How to Romanticize Summer So You Actually Enjoy It This Year
Keep reading this post to learn:
6 simple ways I’m romanticizing summer this year
How I’m making summer feel more intentional and enjoyable (even as a fall girlie living in Florida 😂)
Small rituals, routines, and mindset shifts that are helping me stop wishing this season away
I feel like there are two types of people in the world: summer people and fall people.
I am aggressively a fall person 😂
I love the idea of summer: the iced coffee, the long days, the beach reads, the cute outfits, the slower evenings, but living in Florida means I basically stop going outside from May to September unless there’s a body of water involved.
Every year, I catch myself wishing the season away, waiting for October to get here…and I don’t want to do that this year.
So instead, I’m choosing to romanticize summer.
And no, it’s not by forcing myself to suddenly love 100-degree weather lol, but by intentionally creating little moments that make this season feel fun, cozy, memorable, and life-giving.
If you can relate, keep reading for the 6 things I’m personally doing to romanticize summer this year, and maybe they’ll inspire you, too!
01. Planning Summer Looks + Nail Looks I’m Excited About
One thing about me? If I have a cute outfit planned, my mood improves instantly 😂
So instead of just throwing on random clothes and surviving the heat this summer, I’m intentionally planning a few summer outfits and nail looks that make me feel excited for the season.
(No massive shopping haul required.)
I’m mostly shopping my closet and pulling together outfits that actually feel summery and fun to wear.
I’m also planning:
one summer-inspired mani for June
one for July
one for August
For me, that looks like:
☀️ a funky shell-inspired nail design
☀️ a bright red manicure
☀️ a striped blue/green summer situation
Tiny detail? Sure. But romanticizing your life is often about tiny details, my girl!
I even made a Pinterest board called Romanticizing Summer where I’m saving outfit inspo, nail ideas, summer vibes, and all the little things that make the season feel exciting.
02. Creating a Mini Summer Dinner Menu
Listen…I’m not the chef in my household 😂 Adam definitely carries us there lol.
But I do think seasonal food makes a season feel more fun.
So this summer, I’m choosing 3 summer-inspired meals to intentionally make between June and August.
Need inspo? Here are a few meals that scream summer to me:
grilled shrimp tacos with mango salsa
watermelon feta salad
burger bowls
grilled pineapple chicken skewers
caprese pasta salad
salmon poke bowls
We’re gonna eat dinner anyway, so why not make it feel a little more special?
I’m adding recipes to my Pinterest board and putting them in my planner ahead of time, so I don’t forget about them.
Prefer Video? Watch This Blog Post on YouTube!
03. Finding a Local Coffee Shop With a Fun Summer Menu
This one might honestly be my favorite 👀 (shocking, I know).
One of the easiest ways to romanticize a season is to create a seasonal drink ritual.
Like how everyone collectively loses their minds over pumpkin spice lattes every fall 😂
Yeah, I want a summer version of that.
So this summer, I’m on the hunt for:
a really good iced matcha lemonade
an iced blueberry vanilla latte
a sparkling americano with lemon
I’m also making it a goal to find a local coffee shop with a fun summer menu and turn it into a weekly little treat (lmk if you’re in Tampa and know of one!)
04. Making a Summer TBR + Watchlist
Few things make me happier than a seasonal reading list. I love having books and movies lined up that make a season feel intentional and cozy.
So, I made a summer TBR full of books I’m excited to read over the next few months 👏🏼
Some newer releases on my list:
The Shippers by Katherine Center
The MASH Up by Laura Marie Meyers
The Someday Garden by Ashley Poston
Girls Our Age by Phoebe Thompson
My summer watchlist is much shorter because I’m definitely more of a reader than a watcher lol, but I do want to watch:
Project Hail Mary
Wuthering Heights
The Devil Wears Prada 2
Having things to look forward to makes an entire season feel fuller and more exciting!
05. Giving My Google Calendar a Summer Refresh
Okay, this one sounds ridiculous until you do it 😂
I recently changed my Google Calendar colors to summery shades, and it genuinely makes me happy every time I open my calendar (which, is pretty often).
I’ve changed my Google Cal colors to:
☀️ coral pink
☀️ peachy prange
☀️ sage green
☀️ soft yellow
It’s such a tiny thing, but your calendar is something you probably look at every single day, right?! So why not make it feel fun and seasonal?
And honestly? It kind of tricks my brain into enjoying summer more lol.
Also! If you’ve been wanting to better organize your schedule without feeling overwhelmed by planning, I recently launched my Google Calendar Masterclass, and over 125 people have already joined!
Basically, I teach you exactly how I use Google Calendar to manage both life and work in a peacefully productive way.
06. Creating a Realistic Summer Bucket List
Notice I said realistic 😂
We are not making a 27-item Pinterest-perfect summer bucket list that stresses us out before July even gets here, ma’am.
We’re making a small, intentional list of things we genuinely want to do.
For me, that looks like:
☀️ seeing Noah Kahan in concert
☀️ making a seashell craft with Evvy
☀️ going to a baseball game with Adam
Simple things! Memory-making things! And most importantly, things I’ll actually do!
Oh, wait, actually the most important part is that I’m putting them on my calendar.
Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned as a peaceful productivity coach, it’s that when we intentionally plan moments we’re excited about, we experience seasons differently.
Your Homework: Make a “Romanticizing Summer” Pinterest Board ☀️
Okay, bestie, your homework assignment is officially to create your own Romanticizing Summer Pinterest board and fill it with:
outfit inspo
nail inspo
summer recipes
books and movies
coffee drinks
Google Calendar color palettes
bucket list ideas
And remember that the goal isn’t perfection! The goal is simply to create a summer you actually enjoy living in.
Romanticizing your life doesn’t require a huge budget or a perfectly aesthetic life. Sometimes it’s just about intentionally noticing the season you’re already in 🫶
Links Mentioned:
📲 Did you find this helpful? Screenshot this post, share it to your IG stories, and tag @jessmmassey and @hustlesanely so we can cheer you on!
Take our community favorite Google Calendar Masterclass to learn how to set up your Google Cal for a peacefully productive life!
Loved this blog post? Tune into the full podcast episode below!
