I really hope you’re enjoying what’s left of this glorious summer. I know I usually write about career advice and the balancing act of managing work with life and how it’s such such a struggle. I try to motivate you to do your best work and take pride in it. I try to help you frame the concept of ambition with your evolving definition of success and all that great, meaningful stuff that impacts your career.

But right now I’m sitting by a lake watching my nephew swim around while my daughter and my niece play an intense Barbie game, and I just don’t think anyone wants to talk about ambition or productivity right now. For the remainder of August, or until school starts where you live, let’s just take this moment to allow everything to be off-balance. Let’s put aside our ambition and career goals and just enjoy ourselves.

I want you to do the bare minimum this week and next. Let that ambition and motivation also take a bit of a summer break.

(I’ve written about this before, but here’s more on how to keep your vacation going even after you return from your travels.)

We need rest before we move forward. We need to restore our energy before we barge ahead. Now is the time for rest.

Turn off your phone and spend some true analog time with family.

Read a book that doesn’t make you smarter.

Splurge on dessert every night.

Stay up late. Let your kids stay up late.

Soon enough we’ll be back into our hectic lives, with Summer Fridays, long weekends and lazy pool days a distant memory, but let’s not think about that yet. After a huge client sprint last week, I’m also going to try to log off as much as possible for the remainder of the month. And I’ll be back in September with some fun journaling prompts to help you get back into that routine. But for now, kick back, log off and live slowly. I am wishing you the best possible conclusion to summer.

In the meantime, here’s what I’m:

On the topic of beach reads, after spending years pouring over non fiction psychology books (saying “I only read if I learn something!”), a few months ago, I decided to go back to reading for pure enjoyment. I have read 42 books this year so far, and I blasted through five of them the other week while on a family vacation.

Some standouts:

​Seven Summer Weekends (I went to Fire Island for most of my 20’s and early 30’s, it’s indirectly how I met my husband, and the author is a terp, so I have a special love for this book and the way she makes the Fire Island setting a character on its’ own)

​All Fours (weird AF but couldn’t put it down)

​Sandwich (reading these words felt like getting a massage - uncomfortable at times but mostly soothing and very beautiful)

​The Wedding People (the cover made me think it was a light beach read, but it was dark, twisty, often insightful and at times surprisingly hilarious)

Anything by Abby Jimenez - (absolute mindless romance but with some interesting twists and character evolution. I loved them all, especially the Part of Your World trio)

​The Housemaid’s Secret (a fun thriller trio)

And if you are looking for non fiction, here are some of my favorite books for navigating career transitions.​

Friendships that fade in your 40’s. Last week I reconnected IRL with two friends I hadn’t seen in awhile and it was just wonderful. Then I happened to come across this article which I think everyone should at the very least glance at: Miss Your Friends? Four Strategies For Connecting (this is a NY Times gift link so you should be able to read without a subscription)

​Whatever Sarah Blakely (creator of Spanx) is doing to combine heels and sneakers, I'm in.​

​Clooney and Pitt’s bromace, as covered in GQ this month. Friendship goals, eye candy and proof that men really are like fine wine.

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Which I’m off to pour myself a glass of as I log off for the week. See you in September!

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