Hustle Sanely

315: How to Romanticize Summer So You Actually Enjoy It This Year

• Jess Massey

Share episode

Use Left/Right to seek, Home/End to jump to start or end. Hold shift to jump forward or backward.

0:00 | 22:43

Do you dread summer??? Same. In this episode, I’m sharing super simple ways to romanticize summer so you can stop wishing the season away and actually enjoy it — even if you're a fellow die-hard fall girlie living in Florida heat 🥲

In this episode, we cover:

  • 6 simple ways I’m romanticizing summer this year
  • How I’m making summer feel more intentional and enjoyable (even as a fall girlie living in Florida 😂)
  • Small rituals, routines, and mindset shifts that are helping me stop wishing this season away

| RESOURCES | 

SPEAKER_00

My alternate title for this episode is How to Make Summer Not Suck This Year If You Hate Summer. Listen, I feel like there are two types of people in the world: fall people and summer people, and I'm fall people. Okay, I actually hate summer. Hate is kind of a strong word, but listen, I live in Florida and you literally cannot go outside without being drenched in 13 seconds. Like the only way that I'm going outside from mid-May to September is if I'm getting in a body of water. I thrive being outdoors. So being cooped up inside all summer just gives me the summer blues. And I know that's kind of like the opposite. Most people get the winter blues, but I really do get the summer blues. And here's the thing, and this is why it's like kind of tricky. I actually love the idea of summer. I think I would love summer if I didn't live in Florida because I love the aesthetic of summer. I love the long days, I love iced coffee, I love the slower schedule, I love the bright colors, I love summer fashion. I just hate the weather and feeling trapped inside because of it. And maybe if we got a pool, if you're watching this on YouTube, I keep looking this way because that is our backyard over there. And I think if we had a pool, it would be different, but we don't have a pool. So every June I start to get anxious that summer is here, and I find myself kind of wishing time away until October, which is when the weather becomes bearable again here in Florida. And I don't want to do that this year. I want to romanticize summer so that I actually enjoy it this year, even if that means that I'm spending more time indoors. So my daughter Everly, she's three this year, and we've got some changes coming up this fall. And so I just really want to be in a good headspace this summer. I want to be super present with her, intentional about how we're spending time together. So I'm doing six things to help me romanticize summer this year, and I'm gonna share them with you today. Welcome or welcome back to the Hustle Stanley podcast. I hope that you're taking care of yourself. I miss y'all. I'm glad to be back to podcasting. There are gonna be some changes around here, but we'll talk about those at the end of the episode. So stick around. I've already talked about them over on Instagram. So if you follow me on Instagram, you've definitely heard me talk about the changes that are coming, but we'll cover everything at the end of the episode in case you do want to hear me talk about all the updates and whatnot. Anyway, this is your digital classroom for learning how to break up with burnout and build a peacefully productive life. If you are tired of feeling like you're running on E and stretched so thin, grab your notebook and let's get to class. I miss saying that, you guys. I really did. The bell has rung, so let's learn today's lesson together. Here are the six things that we are gonna do. Me and you, we're doing this together, okay? But here are the six things that we're gonna do to help us romanticize summer this year so that we can be the most peacefully productive version of ourselves, all right? Tip number one: we are gonna plan three summer-inspired mannies and five summer-inspired outfits that we're excited about. Romanticizing something means leaning in and making it a vibe, right? Like that's how I think of romanticizing. So we are embracing the look of summer with this one. I feel like when you have things to look forward to, even small things like a nail color or an outfit, it kind of shifts how you feel about the days ahead. Maybe that's just me, I don't know, but it gives you something to anticipate. It gives you like a little spark of excitement for the season you're in. You know what I'm saying? We're gonna pick three summer-inspired nail looks that we wanna try between now and the end of August. Y'all, if you're watching this on YouTube, do not even look at my nails right now, okay? I'm getting my first summer-inspired Manny Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, three days from now, okay? And my nails right now look insane. I actually have talons right now. They're so long and they're just like not the vibe. So I know I'm talking about nails right now, but don't look at my nails right now, okay? So anyway, maybe you want to try like a bright red or a coral color. Maybe it's something fun and like out of your norm, whatever feels summery and exciting to you. I