How this one little to-do list has been a game changer this summer

On having a slow down summer and creating a summer to-do list of simple pleasures

Hi there, I’m Selina, a Career and Life Design Coach, author and podcaster. I’ve been helping people design lives and careers they love for almost two decades.

When I’m not writing here on Substack, I’m coaching clients all over the world, from my little green office in South East London. If you’re curious about what my coaching programmes could do for you, you can come and check them out over here

I’ve never been a massive fan of to-do lists, considering them to be a necessary evil in a fast-paced world, one that keeps us endlessly trapped on a treadmill of non-stop busyness that can (and often does) eventually burn us out.

But this summer I scribbled out a to-do list on a whim and it’s ended up being a total game changer. 

I can honestly say this to-do list has made my summer. And reminded me that, when used in the right way, to-do lists can be surprisingly powerful. And deeply nourishing.

So, what is this magical game-changing to-do list?

Well, it could not be more simple. Quite literally.

It’s a list of Simple Pleasures. Specifically summer simple pleasures:

• Ride my bike in the sunshine

• Walk along the Southbank in the sun

• BBQ with friends and laughter

• Lie in the hammock and read

• Paddle board

• Walk along the coast

• Drinks by the water in the evening

• Yoga on the beach

• Kayaking

• Walk barefoot on a sandy beach

• Eat breakfast outside

• Eat my own home-grown tomatoes

• Swim in the sea

• Enjoy my morning coffee sitting outside in the deckchair

• Yoga and meditation with the doors open to the garden

On paper it doesn’t look particularly ground-breaking or radical.

And it isn’t. That’s the whole point.

It’s simply a list of the things I enjoy doing in the summer months.

But what has made it radical is that I’ve made this to-do list my MOST IMPORTANT to-do list.

Not a nice-to-have. Not something to do when I have time. But the main thing for me to do during August.

The simple pleasures have become the priority.

Work has to fit around them.

And for someone who nearly always puts work first, this is a truly radical act.

The moment the sun is shining, I drop whatever work I’m doing (unless what I’m doing is coaching someone, obviously 😂), I pick up my to-do list and I choose something from that list.

As a result, my days have been filled with timeless simple summer pleasures, I’ve had a fun sense of purpose throughout the summer, that has not been work-focused (hallelujah!) and each time I intentionally do something from that list I get the warm satisfaction that another thing has been ticked off my to-do list. Not to mention the buzz of it feeling deliciously rebellious.

Who knew you could get so much out of one simple to-do list!

And so, as we step into a long bank holiday weekend here in the UK and have ahead of us (hopefully🤞🤞🤞) a few more weeks of summer, I wanted to invite you to have a go at creating your own Simple Summer Pleasures to-do list and every day choosing at least one thing from that list.

Doing this has been such a simple, but powerful game changer for me and I’d love to see if it is for you too.

So, give it a go and let me know!

x Selina