The Summer of Odds and Ends. (It is odd. But it will end.)

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Today I’m thinking about students who have three months with no classes, no papers, no exams before it all starts again in September. If this is not you, and you are in the superpace of spring and summer sessions, my earlier blog on Short Sprints may ring bells: https://www.stevevogel.net/change-it-up-with-short-sprints/

But for those of us without the structure of classes, and with the uncertainty of constantly changing COVID rules, case counts, vaccine timelines, and lockdowns, the next three months can be a challenge. What can you do to ensure you’re in good shape for September? To ensure that you are indeed living some of the joy that is possible to live in the middle of uncertainty?

For this summer and probably for the whole next year, you will find it useful to have the mental set of being prepared for anything. Our mindset needs to accept that unpredictability will be the rule, and we’ll just deal. Let’s look at the hardest situation, and that is lockdown. You probably won’t be under lockdown for three months, but anything that works for lockdown can also help us through the various phases of relaxed isolation.

Planning, scheduling, and flexibility around the critical factors for mental and physical health need to include

  • Mental stimulation
  • Building in a sense of control
  • Activities that will lead to a sense of completion
  • Fun
  • Physical fitness
  • Social connection
  • Congruence with your goals
  • Congruence with your core values

If you haven’t already done this, take some quiet time and self-assess on where you are. Let your thoughts simmer, then after a day or so, sit down again with your tablet or a sheet of paper, and jot down what you could do that would move you toward a better summer, a better fall. Again, give some time for your mind to process in the background as you go about your day.

Then pick one or two activities that will be doable, rewarding, important, but not necessarily critical to you, and schedule what you need to do to get them done.

Here are some examples of activities others have done just to stay grounded during lockdown:

  • Building a treehouse with the kids
  • Building a model–ship in a bottle (watch frustration here–it’s supposed to be fun)
  • Using the weather to go for walks, bike trips
  • Spending 10 or 15 minutes a day on a foreign language program (Rosetta Stone is highly reviewed, Duoingo is free)
  • Journaling, writing a poem a day
  • Embroidery, or acrylic painting or T-shirt painting or . . .  
  • Collaborative gaming (but maybe not Pandemic!)
  • Coaching an ESL student
  • Taking a non-credit online course that has nothing to do with your academic career and that you won’t have time to do once classes start
  • Learning new recipes
  • Organizing a family photo history
  • Starting a family genealogy
  • Interviewing family members with whom you don’t have regular connection

These are all activities that shouldn’t be affected by the unpredictable changes that are sure to happen. They can be built around any job or family requirements you have.

Once you have scheduled and started, endorse yourself for every time you start a session, and every time you complete a session. If you are judging yourself for the times you miss, stop, endorse for spotting that, and carry on the next day. Or maybe reassess if you need to choose a different activity (remember, flexible planning).

I hope this approach helps your summer. We will eventually all be vaccinated, and we are all getting through. [email protected]