As I have done in previous years, I recently took two weeks away from the office for a summer vacation. This year, I really felt the need for rest and reset, so I created a vacation bucket list of activities to help support a feeling of rejuvenation.
Now that my vacation has come to a close, it’s time to report back on my list and what I was able to complete:
- ✅ Got a haircut. I decided to chop off my hair and go back to a pixie cut and I have zero regrets. This style is so easy to manage and my morning routine just got a whole lot shorter, which I know I’ll love when I head back to work.
- ✅ Bought new running shoes. My partner and I made a date of going to the mall and visiting a running store to both get fitted for new shoes. I bought a couple of pairs that I plan to rotate for my runs.
- ✅ Got a massage. I’ve been getting regular massages for a while now, but a vacation massage felt extra special for me since I wasn’t squeezing it in amidst a lot of other tasks and appointments. I also loved the timing of this massage since I’ve been running more and needed some work on my quads and calves.
- ✅ Binge listened to this long-running mystery novel series. I added this series of books to my June TBR pile and it was so fun to devote significant time to reading these books on my vacation. As I write this, I’m on book 10 of 20, so almost halfway done!
- ✅ Did some content planning. I was able to outline some upcoming podcast episodes and blog posts, as well as script several month’s worth of workflow videos. It felt really great to have this open time to ideate and create.
- ✅ Watched some shows and movies. I ended up watching several episodes of Imperfect Women, an AppleTV show adapted from a book. It was just the right amount of melodrama and the acting was really top notch.
- ✅ Did some long workouts. One of my favorite things to do on vacation is long workouts in the morning since I don’t have to rush to get ready to go anywhere. On this vacation I did regular runs, but also got in time on my bike and rowing machine. With the extra time in my schedule, I also made sure to fit in yoga and stretching as well.
Overall, this vacation offered a nice mix of rest and productivity, but it was definitely more heavily focused on rest, which is just what I needed.
Now I feel ready to dive into the second half of 2026 and see what the remainder of the year has in store!
