It's Time for a Summer Reset

By Tess O'Brien

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Have you ever hyper-focused on something so hard that you stopped actually LIVING your life?

That's what has happened to me... I found myself so fixated on the things I'm building that I didn't really leave myself any time, energy, or mental bandwidth for actually living and enjoying life this year.

Health issues and car troubles certainly haven't helped the situation either. But honestly, I didn't give myself the time to truly take care of myself and now I feel like I might have wasted the whole summer focusing on the wrong things when my whole goal was to be intentional. 🤦🏻‍♀️

So here's what I've decided needs to change...

I have been taking things way too seriously over the past few months and it has caused me to fall back into a state of urgency and fight-or-flight and lose sight of the whole point.

What's so silly about it, is that by hyper-fixating and taking things too seriously, it actually stopped me from showing up the way I wanted to both online and in my own life.

So here's what I'm doing about it before the summer ends:

IN THIS ARTICLE

Reevaluating my priorities for the rest of the summer

What I said my priorities were → "Decluttering, health, career/income, content creation, fun, and making the bold decision to go all in."

Vs.

What I actually focused on this summer → Tweaking and working on my Notion Life & Biz OS Template, building a new main website and my web design portfolio site, planning and dreaming up new projects and content that never actually left the ideation phase, and feeling physically, mentally, and medically burnt out.

Although I did make some progress on my original priorities, I fell into hermit hustle mode out of a fear of lack when what I wanted to be doing was living in a feeling of abundance. My desperation created a blockage that slowed down my progress toward the very things I was trying to manifest in my life.

It's time to calm down and release the death grip a little bit so I can actually enjoy the process again and get back on track with what matters most- living life.

Not taking content creation too seriously (right now)

What's funny is that I created a YouTube short on a whim, in a spur of the moment spark of inspiration, and that video went viral! Well, it went "viral-for-me". As of writing this it has 5.8k views, which is more than any other piece of content I've created so far. A win is a win!

Every other piece of content that I've planned and agonized and overthought about hasn't even gotten made! Most of my content is still sitting in my Notion planner or my journal notes waiting for me to take action.

That's a frustrating truth to face... I'm a procrasti-planner. What I really need is to get out of my head and just have more fun because THAT is what will make everything work out in the long-run.

Everything in it's own time

I've now paired down the number of projects I'm focusing on right now and getting back to being intentional with my time and focus. This has taught me, once again, the importance of not over-engineering everything. It's a lesson I'm applying to the Notion system I'm creating too.

More is not better. More often than not, simpler is best.

Instead of setting myself arbitrary deadlines and pressuring myself to be productive right now, I'm pivoting my focus for the final weeks of August. My son will be heading back to school at the beginning of September and I don't want to miss anymore chances to enjoy our short Canadian summer together.

So I will be taking the next few weeks to reset in my personal life, get our sleep schedules and self-care routines back on track, prepare for back-to-school, and have more fun before we get back into full-swing in September.

Everything has a season and things will progress in their own time.

What to expect in the fall...

Just because I'm reprioritizing doesn't mean I'm stopping! Here's what will be coming before the end of 2025:

✨ My Notion Life & Biz Design Operating System will be coming to my template shop! (I'm so freakin' excited for you to get your hands on this beauty!)
You can get on the waitlist now here → My Link Page - Join the Waitlist!
💻 This Blog will be undergoing a transition and I will be launching a brand new main website for my personal brand! I've been working on so much behind the scenes. Stay Tuned, there's going to be a lot of great new resources and stuff to explore!
Follow me on Instagram if you want to get connect or get sneak peeks of what I'm working on & what's happening in my life!
🎨 I will also be launching my Web Design Portfolio and will begin sharing more about website design, branding, and the systems, tips & tricks I've been learning over the last couple of years. I think I've truly discovered my passion!
📝 The Chronically Multi-passionate Journal - My Newsletter, which I'm hosting on Substack - will finally be starting! So if you're one of the subscribers who's already on my list, watch your inbox in the next couple of months for that!
And if you're not subscribed yet...
You can join my mailing list right now → Join the List!
And more... but that's enough to think about for right now. 😅

Final Thoughts

I'm learning to trust the process and to reevaluate things whenever I begin to feel my nervous system sending me warning signals again.

It's ok, to take a break, to breathe deeply, to rest. Recharge your body and mind with things that bring you peace and joy. These things are essential.

Sometimes just letting go for a little bit can be the most productive thing we can do for ourselves- even when that seems counterintuitive.

And of course, don't forget to reflect on and celebrate the very real progress you have already made- even if no one else can see it yet!
Even the small, quiet wins are still wins.

With Love,

- Tess

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Hey I'm Tess!
A Canadian multi-passionate with an obsession for all things mindset & personal growth, finance, and creative entrepreneurship on a mission to design a life I don't need to escape from.

I help dynamic entrepreneurs & educators define their vision, create their brand, and build online income streams that help them live life beyond survival!