Are You Maximizing Your Summer? Probably Not.

By Hetal Joshi Gordon | Dream Big, Think Big

I wrapped up my long corporate career last summer.

But this? This is the first summer I'm actually living in my new world. Last year I was decompressing — this year I'm awake for it. And I have something I've never had before: the chance to truly redefine the way I work.

Which got me reflecting.

I'm proud of how hard I worked all those years. Genuinely. But looking back, I could have done things differently. I could have been more intentional about how I spent my summers.

Instead, summer was just another quarter. Different weather, same calendar. The out-of-office was aspirational at best. Even on vacation, I was never really gone — just answering emails with a better view.

Twenty-plus summers, and I couldn't tell most of them apart.

I can't get those back. But I can do the next ones differently. And so can you — you don't need to leave your job to reclaim your summer. You just need to be intentional about it.

Here's what that looks like:

Put the out-of-office on. Then actually be out. Set it and mean it. If something truly breaks, someone will call you — that's what emergencies are for. Everything else can wait. Checking in “just for a minute” isn't dedication. It's a leash. Take it off.

Let summer have its own schedule. Summer is a different season. Your calendar should look different too. What stops most of us isn't logistics — it's guilt. Toss the guilt. Build a schedule that lets you soak up the best of summer and still be fully productive during working hours. Both can be true.

Disconnecting is not a reward. It's a requirement. I used to treat breaks like something I had to earn — and somehow I never earned enough. The brain doesn't refill while it's still plugged in. Real breaks. Phone in another room. Not because you finished everything. Because you never will, and that can't be the standard.

Fill it with what fills you. Long mornings. A trip you've been postponing. The book, the trail, the people you keep meaning to see. Summer has a generosity to it that the rest of the year doesn't. Take it up on the offer.

And if you have kids — protect the trips. No exceptions. You get 18 summers with them. That's it. Eighteen. And here's the part nobody says out loud: it's not really even 18. The first few don't count — they won't remember them. And the last few? They'll have jobs, friends, plans of their own. You're not the main event anymore. So really, you get a handful. Do not let a job jeopardize the family trip. Not a launch, not a deadline, not a “critical” quarter. I promise you: no job is worth a missed summer. None.

This is the summer I get to start over. Most people don't get that handed to them.

But here's the thing — you don't have to start over to start differently.

This summer counts. They all do now. 🩵

In Awe in Alaska - July 2026 Celebrating Mom and Dad's 80th Birthdays