How to Actually Enjoy Summer When You Work Full-Time
A Guide for Working Parents Who Want to Soak It All In
I sat in my kitchen this morning, watching the sunlight pour through my window and feeling that all-too-familiar ache. Summer is almost here. The season I had waited for all year—especially here, where the cold stretches long and far—is so close, and yet, I am usually behind a screen, knee-deep in meetings and deadlines.
What made it hit harder this year was realizing that my son is heading into his senior year of high school. I blinked, and he went from toddler pool floaties to talking about life after high school. It wasn’t just summer I didn’t want to miss—it was him. This fleeting window before adulthood, this last round of spontaneous ice cream stops and sunset walks, this was the summer I wanted to remember.
But like many parents, I work full-time. I can’t just drop everything and go off-grid until September. What I can do—and what I want to share with you in this post—is be intentional about how I spend the time I do have. This guide is for working parents like us: the ones juggling responsibility and presence, ambition, and connection, and trying to slow down in a world that rarely does.
1. Redefine What "Enjoying Summer" Means
When you think of summer, your mind might go straight to beach vacations or long, lazy days without alarm clocks. But if you work full-time, that's not your everyday reality. The good news? Enjoying summer doesn’t have to mean being off for weeks. It can mean:
Spending 20 intentional minutes outside after dinner
Watching a sunset with your child without a phone in hand
Taking a spontaneous trip to the lake on a Saturday afternoon
Joy doesn’t need a long lead time. It just needs your attention.
2. Use Weeknights Wisely: The Power of Evenings
We often write off weekdays as a loss, but weeknights are a goldmine for summer magic. Here are a few ideas to make them count:
Create a Summer Evening Routine: This could include a quick dinner on the patio, a walk around the neighborhood, or family reading time on the porch.
Designate One Weeknight for Adventure: Maybe Thursday becomes your go-to for evening swims, local events, or a drive to your favorite ice cream stand.
Prep for Fun in Advance: Keep a “weeknight adventure bag” packed with sunscreen, bug spray, snacks, and towels in the car. This removes the friction of spontaneous outings.
3. Maximize Your Weekends
Weekends might be your only open blocks of time, but they don’t need to be packed full to be meaningful. Prioritize the memories, not the schedule.
Tips to make weekends matter:
Do One Big Thing, One Small Thing: Choose one standout activity (a lake day, a backyard barbecue), and one smaller moment (movie night, family brunch).
Build in Rest: Not every weekend needs to be full of plans. Sometimes the best summer days are the ones where you sit on a porch with iced coffee and do nothing at all.
Rotate Traditions: Maybe every other Saturday is a kayaking trip or a visit to grandma’s. These repeat events build anticipation and consistency.
4. Plan and Protect Your PTO
Don’t let your Paid Time Off sit idle. Use it with purpose. Even if you can’t take a full week off, try these strategies:
Take Half Days for Special Moments: Use a Friday afternoon for a long walk with your son or a spontaneous family dinner.
Bookend Holidays: Add a day before or after a summer holiday for a mini staycation.
Create Your Own Long Weekend: Even one extra day off can give you a breath of summer in the middle of a busy stretch.
Pro Tip: Put your PTO on the calendar early. Once it’s on there, treat it like a non-negotiable appointment.
5. Embrace Micro-Moments
Sometimes the best parts of summer aren’t the big, planned events but the tiny, unexpected moments in between. Keep your eyes open for them:
A five-minute barefoot walk in the grass
Listening to your son share a story while roasting marshmallows
Laughing at your dog chasing fireflies in the backyard
These are the slices of summer you can carry into winter.
6. Say Yes to Spontaneity (When You Can)
Structure is important. But don’t be afraid to break the routine now and then. Some of the best summer memories are the ones that weren’t scheduled.
Say yes to ice cream at 8 PM
Say yes to one more jump in the lake
Say yes to a random Tuesday picnic
Being flexible signals to your kids (and yourself) that joy is allowed, even in the middle of real life.
7. Use Tech to Your Advantage, Not Your Distraction
Tech can rob your attention, or it can help you stay connected. Choose the latter:
Set reminders to log off work at a consistent time
Use shared family calendars to plan fun
Download local event apps to discover things happening nearby
Set a timer to keep phone scrolling in check so you don’t miss the real-life moments in front of you
8. Create a Summer Bucket List That Fits Your Life
Avoid Pinterest overwhelm by keeping it realistic. Your summer bucket list doesn’t need 50 items. Try aiming for 10–15 things that truly excite you and your family:
Examples:
Take a kayak ride at sunset
Visit a local fair or festival
Do a screen-free Sunday
Roast s'mores at home
Watch fireworks together
Put it on the fridge and check off items as you go. It becomes both a guide and a keepsake.
9. Let Go of Guilt
Let’s be honest: You can’t do it all. Some days will be busy. Some evenings will rain. Some weekends will involve errands or responsibilities. That doesn’t mean summer is wasted.
You are showing up. You are trying. And your kids will remember that.
Let go of perfection. Trade it for presence.
10. Capture It, But Live It First
Photos are important. They freeze time in a way memory sometimes can’t. But make sure you live the moment before you document it.
Snap one photo, then put your phone away
Jot down small memories in a summer journal
Record your favorite shared moments at the end of each week
This reflection makes summer feel longer, and it helps you realize just how much you are doing.
This Is Your Summer, Too
As working parents, we’re constantly pulled in different directions. But summer isn’t just for our kids. It’s for us, too. It’s for remembering what warm air on your skin feels like. It’s for laughing without checking the clock. It’s for showing your kids that fun and responsibility can co-exist.
So as the days stretch longer and the school year inches closer, take this as your invitation: to be present, to be playful, and to savor the season you’ve been waiting all year for.
Because these summers? They don’t last forever.
But the memories? They do.
Looking for more ways to make this summer your own? We’ve got you covered.
Don’t let this summer slip by—subscribe to our newsletter for more simple, intentional ways to make it yours, and drop a comment below to share how you’re planning to savor the season. Let’s inspire each other to make this one unforgettable.