want you to pick three, three different manicures that you want to try throughout the summer. And listen, you don't have to go to the nail salon and get your nails done. If you want to do press-ons, there are so many cute press-on brands. Glamnetic is one. I haven't tried it yet, but I kind of want to take a break from getting my nails done this summer. To be honest, I love having my nails done, but I hate going to get my nails done. I know it's a whiny first world problem, but I'm just being so honest with y'all. So if you're a press-on girl, I've heard really good things about Glamnetic and Oliven June, and I'm very tempted to try them out myself. If I do, I'll report back, of course. But if you're watching the video version of this episode, I'm gonna pop my three summer-inspired manis up on the screen. I'm planning to do some sort of like ocean-inspired design, either a shell situation or like a sunset situation. I don't know, just something like tropical y. So that's one I'm thinking about doing that for June. I'm definitely doing a bright red for July. I do that every year, so I don't even have to think about that. And then I think for August, I kind of want to do like a blue or green, like striped situation. Very, very out of my norm, but I don't know, I think it'd be fun to try. So, next up, we are gonna put together five outfits that feel like summer to us. And same thing here. I'm not telling you that you need to go out and spend money and buy like a whole new summer wardrobe. Shop your closet. Think about what you feel best in during the summer months, outfits that you're actually excited about. Maybe it's like a sundress that makes you feel good, a linen set that makes you feel put together, the fun sandals, the jean shorts, like you get it, like your version of a summer wardrobe. Then I want you to go to Pinterest, make a romanticizing summer board, and add your summer-inspired manny's and your five summer-inspired outfits. So either find five outfits on Pinterest to pin to your board, or or you can take a picture of your five outfits like from your closet. So, like pull them together, put them on your bed, take a picture, and then upload them as pins to Pinterest. That way you have all of your summer outfits and all of your summer manicures all on this romanticizing summer board. Okay. If you're watching, I'll of course put some of my summer-inspired outfits up on the screen for y'all for some inspo. And this might sound intense to create a Pinterest board, but when you wake up on a Tuesday in July that feels kind of blah because it is just so hot outside, having a cute summer outfit ready to go can honestly shift the whole morning. I know that you know that I'm right. That the mornings that you take a little bit of extra time to like make yourself feel put together, whatever that means for you, it pays off. It's worth it. It's always, always worth it. So that is tip number one. We are choosing three summer-inspired mannies and five summer-inspired outfits so that we can intentionally dress for the summer and romanticize the season that we're in. Tip number two, make a menu of three summer-inspired dinners that you want to try over the next couple of months. Listen, if you follow me on Instagram, you already know I am not a cook. My husband is the cook of our household, and God bless him for that, honestly. But I still think that eating seasonal ingredients makes whatever season you're in more fun. Even though I'm not the one doing the cooking, like even being just like the eater of the household, I feel like eating meals that align with the season, it really does just elevate your day-to-day. It makes the day more fun. Okay. So eating summery feeling dinners makes me more excited about summer. Truthfully, it does. So get your little booty back on Pinterest and add three summer-inspired dinner recipes that you want to try to your romanticizing summer board. I feel like three is a good number because it's one recipe per month that you can try. One for June, one for July, one for August. And that feels really doable instead of daunting. You know what I'm saying? Like we're gonna be eating dinner every night anyway, so we might as well make it a vibe a few times. Here is a list of recipes that remind me of summer. Grilled shrimp tacos with mango salsa. You've got to have the mango salsa, okay? I'm telling you, I'm telling you. So that's the first one. Watermelon feta salad, burger bowls, chicken Caesar salad, grilled pineapple chicken skewers. I love grilled pineapple. I love tropical fruit in the summer. Are you like catching the vibe here? Another one, I never know how to say this. It's the basil, the mozzarella, the tomato, the balsamic glaze, caprice, is that how you say it? Anyway, a caprice pasta salad. Y'all know what I'm talking about. And then the last one that I have is a salmon poke bowl. Poke bowl. I don't know how to pronounce all these foods, okay? But like hopefully you know what I'm talking about. But anyway, after you choose your three summer-inspired dinners, take this a step further and in your peacefully productive planner, because I know that we're all using one, right? Jot down the