Summertime is the prefect time to reset. Here is the Senior Housing Forum list of 5 great ways to do this.

A few days ago Inc.  published an article titled Five Things You Need to Do This Summer  and I got to thinking maybe the idea was worthy of a Senior Housing Forum version.  It is after all, a time when things slow down and the days are longer.    There is more time to take a deep breath to refresh and recharge.

I offer you my list of 5

1. Read Two Books – One should be a just for fun, dare I say a trashy novel, which are really just comic books without the pictures for grown-ups (I just purchased two for mine off the Barnes and Noble discount table).  Use this as a tool to just slow your life down. The second book should be a great business book.  It should be something that will inspire you to be a better leader or do a better job.  Right now I am focused on about how ideas (like blog posts) get read.  Pick books that will help you grow in your niche.  Then share what you learned.

2. Go on a Picnic –  Sure this may mean a family vacation, but in addition to, not instead of, go have fun with the people you work with.  Do a potluck picnic in the park or even better do several of them to make sure everyone is included.  Don’t have an agenda for anything else except fun.  Bring the kids along.

3. Go Barefoot on the Beach –  Come-on even if you don’t live near the ocean there is some river, stream or lake where you can wade in the water.  Wiggle your toes in the mud or the sand; skip stones, make stick rafts and float them down the stream or across the lake. Make a contest out of it.  This is an exercise in rediscovering that playful inner child we all had and have but most of the time keep tucked away.

4. Plan and New Project or Initiative – Summertime is not a great time to kick-off a new initiative or project but it is the perfect time to plan one.  Dream about something that is far-fetched and audacious, for your senior community . . .  something you want to see happen but seems impossible.  Get others on your team excited about what it is, then when fall comes GO DO IT!

5. Go Have Fun with Your Family –  If you have kids or grandkids they should get first dibs, next go do something fun with your spouse.  It could be as small as going to a movie, play or concerts (lots of great outdoor evening choices at this time of the year) or could be huge like a cruise to Alaska. That’s my list and I am embarking on all of them in on fashion or another.  Do you have a summer list?   And if you want more here is another list of five from Fast Company   Steve Moran