutes to not only do things but also think about how they make me feel.
I’m trying to use these less-structured summer minutes to not only do things but also think about how they make me feel. Click To TweetI will share a few examples as an invitation for you to try this too.
| WHAT am I doing? | HOW am I doing? |
| Spending a little more time exercising (thanks, Cody Rigsby!) | I feel all the things. I go from dreading it to moderately enjoying it to dreading it again, and then feeling proud and thankful I took the time to move. |
| Gardening | I feel like an elderly woman with my gloves and clogs, but I am joyful spending time in nature co-creating something beautiful with the universe. It also helps me feel close to my Mom. |
| Time with my people | Love. Full-tilt happiness. |
| Reading | Beyond delighted. Every page turn sitting outside brings me great joy. And falling asleep mid-day as I’m reading? Perfection. |
| Sauntering in my kitchen at any moment and finding a delicious snack in the pantry. | I am first so happy with the freedom of eating whatever I want (that’s not packed in a lunchbox)…but then I usually don’t feel so good because truth be told, I am eating the things my teenage son asks for (hello Fritos and Z bars!). |
| Scrolling IG (it’s candy for ma’ brain!) | The first few minutes are a lovely escape. Then I lose track of time and find myself down all kinds of rabbit holes. By the time I log out, I usually feel like I am wasting my summer minutes and missing out on summer moments. |
What Can We Learn?
What have I learned by this exercise of WHAT am I doing and HOW am I doing? In looking at my reflections, I notice the things that are life-giving to me; I will strive to incorporate exercise, time outside and with friends, and reading. My school self will thank me, as I see the direct correlation to these things and my overall well-being.
Let’s also examine those 2 things that don’t me feel great – snacking a little more (I mean, the kitchen is always right there!) and mindlessly scrolling on Instagram for too long.
The 3 W’s
Catherine Price has a strategy I have tried, and I like it a lot. She calls this strategy the “3 W’s”:
- Why now?
- What for?
- What else?
Why are we choosing that activity now? What are we doing it for? If we recognize it doesn’t make us feel good or move us towards a place of stronger well-being, what else could we be doing?
Let’s take the example of scrolling Instagram and see how this helps us discern our next right thing:
- Why now? I have unstructured minutes and this is a natural go-to.
- What for? To escape for a minute and check on my favorite Bravolebrities, bulldog videos, and early practices for the Buffalo Bills.
- What else? Something more active; physically, mentally, or creatively.
How could this work with the pantry snacks?
- Why now? It’s right there!
- What for? Unclear. Hunger? Boredom?
- What else? If I am hungry, can I find a better option? If I am bored, can I move my attention towards something else?
Achieving Time Affluence: Feeling More Balanced and Content
Once we consider what we are doing and how we are doing, and then unpack the reasons why we may feel certain ways, we can move through our days doing things that make us feel more content, balanced, and anchored in our heads, hearts, or bodies. When we feel this way, it’s almost like we are stretching our time, making us feel like we have more of it. It’s what psychologists would call “time affluence,” something we rarely feel during the school year.
While we have this abundance of time at the beginning of summer, let’s figure out what makes us feel good and better understand the ways we want to spend this time. This can help us prioritize some of those things when we have less time in the hustle of September.
To repeat the quote by author Catherine Price, “If we can clear out a little more space, we might find that there could be a little more possibility.”
The time is now.
Small Shifts, BIG Gifts!
Give it a try! As you move through your summer days, pay careful attention to how you are doing. Make the t-chart and consider what to prioritize once the next school year begins.
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!