summer dish that you want to try each month so that you don't forget about it. Moving on to tip number three, and that is find a local coffee shop or two, I'm not judging, okay, with a banging summer menu so that you can try a seasonal iced coffee or a matcha if you're a matcha girly. So this might be my personal favorite one. Just finding a local coffee shop with a good summer menu, it's gonna carry you through the whole summer. Like it's going to make your whole entire summer better. And I feel like one of the easiest ways to romanticize any season is having a seasonal drink that you love. It sounds simple, but y'all think about how many people feel so deeply passionate about their pumpkin spice latte every fall. It's a ritual, right? So find your version of a summer PSL. That's what I'm telling you to do. Do a little bit of research, check TikTok, Instagram, ask around, find the spot in your area that does summer drinks really well and make it a part of your routine. Like go once a week. Your work from home afternoon treat, your Saturday morning errand reward, your Friday pick-me-up, like whatever you want it to be, like find a cozy, and plus you're supporting local, okay? Like find a cute little cozy coffee shop that has a really good summer menu and go support them and treat yourself. You know what I'm saying? So here are some summer drinks that I am personally on the hunt for. If you live in the Tampa area and you know of any local coffee shops or even in St. Pete, because we go to St. Pete a lot too. If you know of any shops that are serving these flavors, let your girl know because I will be the first one in line when they open. Okay, so first one I'm on the hunt for. I'm not a big matcha girly, but I'm wanting to try an iced matcha lemonade. That makes my mouth water for some reason. Like that just sounds so good. So I definitely do want to find an iced matcha lemonade to try. And then for coffee, this one might be a little weird. I don't know. My husband, he said this sounds disgusting. I think it sounds wonderful. An iced blueberry vanilla latte. Doesn't that sound so good? I don't know. I think it sounds really good. So I want to try it. And then the last drink that I'm on the hunt for is an iced sparkling Americano with coconut syrup. Like some sort of iced sparkling Americano that tastes like coconut. I think that would be so good. I could probably make that one at home, to be honest. So that's tip number three is go find a local coffee shop that does a really good summer menu and enjoy it. All right. So tip number four, this one, I know I said tip number three was my favorite, but this one also might be my favorite. Make a summer TBR and or a watch list. So if you've never heard of TBR, if you're not like in the reader community, it means to be read. So books that you want to read. I get so excited, so excited to make a curated list of seasonal books to read and shows and movies to watch. Just like something about it makes me giddy. More so the books than the TV and movies. I'm not like a big watcher, but y'all know if you follow my YouTube channel, I'm a big reader. I love reading. So choose like five to ten books that you want to get to this summer. Maybe it's all beach reads and fun fiction. Maybe it's a mix of something you've been meaning to read forever, and then something totally light and enjoyable. Like whatever you want to read this summer, it doesn't have to be like beach romances. I feel like when people hear summer books, like that's where their mind goes. Mine too, I feel you. But like you can read whatever you want, but it's just more fun if you're like, okay, here is my summer TBR. I actually created my own summer TBR. If you're watching, I'll pop up the graphics on the screen with my summer TBR to help inspire you a little bit. But anyway, make your own TBR list, get the books or put them on hold at the library. I personally love the Libby app because I like reading on my e-reader. And you can get books for free from the library for your Kindle or your Kobo, like whatever e-reader you use. And then you just get to enjoy the anticipation of knowing what's coming next on your TBR all summer. Like you get to look at your list and you're like, wow, I'm so excited to read all of these books this summer. You know what I'm saying? And then the watch list, same idea. What have you been meaning to watch? What new show or movie are you intrigued by? Having these little things that you're excited to get to over the next couple of months, like books, TV shows, movies. It's just such a simple way to make you look forward to the season and the days ahead, right? So I shared my summer TBR with y'all on the graphic. I don't really have like a very big summer watch list. I am way more of a reader than a watcher, like I said. And so my list kind of reflects that. There's only two movies that I want to see this summer Wuthering Heights, because I still haven't seen it, and then The Devil Wears Prada 2. You're joking. I am so excited to see that. Like I can't even tell you. So those are the only two movies that I really want to watch this summer, but I'll be spending a lot of my time reading. Don't you