The Summer Nine to Five

I came home this summer with back problems, a seasonal cold and a dysfunctional sleeping pattern. I was the last of my roommates to depart to go home last spring. Beyond my exam-induced illnesses and exhaustion, summer beckoned lovingly. It was time to go home.

I am lucky that I love to return home. I have a wonderful relationship with my parents and grandparents, most of whom live in a 15-minute radius from my childhood home in Toronto, Ontario. My parents are both teachers, meaning that they always have a few weeks off in the summers to spend with the family. As a child I spent a great deal of time with my mother, traipsing around my home city, visiting the goats and sheep at Riverdale Farm, or wandering down Bloor Street to window-shop. These childhood summers were never purposeful. We drifted aimlessly, puddle-jumping and lying in the sun.

This summer did not feel aimless. I did not visit the goats and sheep, or wander down Bloor Street. There was no jumping in puddles or melting away in a sun-spot. 

This summer, I worked.

By no means was this my first summer spent as an employee. For the past four years, I have worked seasonally as a waitress at a family restaurant. Though serving was never easy, it was also a job. Despite the fact that I feel like I did my best to ensure customers had good service, and that the restaurant did well, I wasn’t actively trying to ‘climb the ladder’ or impress my boss. There wasn’t much upward mobility, and I am not planning to pursue a career in the hospitality industry. 

This year, however, things were a little different. I was lucky enough to land a remote job working with a provincial health system. As a biology student looking into a career in the medical field, this job was a rare opportunity to explore potential careers and leave a lasting impression on my co-workers. I couldn’t just clock in and out, I needed to prove my dedication to the team. I threw myself into work, attempting to go beyond the basic requirements to demonstrate my work ethic. I also decided to pick up some shifts at the restaurant to make some extra cash. The days slipped by, and then the weeks. Suddenly two months had passed and I had barely poked my head outside to see the sunshine or spend time with my family. I was missing my beautiful summer.

I knew I had to change my working habits. If I didn’t, summer was going to fly by and I was going to come back to school exhausted and demoralized. Here are some of the lessons I learned to ensure I got a breath of summer:

1) When you’re done, be done. I got caught in a trap of checking my team’s messages all the time, even after I had officially signed off for the day. Not only was this routine a time-sucker but it was also a waste. Even if people messaged me after hours, they usually weren’t looking for a real-time response. Sometimes people just want to send messages before they forget what’s on their mind, but they aren’t looking to actually finish the project at that very moment.

2) Commit to the 9-something. When you’re a student and you’re trying to prove your capabilities, you might have to dedicate a bit more time to your work. I know that the current zeitgeist is not to work any unpaid hours, and while I, for the most part, agree with that statement, I found myself still working past my paid hours in order to ensure my work was the best it could possibly be. I was trying to prove myself, and if it took an extra hour or two for that to happen, I was willing to put in the time. But it was still important to commit myself to a specific number of hours and know when I planned to input those extra hours. For example, I might schedule in an extra hour of work between 6pm-7pm. This prevented my work hours from bleeding over into the rest of my day and stopped me from overworking.

3) Turn off the screens. I worked remotely which meant I was spending at least 7.5 hours a day working on my computer. Almost half that time was taken up by meetings. By the end of the day, I usually felt ill just from the amount of screen time I had accrued. But when my work day ended, I never seemed to turn off the computer. I would jump onto Netflix, or head onto Instagram. There wasn’t even anything I wanted to watch; I was just hooked on screens. It took me a long time to unlearn this habit, and I often still find myself toggling to my Netflix account the moment work ends… but I try my hardest to ward off this unhelpful routine. I was usually too mentally exhausted to pick myself up and go for a walk, so instead I often just lay down on my porch. This moment of rest helped me transition away from my work and from screens.

4) Make plans. I know you’re going to feel tired after work and want to just lounge. I’m a huge introvert and sometimes making plans feels like the worst possible idea after a long day. But seeing friends or family and going outdoors can be a huge mental health booster, and make you feel like you’ve made the most of your summer. If you can’t handle a big meet up, try and plan something simpler like a walk in the park with a parent or sibling.

My summer never returned to those carefree summers of my childhood and they probably never will. Despite the new tools I’ve learned to manage my summer jobs, I am still grieving that loss. It is difficult to acknowledge that we’re growing up and that we’re becoming more responsible for our time and actions. But it’s important to protect the free time we do have and create lasting routines and habits that support relaxation and fun.