20 Tips to Make The Most of Summer at Home

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School’s out and the promise of a fun and sunshine-filled summer is here. Well, that is if you’re off to sunnier climes abroad, have the end-of-term feeling or are a cast member from Made in Chelsea. But what if you’re not going on a summer break, you’re broke AND are working for most of the 6 week holidays? Here’s a few tips to make the most of your 2016 summer!

We don’t live in a country that guarantees a proper summer so we really have to make the most of the weather we have. Our days will not be filled with sunshine and there most definitely will be rain, but it will be lighter and milder. So there’s that.

It’s easy to get stuck into our daily routines. I should know. But just as the New Year promises new beginnings and opportunities, summer can bring with it a little hope too; and we all need a bit of that right now, don’t we folks?

Rather than making a long list of everything you want to do this summer at home, it’s important to be realistic and just focus on a couple of ideas, or even one. Use the 6 week holidays as a guide or goal to you really making the best of it.

Book some time off as if you are going on holiday, or purposefully use your evenings and weekends better. This summer could be the time you discovered a new hobby, a new author, or simply went outdoors more. Or it could be the beginning of something brilliant…

1 | Treat summer (even when you’re working) as an occasion, just like Christmas. Celebrate it and immerse yourself in summer-related goodness.

2| Learn something new. Try an outdoor activity that you’ve always wanted to learn. Archery, anyone?

3| If possible, change your working hours. Start your working day earlier so you have longer to enjoy your evenings.

4| Take advantage of the light and make use of the evenings. As tempting as it is to stick to your usual routine (Netflix, anyone) after a busy day at work, your days will seem longer if you break your day up. A long walk, a picnic, an evening drive?

5| Get fit. While the weather is mild it’s a great time to make use of the outdoors. Try running, walking, yoga, Roller Derby or look at classes in your local area.

6| Download apps to your phone so you can work from your phone in a different environment. As someone who works from home most of the time, there’s an assumption that when the sun shines I will be in the garden, drinking Pimm’s and eating cucumber sandwiches. Not true (shock horror). Instead, freelancers are mostly feeling annoyed that we’re stuck indoors (like everyone else) wondering why the weather didn’t play ball at the weekend. Having said all that. There are lots of work-related tasks I can do from my phone, sometimes more efficiently than from my desktop. So if I need a change of scenery, and a dose of vitamin D, then I do have options. More on this on my blog next week!

7| Be a tourist in your own town. Go for weekend potter, try new shops, new paths and talk to people in your community.

8| Have an art and culture inspired summer. Visit galleries, museums and exhibitions in your county.

9| Try wild camping (my dream when we get our van!). Let me know in the comments for any tips and places you like to visit in the UK.

10| Spend it making over your garden/outdoor space. We want a log store for our patio, we need to paint the outdoor windowsills, de-weed everything and I’d love to have my own herb garden. Fun summer job?

11| Volunteer at a charity that’s close to your heart. Charities might have staff away on their holidays so help will be needed. Love animals? Why not call your local RSPCA?

12| Create a website. Thinking of starting a blog or a business? Use your time out of work to get on it. Go on Pinterest for tips, advice and inspiration.

13| Make new recipes. Learn to cook a specific cuisine? Until this year I’ve never made a Chinese meal from scratch. Now I’m the boss of a noodle stir-fry! Tempted to try something new?

14| Paint, draw, craft. There’s always time for creativity (here’s a post on making time for creativity).