How (and Why) to Have a Hustle-free Summer

Photo by Ethan Robertson on Unsplash

You hear a lot about “hustle culture” these days, and once you know what it is, it’s hard not to see it everywhere. Spend 5 minutes browsing Instagram, and you’ll encounter courses you need to take, recipes you need to make, and home improvement projects you need to try. Look at the best sellers on Audible, and you’ll find books to help you improve yourself physically, spiritually, financially, and emotionally. The pressure to fix it! Do it! Now! is overwhelming.

There’s nothing wrong with hard work and self-improvement, but you know who didn't hustle? Jesus didn’t. For sure, Jesus worked hard. He was so overwhelmed with other people’s neediness sometimes that he had to sneak away to pray. But he never modeled cramming each day to the max with busyness, working for the sake of working, or being productive to prove his worth.

I love the beginning of the summer each year, not only because it’s the start of beautiful weather here in New Hampshire, but also because it feels like a fresh new opportunity. Having taken summers off during our 25 years of homeschooling has cemented this time of year as a glorious chunk of “free time” in my psyche.

In recent weeks, I have been considering how best to use this time. There are a lot of things to do, and there’s plenty of room for improvement. I have a book project languishing in my Google Drive. I want to paint the dining room. I want to grow the Girlfriends podcast and this Substack. I want to go to the gym five days a week and fully reclaim my left knee after ACL surgery last year. I want to do some live events with you. I'm designing a new women’s retreat, but so far, it’s only in my mind.

There’s nothing wrong with these things; I might do some of them. But I also might not, and I’m noticing and working on the little bit of panic I can begin to feel when I consider that possibility. I’m working on taking a breath, thinking “I may never do that thing,” and being OK with it.

One of the gifts of being my age and having a bit of experience is that I can see now, more clearly than I did in my 20s, that this life is finite. There is an end. Of course, we all know that is true, but I know it now with greater certainty. I can see it. 

When I was very sick and in the hospital last month, there were moments when I was so unwell that I thought perhaps I would die. There’s nothing like having a thought like that to put things into fresh perspective. Turns out, very few things actually matter.

But God’s presence matters, and that is precisely what all of our “hustle” threatens to distract us from. The Catechism teaches that God's life lives in our souls. The Blessed Trinity dwells in the soul of the believer. This is an astonishing thing to consider. But do we? Do we think about it?

As I make plans for this summer, I have been contemplating St. Peter's words at the Transfiguration. Peter might have thought it was just another day, and he was on a pleasant hike with his friends, James, John, and Jesus. But then Jesus “was transfigured before them; his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light.”

At that moment, Peter saw that Jesus was God, fully present. While he was mostly at a loss for words, he did say something significant: “Lord, it is good that we are here.”

I’m working on saying that more. Focusing on the presence of God everywhere that He is–in my heart, in my soul, in the Eucharist, in my husband, in my kids, in my grandkids, in my friends and co-workers, in the beauty of mountains, lakes, trees, and sunshine, and the Eucharist. I’m focusing on seeing Him and saying, “Lord, it is good that we are here.”

That’s it. I don’t need a fancy plan or eloquent words to be present for God. I need to see Him and know that it is good. Lord, it is good that we are here.

I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking, that’s all very well and good, but HOWWWWWW?? How am I supposed to go around blissfully mindful of the presence of God when I’m late for work, the kids have swimming lessons, my car is making a funny noise, my teenager goes deaf when I assign him chores, there’s a load of towels mildewing in the washer, and I still haven’t unpacked the giant suitcase from our trip to the beach? How?

OK. I’ll get us started. You’ll need to come up with a plan for the towels (maybe add some vinegar and run the rinse cycle), but I can share four ways that I’m committing to a hustle-free summer, days filled with less doing and more being, and more moments spent breathing the simple prayer, “Lord, it is good that we are here.”

Put away your phone

The other day, as I wrestled with the idea of leaving my phone behind as we were going to a family event, I thought: Shouldn't it bother me that my phone is probably one of Satan’s favorite things? Think about it. These little devices distract us from the work and relationships we should invest in. They tempt us toward envy, materialism, lust, anger, and pride. And, here’s the worst part. They turn our brains off and waste our time. I don't know about you, but I shudder to think I will one day be held accountable for the amount of time I have spent idly staring at a screen.

I would love to tell you I’ll be throwing my phone into the lake for the summer, but I don’t think I need to be that extreme. Instead, I will set aside phone-free time each day. Will you do this with me? Will you purposely leave it behind sometimes? Will you give your phone a curfew and put it in a drawer a few hours before bed? Just how attached do you want to be to Satan’s favorite thing?

Take more walks

Walks are so great for slowing us down. I love that taking a walk is exercise but not so much the “hustle” kind. You don’t typically try to “kill it” on a walk or “leave it all on the mat.” Walks are gentle. They stimulate your body and mind, change the scenery, and remove you from routine work and distractions. I once heard of a great way to pray when you have a problem: Go for a walk in one direction and pour out your heart to God, telling Him everything that is bothering you and everything you are worried about. Then, at the halfway point, turn around and walk back to where you started, but keep quiet on this half of the walk. Listen to what God might want to tell you instead of talking. Be still. 

Ask before doing

There are so many great things that we can spend our time on in any given day. There are people we can serve and good work we can accomplish. But I need to make a stronger habit of asking before doing any of them. That means pausing before I commit to something, whether it be a writing project, a speaking engagement, meeting a friend for coffee, or volunteering at a crisis pregnancy center. I need to pause and ask God what He wants. It might be a very good thing, but does God want me to do it? Is that His plan for me today? I have been spending a little bit of time each day when I pray my Morning Offering, telling God about my plans for the day and asking for His input and direction. I want my days filled up with His agenda, not my own.

Single task

Here’s a counter-cultural notion: You do not need to multitask. In fact, multitasking is terrible for you, your work, and your relationships. Give yourself permission to do one thing at a time. I am planning to have a “single-tasking summer.” If I’m folding laundry, I do not need to listen to an audiobook simultaneously. I can just fold laundry. If I’m typing an email, I do not need to have 47 other tabs open on my computer. I can just type an email. If I’m drinking a cup of coffee while sitting in the sun on the pool deck early in the morning, I do not need to worry about all The Important Things that are going undone inside the house. I can just sip my coffee. If you make a habit of “single-tasking,” you might be surprised by the joy you find in not cramming every moment to the max with noise and activity. You might find that pockets of quiet open up in your mind and heart, leaving more room for God.

I recently heard someone say that God is not opposed to effort, He’s opposed to “earning,” and I think that’s a really good distinction to make. It can absolutely be part of God’s plan for us to work very hard at some things. Thinking about our habits of “hustle” and our attitudes toward work, noise, and perpetual activity can be very telling. We are left vulnerable to the revelation that maybe, despite what we say we believe, we really are hiding behind an overfilled calendar, or we are trying to “prove” or “earn” our worth in the eyes of God or others.

If we are afraid of quiet or stillness, why is that? What is actually essential to achieve in this world? Will any kind of hustle bring us closer to it or can it only be achieved when we are still and we allow God to work in us?

Cheers to a hustle-free summer, whatever that looks like for you this year. More being and less doing. Less seeking and more allowing ourselves to be found, right where we are. Right where He is. Lord, it is good that we are here.