Summer is the time when you can fully enjoy the hot days, the time when children have holidays from school but also a time that marks a period of lightness.
It has a way of inviting us to loosen our shoulders and breathe a little deeper.
Even though spring is my favorite season, every season is beautiful in its own way, and summer has a special effect on me, with all its beauty and calmness.
But do you know that you can use this time of the year to refresh yourself and your surroundings?
A summer reset is about choosing a softer pace, letting your surroundings and inner world feel spacious, and sprinkling everyday moments with a bit of seasonal magic. Do not think that is about chasing a Pinterest-perfect lifestyle or doing a dramatic house makeover, because it isn’t.
Below you’ll find a friendly, in-depth guide on how to create a summer reset routine to refresh your home, your mind, and your mood, in a gentle and intentional way, and with plenty of room for personal flair.
Feel free to sip a cold drink as you read, open a nearby window, and let summertime drift right in.
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How to Create a Summer Reset Routine
Here how to create a summer reset routine that feels good and refreshing for your mind, mood and home!
1) Home: Lighten, Air-Out, and Love Your Space Again
OPEN UP THE SENSES
This is the first step of the summer reset routine. Begin by throwing all the curtains wide, cracking the windows, and letting a fresh breeze swirl through every room.
Turn on an upbeat summer playlist or the soft hum of an electric fan, and simply wander. Notice corners that feel stale, décor that feels too “heavy” for the season, and spots where clutter has quietly gathered.
MINI SEASONAL DECLUTTER
Give yourself one relaxed afternoon (or spread it across a weekend) for a seasonal sweep.
Let’s start with the wardrobe. Pack away wool sweaters and thick scarves; bring forward linen shirts, gauzy dresses, and breezy cotton tees. We have summer seasons, right?
Then have a textile refresh. Swap flannel bedding for crisp percale or airy linen. Fold up thick knit throws and lay out lighter cotton blankets. This will give you also a sense of freshness, and it’s what we need in this warm season.
Last, reset your surfaces. Clean and organized surfaces offer
a more enjoyable living space. Don’t forget to clear coffee tables, countertops, and nightstands entirely, wipe them down, and only place back items that spark joy right now, like a rattan tray, a summer candle, or a small stack of books you’re excited to read.
BRING NATURE INSIDE
If you are a plant lover, then this will make you happy! Summer décor is as simple as nature itself. A clear glass jar of wildflowers, a bowl of lemons on the kitchen counter, or a leafy pothos in a terra-cotta pot instantly breathes life into a room.
If on the other side, real plants aren’t your jam, try dried eucalyptus or faux olive branches. The goal is to let a hint of the outdoors live happily beside you.
CREATE ONE SUN-KISSED NOOK
Pick the sunniest spot you can find. This could be by a window, on a balcony, or just a patch of floor where sunlight lands every afternoon. Add a comfy chair or floor cushion, a tiny side table, and perhaps a light throw.
This becomes your Sip-Read-Daydream corner, perfect for iced tea, journaling, or a midday mental vacation.
I love these kinds of spots because they give a cozy and lovely feel.
2) Mind: Clear the Cobwebs and Plant New Seeds
A GENTLE BRAIN DUMP
We think all the time and our minds collect to-dos, worries, and random ideas like beaches collect seashells.
If you want to avoid burnout and a stressed mind, grab a notebook (or open a blank digital doc) and spend 10 unhurried minutes writing down everything in your head. No sorting, no judging, just empty the mental pockets. This will help you promote mental clarity, reduce stress, and focus on yourself more.
CHOOSE SEASONAL INTENTIONS
I actually find seasonal intentions really motivating. Because you have only a season to achieve your goals and work on yourself.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that you need to achieve all your goals or become the better version of yourself all in the summer season, but that you can set mini goals, that are from the big picture and achieve them in one season.
Read back over your brain dump and ask yourself: “What actually needs my focus this summer? On what should I work on?“.
Pick one or two clear intentions. These could be “rest deeply,” “finish that novel draft,” or “spend more time outdoors.”
Let your to-do lists flow from these intentions rather than from outside pressure.
LIGHTEN YOUR DIGITAL LOAD
What about a digital declutter as a part of your summer reset routine?
Just like the home, our digital world also needs a good declutter.
Delete unused apps, unsubscribe from newsletters you never read, and move off old photos from your camera roll. A lighter digital space breeds clearer thoughts.
Summer light shouldn’t stop at your front door; let it spill into your phone and laptop, too.
DAILY MENTAL BREATHERS
Breaks from your thoughts, your commitments, and your busy daily life are life-changing habits that we need to incorporate more in our daily lives.
In high heat or busy weeks, micro-rituals work wonders: a five-breath meditation before you open email, a two-minute stare at clouds between Zoom calls, or a nightly notebook page titled “Today’s Tiny Victories.”
For example, I used to read a chapter of a book between sharing a blog post and writing another one. In this way, my mind doesn’t feel the heaviness of the tasks.
These pauses reset your mental thermostat to cool and collect.
3) Mood: Romanticize the Everyday
CREATE SIGNATURE SUMMER RITUALS
Have you ever noticed that the thing you do automatically in the morning, you do it because it makes you feel good and is now part of you?
You can alternate these small habits depending on the season.
Pick one morning ritual (iced coffee with fresh mint, balcony stretches, or barefoot watering of plants) and one evening ritual (candlelit journaling, citrus-infused skin-care routine, or twilight walks). Repeating these small acts turns them into emotional anchors, gently lifting your mood day after day.
DRESS FOR THE FEELING YOU WANT
Don’t give less importance to clothes, because they can influence emotions more than we admit. Slide into something that feels like sunshine on your skin: a loose cotton button-up, linen culottes, or even just your softest tee and shorts.
Color influences, too. Pastels, whites, or earthy neutrals whisper a cool breeze to the psyche, and they also look very attractive and calm.
CURATE A SUMMER JOY PLAYLIST
I was born in the 90s and in the first years of the 2000s, you could hear music on the streets, everyone happy, with friends or family and an ice cream in the hand. That summer vibe couldn’t pass you by without you noticing.
You can create this feeling again. Gather songs that remind you of open windows and late sunsets. Play it while you make breakfast, tidy the living room, or drive with the windows down. