It’s already the middle of July and stores are already making room for back-to-school items. To ensure that you live in the moment and enjoy what’s left of summer, Glitter Guide contributor, Kara Stout, is sharing her top 10 tips for making the most of this warm-weather season. See her helpful ideas below.

Summer is in full swing, and we couldn’t be happier. The only problem is, often our days seem to fly by, leaving us feeling like we could’ve enjoyed our day just a bit more. The hustle doesn’t seem to be slowing down quite like we had envisioned for our carefree, sunshine-soaked summer days. However, it has to be a daily decision and a top priority to slow down, and live in and cherish our moments, this season and always. To help you get in this mindset, I wanted to share 10 ways to make the most out of your summer:

1. Take a technology break: You find this tip in more and more articles and for good reason.  Taking a much-needed break to refresh and step back from a lot of the noise can be so rewarding, peaceful and help you tap back in to your identity, which can get lost sometimes in the sea of social media. You can set however many hours or days you think you might need or it can be a consistent option to take breaks periodically; for example, no phones on Sundays or no social media after 7 p.m. Taking breaks can also re-energize you and bring enjoyment back to technology, when there’s a balance. Technology can be a wonderful aspect of our lives; it just can’t control our lives and dictate our peace of mind.
2. Maintain a healthy eating and fitness routine: A healthy routine is important so you feel good, full of energy and happy from all those endorphins, vitamins and nourishing foods! If you need a quick, fun workout, here is Our 20-Minute At-Home Summer Workout. Also, if you need some encouragement on eating healthy, I wrote a post sharing What Healthy Eating Really Is. I hope these two resources are helpful to you!
3. Journal: I keep telling myself I’m going to get back into journaling, but this is the summer I’m determined to do it! It’s such a great way to document your life, experiences and memories. We quickly forget amazing things that happen in our days, sweet blessings or answered prayers, so writing it down can help so much in remembering seasons of our lives.
4. Go to bed early: There are so many things that can tempt us to stay up late (I’m on a serious “Gossip Girl” Netflix binge right now), but I pay for it the next day when I’m up late, and I always regret that I didn’t get to bed earlier. There’s a quote floating around right now that basically called me out big time, “Your body needs that extra hour of sleep more than that next episode on Netflix.”
5. The art of simplifying: Clearing out all the clutter, simplifying and minimizing can be so freeing. I’m currently trying to do this with my home and my schedule. I recently purchased a book called Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. I only just started the book, and it’s already helped me re-evaluate some things in my business, home and life. The focus is on what is essential; being productive, not just busy; and not allowing ourselves to be stretched too thin so we can make more room for the enjoyment of life. One of my favorite quotes so far in the book: “Less but better.”
6. Read two or three good, soul-inspiring books: Speaking of books, it’s wonderful to read books that are entertaining, educational and career-focused, but make sure to also opt for books that will recharge, encourage and uplift you this summer. Those that are just so good for the soul!
   
7. Be outside in nature as much as you can: Picnics, beach trips, boating on the lake, reading outside or walking barefoot in the grass can be so rewarding. There really is something to walking barefoot in the grass—it connects you to the earth and makes you feel like a kid again. Also, sometimes just sitting outside in silence, free from our many distractions to clear our heads and to just be, can be refreshing and just what we need.
8. Play: Let’s give hustling a break this summer, and prioritize playing. Remember when we were young and we would be outside playing with our friends for as long as we possibly could? Our parents would call us to come inside for dinner, and we just wanted to keep playing outside. We would use our imaginations, and time escaped us. Let’s try to get back to that.
9. Make a summer scrapbook: I’m taking it back old school, to encourage you to take photos with a Polaroid or Instax or get your summer photos printed so you can keep them all in a pretty scrapbook or photo album. This is such a fun, tangible way to see and keep memories you make this summer. So, snap those photos while taking a road trip, playing at the beach, planting your first garden or simply having fun on summer days.
10. Host a phone-free summer dinner party: Food is always a great connecting point among family and friends. A fun idea is to throw an outdoor dinner party with pretty hanging lights, good food, maybe a little rosé and make it a no-phone-allowed dinner party. Maybe if the setup is super cute, they can take a few snaps in the beginning, but then have a place, such as a drawer, where everyone puts their phones so you can really listen and connect with each other, with no distractions. More summer entertaining ideas here.