The Anti-Bucket List: A Summer To-Don’t List for a Gentler Season
It’s that time of year when everything tells you to do more.
Summer is framed as a season of upgrades:
Get the glow. Book the trip. Make the memories. Maximise the daylight.
But what if your body, your heart, your nervous system… don’t want more?
What if what you actually crave is less?
Less planning.
Less pressure.
Less pretending.
There’s another way to do summer — and it doesn’t need a passport or a productivity plan.
The Myth of the Summer Glow-Up
Scroll any feed this time of year and you’ll find it: the subtle pressure to transform into summer mode.
We call it “hot girl summer,” or talk about seizing the season, ticking off experiences, and finally becoming that more radiant, organised, tanned and toned version of ourselves.
But what if your version of summer doesn’t look like that?
What if you’ve been quietly exhausted since April?
What if you’re healing something no one can see?
What if your greatest summer wish is… space?
This is your permission slip.
Not to do more, but to let go.
Enter: The Summer To-Don’t List.
Because wellbeing doesn’t start with optimisation.
It starts with honesty.
A Different Way to Do Summer
Instead of asking:
What can I fit in?
Where should I go?
What should I achieve?
Try asking:
What could I remove?
What would I decline?
What no longer serves me in this season?
The anti-bucket list isn’t about deprivation — it’s about freedom.
About clearing enough space that you can breathe again.
Here’s what a Summer To-Don’t List might include:
Don’t say yes to every invitation
Don’t pretend you’re fine when you’re not
Don’t feel guilty for not making memories every day
Don’t follow someone else’s summer routine
Don’t overbook your weekends
Don’t believe productivity equals worth
Don’t aim for “perfect” — aim for present
There’s no medal for squeezing the most out of your summer.
But there is relief — and reward — in choosing what matters.
A slow summer can still be a meaningful one.
You might find joy in smaller, quieter moments:
A shady bench with your book
An early bedtime
A swim without counting laps
A walk without a destination
The gentler path is still a valid one.
In fact, it might be the one that allows you to come home to yourself again.
What’s Going on Your To-Don’t List?
What are you releasing this summer?
Where are you creating more space to just be?
If your heart is craving something softer, simpler, and more spacious — our Summer Wellcation is made for you.
It’s a low-pressure, self-guided programme designed to support your wellbeing in small, creative, and caring ways. So you can create the summer that you need.
