You have to be careful what you wish for, as it might come true. And summer is just that. After a winter of wishing that the weather was nicer and that you had more time for yourself, summer comes along with longer hours and more varied options to relax.

That, of course, comes with strings attached. Because while you do deserve to enjoy yourself, summer is also a great opportunity to invest some spare hours into signing up for a course, improving your skills and completing a project.

All the free time that children have in summer requires some serious planning

The trick, as with everything in life, is to have a cunning plan so that you make the most of work and play.

Make a plan

First things first: make a plan for your summer. Your plan should be based on your priorities.

Once you have identified these priorities, including work and any training you might sign up for, you can choose what you want to do before or after work and on weekends. Make sure that every day you dedicate some time to your family and friends. Moreover, enjoy your own company. Being on your own is healthy – read a book or your favourite magazine without any distractions. Make yourself feel that it’s good to be you.

Work hard, play hard

There are two downsides to missing out on work. The first is that what you don’t do today, you will have to do tomorrow: that means a double workload for you. And second, any fun activity that follows will be spiked with the guilt of not having done your duties.

What you need is discipline. Make sure that you do all your important work every day so that you can enjoy the rest of your day without nursing any guilt feelings.

Time for kids

As soon as you’ve worked out an effective winter routine for the children – school, extracurricular activities, homework, dinner and off to bed – summer comes along and wreaks havoc.

The irony is that all the free time that children have in summer requires some serious planning. Which means that you need to plan your children’s summer activities carefully. Sign them up for a summer school and encourage them to read more and to take up summer projects. Make their activities as fun as possible by involving them in choosing programmes and activities.

However, don’t go overboard – leave them some spare time so that they can enjoy the long days of summer.

Moreover, summer is a great opportunity to spend some time together as a family – make the most of it.

The great outdoors

The sun might be shining but staying indoors fiddling away with technology is always an irresistible temptation. Of course, technology is essential – however, during summer, give yourself some technology-free time.

After all, one of the main aims of technology is to help us work more efficiently, thus freeing up more time to enjoy ourselves. The best way to do this is to create tech-free zones at home. The dining table, for instance, should be one of them. It is tempting to play Real Racing in between courses, but don’t.

Instead, engage in conversation and get involved in what the other members of the family are up to.

Another idea for an effective digital diet is to keep your devices on silent after work hours.

Summer holiday

You’ve worked hard all winter and now you deserve a break. And the best way to do that is to get on a plane and enjoy a holiday with family or friends. Whether it’s long-haul or short-haul, a holiday abroad is always great to recharge your batteries. Ideally, leave your laptop at home – a holiday is a holiday and it needs to stay that way.

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