Calm the Chaos of Summer with This 10-Minute Work Reset

I’m sitting at a small desk in a classroom at Valley Forge Middle School in Wayne, Pennsylvania, watching as the clock ticks toward 3:30 p.m. Every tick brings me closer to the end of the school year and the beginning of summer. I’m practically vibrating with the excitement of being free from classes and homework for a few months. Who knows what adventures summer will bring?

The Chaos of Summer as a Parent

I still remember that feeling perfectly. But as a grown-up with kids, summer is both exciting and distracting. I’m excited for the jammed school schedule to stop and for more family time, but I’m also stuck in a new kind of chaos. You know it if you’re a parent. It’s the kind that has your brain spinning with questions like, Which camp are the kids going to this week? Which kid do I have to drive where? and, Oh man, what time do I have to pick them up again?

With all of that family stuff and work on top of it, summers are busy around here. But it’s like my body remembers the break of childhood and wants to slow down and work a lot less. That’s not necessarily a bad thing—we all need to truly take time off from work, and I even have a vacation planned where we’ll be without cell service or internet for five days—but we can’t do it all summer.

How I’m Compartmentalizing (and You Can Too)

This summer, to make the most of it and balance the pull between work and vacation, I’ve decided to focus on being present. The idea is simple: Wherever I am, there I am. So when I am on vacation, I’m focused on my family and whatever adventures we’re having that day. And when I’m working, I’m present at work—turning off the endless list of personal things that need to be done and focusing on what’s in front of me.

Can’t Quite Focus? Try This 10 Minute Reset

Of course, life isn’t always clean and tidy, and things will bleed over for sure. Just last Monday morning, I got a call from my wife while I was at the office trying to catch up on a few things. She told me that our eldest didn’t want to go to school. He had three days left and was pushing hard to stay home. We took turns talking him through it, and after hopping off the call, my brain was spinning.

So, after a minute or two of staring at my task list, I got up, walked out of my office, and headed to the parking lot behind the building. I needed to clear my head. The parking lot was empty and drenched in sunlight. I put in my headphones, turned on Mendelssohn’s “Songs without Words,” and walked the perimeter of the parking lot.

At first, I just walked and listened to the music. Then, I stretched my arms and lifted them into the air to ease the tension in my shoulders. Finally, I turned the music off to listen to the birds and the breeze. After a few more minutes, I went back into the office feeling ready to attack my work.

Personal life and work bleed together all the time, but recognizing when I’m distracted and doing something to help me reset (and not just power through at 50% efficiency) is my new plan. If you’re feeling similarly scattered right now, I hope you’ll try it too. Let me know if it works for you! You can email me anytime at chiefbanana@fruitguys.com.