Are you looking for help to create summer routines that balance family time with personal time?
A few summers ago, I found myself sitting at my kitchen table, laptop open, trying to sneak in a little work while my kids watched yet another show in the other room. I had told myself that this would be the summer I showed up with more presence—more pool days, more popsicles, more “yes.” But instead, I felt stretched thin. I missed the structure of the school year, I felt guilty about the screens, and honestly… I missed myself.
If you’ve ever felt caught between showing up for your family and showing up for yourself—especially during the summertime—you are not alone.
That’s why I was so grateful to talk with Jenny Layton on the podcast this week. Jenny is a time management coach, professional organizer, and mom of five who has learned (through experience and through coaching many other moms) how to create a summer rhythm that makes space for both joy and sanity.
She shared a perspective that completely shifted the way I think about summer: the idea of family and personal seasons.
3 Takeaways for Summer Routines that Balance Family Time and Personal Time:
1. Embrace the Family Season
So often, we enter summer trying to keep up with our usual routines—housework, work deadlines, healthy meals—plus adding in all the fun things we feel like we “should” be doing with our kids. But Jenny invites us to stop fighting the shift and simply embrace it. Summer is a family season—a time for connection, memory-making, and relationship-building. It doesn’t mean you give up entirely on your own needs (we’ll get to that next), but it does mean you stop expecting everything to run the way it does in a personal season, like the school-year routine. She compared it to the way we plan around literal seasons. You don’t get mad that you can’t host a backyard BBQ in January. You just know—this is soup season, and we’re eating inside. In the same way, summer is a time when your home may not be perfectly tidy, your work schedule may shift, and your afternoons may be slower.
Let that be okay. This is the season to fill your family’s emotional reservoir.
2. Honor Your Dot of Personal Season
Even in the most family-centered seasons of life, you still need a small dot of time, space, or routine that’s just for you. Jenny uses the yin-yang symbol to illustrate this beautifully: even when you’re in a season that’s mostly focused on your family, you still need that little “dot” of personal season to feel balanced.
This could be:
- A short morning walk by yourself
- Keeping one corner of your home clean and peaceful
- Carving out one afternoon a week for your creative work
- A quiet moment to read, pray, or journal
That little dot of time can be the difference between resentment and joy. Between showing up with intention… or burning out by week two of summer. And it doesn’t have to be the same for every mom. What helps you feel like yourself? Start there.
3. Help Your Kids Learn to Rebalance, Too
Here’s something I hadn’t thought of before this conversation: when we feel out of balance, we tend to get stressed, irritable, or overwhelmed. But when our kids feel out of balance… they get bored. Or whiny. Or ornery. Jenny encourages us to help our kids understand that they need both play and purpose—just like we do. She even created a printable that walks them through a simple checklist when they say, “I’m bored.” (You can grab it here.) And over time, this helps them build self-awareness and emotional intelligence. They start to notice: “Hey, I’ve been on screens too long,” or “I feel better when I go outside for a bit.” That’s a life skill that will serve them well beyond summer.
Bonus: A Free Resource to Help You Get Started
Jenny put together a beautiful free PDF bundle for 3 in 30 listeners that includes:
- A printable yin-yang visual to remind you of the family/personal seasons concept
- An “Are You Bored?” checklist for kids
- A list of age-appropriate life skills to teach your kids this summer
You can grab it all at thehappygal.com/summertips.
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What did you think of these ideas for creating a summer routine that balances personal time and family time? Do you have any tips you would offer? Share in the comments!
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Related Episodes like this on Summer Routines:
About Our Guest:
Jenny Layton is a time management coach, professional organizer, and seasoned mom of five.
Get in Touch with Our Guest:
- Website: thehappygal.com
- Instagram: @jlthehappygal
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