My writing life has been going beautifully this summer– except for this blog! I tend to write blog posts as mini-reflections on what’s going on in my life, and they tend to come spontaneously. But I’ve come to realize that approach only works well during the school year. In the summer, my reflections don’t come as bursts of insight. They’re long and twisting, deep and exciting, and I can’t seem to grab one end long enough to stuff it into the shape of a blog post.
My summer reflections:
- Purpose. Reading Start With Why by Simon Sinek prompted me to write my own “Why” statement. I crafted a personal purpose statement with a root intention and three branching intentions for my teaching, writing and family lives. I may share this on the blog after I’ve reflected on it a bit more. It feels deeply satisfying to have my life’s purpose written down, even though I know it will change over time.
- Why-What-How. Simon Sinek’s advice strikes again. I decided to write my seasonal goals in the why-what-how format. Goals generally fall under the “what” category; habits and routines under the “how” category. I often had to reverse-engineer the “why,” which goes back to broader intentions and life purpose, but it was worth it to determine whether my goals were actually a good match for my highest-level values and priorities.
- Seasonal mapping. After a few gentle reminders from friends and family not to spread myself too thin, I’m finally getting the message. I created a visual representation of the time and energy consumed by all the major areas of my life: Writing, Teaching, Family, Home, and Self. For each season, I rank the time and energy consumption in each category on a scale of 1 to 5. Example: teaching is a 5 on both the time and energy scales in the spring because of concerts and recruitment, but drops down to a 1 in the summer. That’s a visual signal that I need to take a step back on other projects in the spring and plan them for summer. I know this sounds obvious. But for me, “doing all the things” is my default setting, and I need constant reminders that I’m not superwoman. (I suppose I could just create a giant banner that says “You’re not Superwoman!” and hang it on my wall. That would work…)
I’m finding I have a lot more to say about seasonal mapping, so it may become its own blog post later.
What have you been reflecting on this summer?
When your children learn your rhythm of life, busy spring, quieter summer, anticipation of new routines etc., it amazes me how they observe and change their own rhythms to match.
Seasonal changes have been on my mind, too. I read the phrase “We cannot always be harvesting” a while back, and took it as a reminder that there are times for planting, growth, and harvesting, and also necessary fallow times of rest. A good reminder for me, because I also want to Do All the Things. Summer weather here has been so brutal this year, starting in May, that I am pretty well out of energy by August, and am planning a very lazy and laid back month, as much as I can manage. Hoping for both some fallow rest time and a bit of planting!