3 Simple Summer Life Hacks

I know that the Enneagram is all the rage right now, but did anyone ever take Strengthsfinder? It's an interesting personality-based test that identifies what you do really, really well. At the end of the test you're given a list of 5 personality traits that are the most dominant. One of mine, unsurprisingly to me, was the word 'strategic'. I cannot help myself. I have to strategize everything, sometimes to my detriment. Have you ever seen those cars who get stuck behind a bus at a bus stop and can't go around because all of the other cars are speeding past? I would never be that person. My strategizing brain won't let me follow behind a bus in the right lane ever. (Related: I'm the worst backseat driver.) I went into Memorial Day craving simpler days and have since discovered these 3 life hacks that have made the quest more reasonable:

Prep as much food for the day in the morning as possible.

Already making breakfast? Us, too! While the kitchen is dirty, prep your lunch, the kids' lunches, and even dinner while you're at it. You may not be able to go through all of the steps, but seasoning meat in the morning, making a sauce, or even just chopping the necessary veggies will make the rest of the meals to come easy breezy. Plus, by cooking in the morning you will avoid heating up your house later in the day when the sun is at it's hottest.

Never, ever let your water bottle go empty.

I have my youngest child to thank for this. Before she came along, Parker had reached the ripe old age of able-to-drink-out-of-any-kind-of-cup which meant I was no longer tasked with needing to tote hers along with me. With the arrival of Ever, though, I got back into the habit of not just always have the girls' water bottles on me but toting along my trusty YETI (straw lid upgrade is a must!). Not only is it key to ensuring proper hydrating when the temps are so hot my reverse camera no longer works, but think of all of the unnecessary plastic you'll save! Win for you and Mother Earth.

Contrary to what you've been telling yourself, you actually do have time to read this summer.

A 250-page book takes an estimated 7 hours to finish. Sounds like a lot, but what if you replaced 10 minutes of scrolling on your phone in the morning and evening with reading? You would finish the book in 3 weeks which means you actually still have time to read two books before Labor Day. (Check out our summer must-read list here!)

Have you found any recent summer life hacks to make your day-to-day more manageable? Do tell!

Dress, Mango (It looks like this color way might be sold out) || Sunnies, Celine || Shoes, Coach || Bag, Mango

Photography by Katie Jameson