Rethinking Your Summer To-Do List

Ah, summer … the lazy days of resting, relaxing and recharging. Wait … wha? Who has time for that?! It seems summer has become just another time to go, go, go … even while on “vacation.” Let’s just add rest to the official list of four-letter words.

I experienced a huge wake-up call last summer that showed me rest is not an option but a necessity – not an easy lesson for someone who used to judge the success of the day by how much got done. Rest gets a bad rap, especially among professionals determined to make a difference in their families, organizations and communities – like many Leadership Oakland (LO) participants. Rest = slacking; rest = mind-numbing hours in front of the TV (maybe, but not usually); rest = wasting precious time.

Truth: Real rest is doing things that you enjoy, that energize and recharge you. And while you, like me, may love and be energized by your job – too much of a good thing is … well, not good.

So that got me wondering … what do LO readers do, or wish they would do more of, to rest and recharge? The LO community is unique and diverse but united by the desire to live to our full personal and professional potentials. And who knows … your suggestion may inspire someone else to try something new or create new connections between LO readers.

To get you thinking, here are a few things I’ve done recently to rest and recharge:

• Read – I LOVE to read and learn. Latest book favorite – Option B: Facing Adversity, Building Resilience, and Finding Joy by Facebook COO, Sheryl Sandberg, and top-rated Wharton professor, Adam Grant. I’m currently looking for other recommendations.
• Ballroom Dance Classes – Super fun and a good workout
• Long weekend in Ohio’s Amish Country – there’s something to be said for old-fashioned simplicity
• Spent a rainy Sunday binge-watching forgotten 80’s sitcoms like Benson (major admiration points from me if you remember that one).