Summer has its own rhythm. It’s easy to stick with what we’ve been doing or to throw our hands up and say I’ll get back to business in September. You’ll enjoy summer (and fall) a whole lot more if you make a plan. 

As part of your summer planning process, think about your work hours for the next three months. Ask yourself these questions to help you narrow down how you want to spend yours: 

• Do I want my work hours to include weekends, or only Monday through Friday? 
• How much sleep do I need/want? From what time to what time? How much time do I need to wind down and prepare for sleep? 
• How much time do I need in the mornings to get ready for my day? (Think about not only things like getting dressed, showering, etc., but your morning routine.) 
• How much time do I need for meal preparation and eating? 
• How much time do I want to block out for exercise or movement? 
• How much time do I set aside for family and friends? What else needs time in my schedule? 

Once you have numbers for each of these, start subtracting from 168. What’s left over is your available work time. It can also be helpful to visually do this on a weekly planning page. Adapted from Focused: Reclaim Your Time, Ditch Overwhelm, and Do Less Better.  Get Focused here.