worry. Tip number five, and this one is so simple. All of y'all can do it. I don't care how busy you are, you have time to do this. Change your Google calendar colors to be summery. I'm serious. Go in there and swap out whatever color scheme you have right now for something that feels summer. So corals, yellows, turquoise, sage green, whatever feels summery to you, give your calendar a little seasonal refresh because why not? That's how we romanticize things. We make the little things a vibe. So I recently did this and it makes me so happy to open up my Google Calendar and see the fun colors. It kind of tricks my brain into thinking that I love summer, if I'm being honest. So if you're watching the video version of this on YouTube, I will pop a picture of my current Google Calendar on the screen so you can see my colors. It reminds me of like a sunset. I am obsessed. I love it. And speaking of Google Calendar, back in May, I launched a Google Cal masterclass where I teach you how to set up your Google Calendar for a peacefully productive life. Y'all, over 130 people have already signed up for the class. Makes me so happy, but I'm walking you through exactly how I use my Google Calendar to organize both my personal and professional tasks and events all in one place. And did I mention that I actually taught this same Google Calendar system to my very, very, very type B husband? And he's been successfully using it for over a year now. Like he's never been consistent with a planning system in his life. And I taught him this way that I use Google Calendar, and he is on it. He loves it. He uses it every day. I don't even have to ask him to do it. He just does it. He was so overwhelmed before by trying to keep track of all of his tasks and events in his brain. So we built out his Google Calendar and now he actually knows like what's coming up. He remembers important tasks and he doesn't feel constantly behind. It's been a total game changer for his stress levels and honestly for our whole household. Because when he's not stressed, I'm not stressed. When I'm not stressed, he's not stressed. It's a cycle, you know? So I will link the masterclass in the show notes for you guys. It's less than a hundred bucks and it is seriously so good. But, anyways, you look at your calendar constantly. I look at mine multiple times a day. It's one of the most frequently opened things on your phone or computer. And if you're anything like me, you want it to be a vibe when you open it. We're changing our Google Calendar or Apple calendar, whatever you use, colors to be summary because we're making summer cute and fun, even if it's not our favorite season. Changing your Google Calendar colors takes like three or four minutes. It's free. And it's gonna make you smile a little bit every time you open your calendar for the next couple of months. So do it today. This is one that you can do so fast. Like go do it after this episode, you know? I will even add some summery Google Calendar color combos on my romanticizing summer Pinterest board and link my whole romanticizing summer Pinterest board in the show notes for y'all or the description box wherever you're watching. Cause you know I'm making one too. If I'm telling you to make a Pinterest board to romanticize summer, I'm of course doing it as well. And that brings us to the last tip. Tip number six, make a summer bucket list of three to five things that you actually want to do. We're making sustainable summer bucket lists this year, okay? Not ones with 20 items on them that we know we're never actually gonna do and that we're gonna look at and be stressed out by because they're so long. No, we are making small, intentional, actually going to happen bucket lists. These should be things that you genuinely want to do, not things that sound impressive, not things that you think you should do, not things left over from last summer that you never got around to, things that when you read them, you just feel this little spark of excitement. So obviously, I encourage you to try and make them summer themed because the whole point is to romanticize the summer season. So maybe it's making some sort of craft, maybe it's hosting a backyard hang with people you love, maybe it's trying a new water sport or going to a concert or seeing a drive-in movie or finally doing that thing in your city that you've lived near for years that you've never actually done, like some sort of market or something like that. Just three to five things. That's all I'm asking you to choose because that's small enough to feel doable, but specific enough to make it feel like, oh, I actually am gonna do these things. Here's the key though, y'all. Once you make the list, you have to put the items in your calendar with actual dates, even if you have to change them later, because our schedules and routines, say it with me now, our tools, not change. But having a few things on the calendar that you're genuinely looking forward to changes how you experience the whole season. It gives summer kind of like a shape, right? It gives you anchors of good stuff to look forward to, even in the weeks that feel slower or harder, or you feel cooped up. And