We all deserve a summer with no regrets. Join us for the Plan One Thing Summer Challenge, and say goodbye to the end-of-summer blues.
Summer is quickly approaching. Are you ready for it?
Most of my summers end with a case of the end-of-summer blues. I regret that I didn’t do more for myself. I regret not doing more with my children. I regret not going more places. I regret not relaxing more. I regret not doing more crafts or reading more books.
You get where I am headed with this, right? I feel as though I haven’t done enough. Every. Single. Summer.
Until last summer, that is.
Summer of No Regrets
Last summer, I did things a little bit differently and that made all the difference for me. I no longer felt regret at the end of summer. Instead, I felt content. I was enough. I did enough.
In previous years, we had good summers. In fact, I would even call them great summers. And yet, I still felt “lacking” at the end of the season. I have mentioned this before here.
Part of the reason why I feel “lacking” and full of regret is that we never accomplished ALL of the things I hoped to during the season.
I would set lofty expectations for myself and my children like going on a daytrip every single week, hiking weekly, watching educational videos on a frequent basis, learning new skills (or even new languages) over the summer, doing crafts and science experiments together every single week, and more.
I had set impossible expectations for our summers. We were overscheduled and in desperate need of more down time. It was a recipe for some serious summer regret – the end-of-summer blues.
But last summer was different. I relaxed, I set reasonable expectations, and we all enjoyed summer more fully. It was my first summer of no regrets.
You can beat the end-of-summer blues and enjoy a summer of no regrets, too!
The Plan One Thing Summer Challenge
Here’s how I achieved that summer of no regrets. It worked great last year, and I intend to do it again this year. I call it the Plan One Thing Summer Challenge, and I invite you to join me in this challenge.
Instead of making a list of ALL the things I want to do over the summer, I simply made a commitment to “plan one thing” each week. That’s it!
Planning just one thing per week allows me to
- Be intentional with family time
- Make memories and provide fun experiences for my family
- Not overschedule myself or my loved ones
- Fully enjoy the planned outing/activity
- End summer with a feeling that I have done enough
- Send my children back to school regret-free
- Avoid the end-of-summer blues
What do you think? Can you manage to plan just one thing each week this summer?
Summer Challenge Guidelines
The guidelines I have set for myself are pretty simple.
1. Plan one thing each week
It can be an outing (a daytrip, picnic lunch, hike, etc.) or an activity (craft projects, baking, family movie night, backyard bonfire, etc.).
If you need a little help planning outings/activities, here are a few helpful resources to get you started:
- 101 Family-Friendly Summer Activities – From ABCs to ACTs
- 40 Free and Fun Things to Do This Summer – Apartment Therapy
- 10 Unique Michigan Day Trips – Minivan Adventures
2. Be intentional
Fully enjoy these planned outings/activities in the moment. Participate in and cherish the memories you are creating together as a family.
RELATED: What Is an Intentional Family – Michigan State University Extension
3. Chill out and relax
Outside of these weekly planned activities, give yourself permission to relax. Allow yourself and your family members the flexibility to be spontaneous and do what enjoys you/them most.
By the way, I know how overly-committed people can get during a challenge like this. I recommend that you don’t plan any additional things for this challenge during family trips. Try to be “on vacation” from this challenge when you are on vacation.
Join the Plan One Thing Challenge!
I invite you to join me in fully enjoying the summer with no regrets this year. Sign up for the challenge to receive occasional email reminders over the summer and ideas for family fun.
Also, feel free to use the #PlanOneThing hashtag on social media. I will be checking in on everyone there, too.
Weekly check-ins for the Plan One Thing Summer Challenge officially begin on Memorial Day weekend.
#PlanOneThing on Social Media
One more thing! Please take a moment to follow Minivan Adventures social media channels so that we can support each other throughout the summer.
(Find Minivan Adventures on social media using these helpful links: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram.)
I will host weekly threads on the Minivan Adventures Facebook Page so that we can all share what fun things we are doing for the Plan One Thing Summer Challenge. These weekly threads will begin on Memorial Day weekend.
Additionally, I encourage you to share your fun outings and activities on Twitter or Instagram using the #PlanOneThing hashtag. That way, we can easily support and encourage one another.
Are you ready for a regret-free summer?
At the end of this summer, I WILL NOT feel as though I should have done more. I WILL NOT wish there had been more fun/memorable/special moments. I WILL NOT have any regrets.
I am really looking forward to another summer with no regrets. How about you? Are you ready for a regret-free summer? Are you ready to beat the end-of-summer blues?
Will you join me in my quest to intentionally plan one thing weekly?
I love the intentionality of this. We tend to over commit to things though, so perhaps for my family we would do better to specifically plan in down time days 🙂
This is a wonderful idea to keep plans realistic — I always mentally prepare for a 3-month summer when I only have less than 4 weeks!! Being purposeful about a weekly plan will make those 4 weeks awesome!!