From Guilt to Growth

Feeling bad or guilty when the summer break starts has been a recurring theme in my life. I know that I deserve a break, so why not just take it and enjoy? I always find it hard to sit and waste more than three hours scrolling through my phone or watching movies without feeling the worst afterward. This feeling magnifies especially after school is over. I can waste that time during very intense periods of projects and exams—at least I am studying, and wasting a couple of hours will not hurt that much. Meanwhile, wasting this time when you have done basically nothing for the whole day hits differently.

Over the past few years, I found a way to solve this issue by simply writing small goals that I will accomplish by the end of the summer. So whenever I feel like I just spent half of my day doing nothing, I can do something that will give my day a purpose and end up with great results. As time passed, these activities that I consistently did introduced me to new lifestyles and habits that I still maintain and that I would never have discovered otherwise. Normally, we do not have the luxury to enjoy time during the year, but having the summer vacation is enough for me to try new things and explore life in a different way. It is a time for rediscovering and doing things that I really wanted to do.

Here, I would like to share with you some ideas and tips that helped me through this journey of writing “Summer Goals.” I hope you enjoy them.

First of all, let’s agree on this before diving into what I am about to mention. I really like to make a summer plan and I enjoy setting goals and all, but there is a rule I follow: these plans are for the SUMMER. I am not obligated to achieve them all, and my future will not depend on them. They are meant to be for fun and to add value. If any of it doesn’t come to pass, I will not feel guilty about it. If setting goals gives that sense of urgency and obligation, then it is not the case. 

For me, writing my summer plan during the final exams is the only thing that keeps me going. It is the end of the academic year, and normally we force ourselves through these finals and barely survive. However, taking small breaks from studying and the pressure of it to plan what you are going to do in the summer is a real delight. To begin the process of gathering your thoughts, you have to start by writing the goals and plans randomly in the note-taking app on your phone is the best way to gather as much as you can. Plus, we have our phones in our hands most of the time, so when anything pops up, just write it down. 

Another time I like to filter and sort my summer plan/goals is in the first two weeks of the vacation. They are so quiet, and most of the kids still have their exams. It has this relaxing atmosphere that forces you to just relax and enjoy the time while preparing for the sunny, loud times.

After brainstorming all the goals/tasks/things I want to do in the summer, I sort them into three categories: Habits, Tasks, and Projects. I always like to add a new habit or two into my daily routine. Maybe I enjoy them, and they will stick with me throughout the year.

Tasks, or sometimes I call them goals, are things that can be measured or done in a day or two. Such as the number of books I want to finish in this time, the courses I want to watch, the new skills I want to learn, and the friends I want to meet. Long story short, all of the things that I’ve been putting off all year, I will gather them and maybe achieve them now.

Now, the Projects. Under this particular list will be the least number of items, ideally one or two, that will have the most focus during the summer. Like starting a business or becoming an expert in a specific field. Having a project in the summer to work on gives this period of time a purpose and adds value to it, and it will always be remembered. 

Finally, when we reach the end of the summer, we are probably not going to check all of our list, and that’s fine. These are SUMMER goals, and we can use them as long as we are still alive. 

Enjoy your summers.

AND Thanks.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

THE RESET BUTTON || The idea that keeps coming up

I feel stuck, and I’m writing this down to understand why. Usually, when I have an idea I want to write about, I sit with myself and think or do a bit of research on the main points I want to address then I start writing accordingly. But today, I’m not.  To be honest, I did write down some ideas, and I have the main goal of this post in mind. But I’ll start by just emptying my mind first, and we’ll see where it goes. I listened to a Jay Shetty podcast while driving—which is something I haven’t done in a long time (listening to podcasts—or Jay Shetty, specifically). He asked us to write down why we’re stuck, or why we think we’re stuck. So, I opened the voice memo app and rambled for almost half an hour. Here are the main points I found myself hovering around: I was doing things for a very long time and defined my success by them. So now that I’ve stopped, I don’t feel worthy anymore. I’ve had almost the same schedule since 2021. I’m four years older now, and I still want to ...
Read more

A Quest of a busy student

For the past five years, I have been trying to find the ultimate way to    plan and manage my day that can achieve maximum results with minimum resources. In another word “How to be productive”. Good news is think I’m finally there, or at least I've found the best solution for my current situation. Hopefully, this article will give you some insights into my journey and what I believe is the perfect tools for having a productive and meaningful life that isn’t full of worry and stress. As a student.   For a very long time, I was obsessed with how I spent my time and my days. I always tried to make each day meaningful by doing at least one good thing that would leave me satisfied by the end of it. I didn’t really know what this was called back then; I just knew that I didn’t want to waste my days doing nothing that matter and wanted to accomplish as much as possible without feeling exhausted. This first changed when I read my first non-fiction book, The Miracle Morning, whic...
Read more

The wake up call

This is going to be a short article, it   meant to be a wake-up call for me and you from whatever we have been doing for the past ten months of our lives and to remind us of the remaining two months we still have of the year. WAKE UP!! There is something called the Pareto Principle that comes to mind in this situation. It states that 80% of the results come from only 20% of the causes. In simpler words, it means that the greatest changes that happens in life come only from 20% of the actions you apply to achieve them. Like when you are preparing for an exam and not studying the whole material but only the most important parts you think the instructor will focus on and in less time, which will eventually guarantee you 80% of the grade, of course not a full mark but a densest one. Less studying time but of the right material will give you the most amount of grades possible, smart, not hard. What I am trying to say is that since the year is almost over, it’s never too late. Check ...
Read more