because we love concrete examples here, I'm gonna share my summer bucket list with y'all. Number one, and the one I'm most excited about, is go see Noah Khan in concert. I get to do that this month and I'm gonna cry. I cannot wait. Truly, I cannot wait. So that's my first one. Second one is make a seashell craft with Evie. So first I'll have to go to the beach and like get seashells, and then I want to make some sort of like, we already made seashell magnets and they're so cute and fun, but I want to do like some sort of like hanging, I don't know, craft names. I'll put a picture of one on the screen. But I want to make something like this, like a sun catcher? No, because shells don't catch the sun. Anyway, if you're watching the video, that this this is what I'm talking about, okay? I want to make one of these with my daughter. And then the last one is I want to go to a baseball game with my husband. Because for some reason, when I think of summer, I think of baseball. And like who doesn't want to go to a cutie little baseball game, especially because our baseball stadium is indoors, so air conditioned. So that means I can handle it, all right? And that wraps up today's lesson. But what good is learning something if you don't apply it to your life, right? We are all about taking action and implementation here in the Hustle Stanley classroom. So it is time for me to assign your homework for the week so that you can actually create a peacefully productive life. So this week's homework, I think you already know, but this is what I want you to do before our next class. Any guesses? I want you to make your romanticizing summer Pinterest board. So here are the things to recap that I want you to add: your summer nail and outfit inspo, some summer-inspired dinners that you want to try, some books that you want to read and movies that you want to watch this summer, summer feeling Google calendar colors that you like, and then some coffee drinks that you want to find at a local coffee shop to try, and then of course, your summer bucket list vibes. Here is to us romanticizing summer together this year, even if it's not our favorite season. Okay, class is officially dismissed. It is time for some extra credit, aka me filling you in on all the things happening in the Hustle Stanley community right now. First and foremost, I want you to lean in for this, y'all. T minus 28 days, 28 days until the doors open for Hustle Stanley Study Hall. I am so excited. Our summer semester topic, it's a banger, okay? This is what the girlies in Study Hall voted for, and I personally could not be more excited for a topic. So, our summer semester topic is all about regulating our nervous systems. We're gonna be designing habits and routines to support emotional regulation. We all could use that. All of us, every single one of us. So you can learn more about study hall and join the wait list at jesscomassey.com/slash study hall. I'll of course have that linked down below for y'all. Second thing, if you're not already on the email list, what are you doing? You gotta get over there, Bestie. Okay, we send out a weekly email called Slow Down Saturday, and it is so beautiful. The email itself is stunning. My best friend works with me at Hustle Stanley and she puts them together, like crafts them, and she is just so creative and they are a work of art every single Saturday. But anyway, every Saturday we send it to y'all early in the morning and there's peaceful productivity inspo. We fill you in on all the things that are happening in the Hustle Stanley community so you don't miss anything. There is a journal prompt and an affirmation every week, and these emails are totally free. So if you want to make sure that you are getting Slowdown Saturday delivered to your inbox every weekend, the link to join our email is down below. So go get your booty on the email list, okay? And lastly, we're gonna talk about the podcast a little bit. In case you missed it, we are now doing podcast episodes every other week. So we used to have a podcast episode come out every Tuesday. I took a little break, a two-month break from the podcast, because to be honest, I was just feeling creatively burnt out. So I'm coming back and I'm doing so in a way that feels good for the season that I'm in. I'm so grateful that I took a little bit of time off to just like catch my breath and reflect and like let my creativity tank like fill back up. That sounds so cheesy, but y'all know what I mean. But anyway, you can obviously listen to the episodes wherever you get your podcasts, and we are also seeing. Doing a video version of the show on YouTube. I did make the executive decision to keep the podcast videos on my personal YouTube channel. So all of my videos, so the podcast videos and my bookish videos are all gonna live in one place. So to recap that, podcast episode is dropping every other Tuesday, and the videos will always be on my personal YouTube channel. Okay, I think that's it for now. I think I covered everything that I wanted to talk about. Thank y'all so much for coming to class with me today. I will talk to y'all in the next episode, and I hope you have the best day every