The Donut Guy Blog

When I look at the calendar, everything tells me that we are in the summer. We’ve hit the summer solstice, and if you look outward, the weather has gotten nicer. Beyond that the heat waves or a clear sign that boy it is the warm time with the sun. But many days I don’t feel like it’s summer.

In our past, summer was marked by a genuine break of our regular schedule. I still see it now with my kids and what they are doing as they are now out of school. Taking that time for themselves to let all the stress of the entire school year leave them. For others that breaking schedule can come from a planned regular vacation. Many folks plan to go similar places or the same time of year each year to make a marked change to their schedule. In other industry tasks can slow down at certain points of the year which make you feel that level of break in your regular schedule.

For me and what I am doing now in education, there is not a break. The cycle is year long. Students enter community college when it feels right to them and typically can enter right before the start of the term. This means each summer we are working hard with students right up until the time of the first day of classes. With that in mind, it’s hard to recoup and find that time to recharge going into the next year.

Starting my third summer in this position, I find that it’s important to plan a real break even when it’s hard. I can feel guilty when I take time from work because I know all the things that need to be done. Beyond that complicated things happen when I’m not there. The wheel keeps spinning, even when we’re not there to help it turn. One of the first steps of avoiding being ground down by that wheel is to recognize that.

My former father-in-law told me that his key to success was training people to do what his job was meant to do so that when anybody took time, including himself that there was a plan and people capable of success. That is the game plan to live your summer. Train or help the people around you to fill in the blanks. Fill in the blanks for them when you can. Recognize that some things cannot be filled and then have to wait for your return. Each of these might be a different balance based on where you work, but by doing this, you set yourself up to take a break. Live your summer no matter the time of year that is going to happen. Gain ground and recharge. Use it to put yourself in the position that you want to be to succeed when you come back. 

I care a lot about avoiding burnout and making sure the people around me avoid it too. That includes anyone in the eyes of this space. Make a plan to live your summer and get help if it’s hard to do so.