How to plan your summer projects!
Summer is the perfect time for…PROJECTS!!
Since Jon is home each summer (he’s a high school teacher), we spend the first couple of summer weeks planning out all the home project we want to get done. We’re pros at project planning, by this point, so today I’m going to share our process with you!
Step 1: Walk the House
We take a walk through each room in the house and make a list of any projects that need to be completed in each room. Not every room will have a project, but there are some rooms that have been waiting for summer so we can give them our attention!
We actually keep the list in our Notes app on our iPhone – we have a shared note called “Summer Projects”, and we can each edit the note when something comes to mind – it’s perfect!
After walking the house, we step outside and do the same thing in the front yard, backyard, and garage! Sometimes those areas don’t need any work, sometimes they do!
Step 2: Prioritize the List
You knew it was coming – prioritizing!! A long list is super overwhelming, so we need to take a look at it and figure out what’s MOST important. I use my Braindumping Process here and give every single task a prioritized place.
When the list is prioritized, it’s so much easier to tackle – there’s no time wasted trying to figure out where to start. You just start at the top!
Step 3: Check the Calendar
Together, we take a look at what’s already on the schedule for the summer. When are we gone, and when do we have some free time?
Starting with the top of the now-prioritized project list, we assign projects to weeks. Maybe a big project gets a whole week to itself, and another week holds 3-4 smaller projects!
It’s worth noting that we never EVER get through the entire list. But that’s not our goal. Our goal is to take care of the most important projects – this is exactly why we prioritize that list, so that those things that are important get done FIRST.
Step 4: Break it Down
As we tackle each project, we break it down into smaller pieces, just like we do in our Goal-Setting System! We list out all the steps of the project, in 15-30 minute tasks, no more than 30 minutes. That way, we can easily get started on just one step at a time, without feeling like that step is too overwhelming.
Sometimes, Jon and I will divide up the steps between us, and sometimes we’ll just work together to get the project done. It really depends on the project!
The point though, is that we break down the big project into tiny tasks. That way, overwhelm doesn’t prevent us from getting started!
And that’s it! Once the projects are named, scheduled out, and broken down, we are able to use the Summer to make some serious projects on all the things that have to wait during the school year.
Just another reason why summer is one of my favorite times!
Want to do a little summer project planning of your own? Plan those + more with our Intentional Summer Planning Guide!!
Kayse Pratt serves Christian women as a writer + designer, creating home + life management resources that help those women plan their days around what matters most. She’s created the most unique planner on the market, helped over 400 women create custom home management plans, and works with hundreds of women each month inside her membership, teaching them how to plan their days around what matters most. When she’s not designing printables or writing essays, you’ll find Kayse homeschooling her kids, reading a cheesy novel with a giant cup of tea in hand, or watching an old show from the 90’s with her husband, who is her very best friend.