Spring has been more than a little rough for me personally. Not quite sure what I mean? Check out this blog to get up to speed.

Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve been thinking about what would need to change in order for me to feel less like a stressed-out, over-caffeinated hamster running a frantic marathon on a wheel that won’t stop spinning. And this is the crazy idea I came up with...

Do more of what makes me happy and less of what doesn't.

The “what doesn’t” part is pretty easy — less time in front of screens of various sizes and fewer 10+ hour work days. The “what makes me happy” part is a little trickier. So I made a list (because, of course I did). Here's what I wrote down: being in or near water of literally any kind, large swaths of unscheduled time by myself, reading fiction, petting dogs, going to the farmer’s market, champagne, sitting by a fire, appointments with practitioners that help me grow and feel good, weekends away with my hubby or my girlfriends, going to concerts, climbing trees, being still out in nature.

Looking at my list, I realized that most of these things cost zero dollars (or are pretty dang cheap) and can also be done solo. Mind = blown.

But a lot of the stuff that makes me happy does still require effort. Work. Hassle. Planning. Boundaries.

Even “swaths of unscheduled time by myself” requires me to DO something (i.e. block out time in my day to actually do nothing and then to honor that time by saying no when something comes up that I feel like I should be doing instead — seeing just one more client, networking with an acquaintance over coffee, running to the mechanic to get my oil changed).

And inertia is NO JOKE, y'all.

It’s a LOT easier to stay in my sweats, drinking my third cup of coffee and plugging away at a never-ending cascade of biz-related administrative tasks than it is to put on some pants (okay, okay, let’s be real — leggings) and drive over to the farmer’s market to pick up some local veggies, perfectly ripened berries, and a bouquet of fresh flowers for myself. But that simple trip to the farmer’s market is going to infuse my day with joy, pleasure, and a sense of spaciousness.

No matter how much easier it is to just keep working, the best thing I can do is to just stop and give myself the dose of “happy” that I desperately need and deserve.

So, in that spirit, I declare this summer my #summerofself — a season to shift into radical self-prioritization.

More downtime, less work and fewer social commitments. More time in the real world, less time crafting content for the digital world. More celebration, less obligation. Bring on everything that falls under the categories of “happy” and “restorative.” Anything else goes onto the back burner until September... who’s with me?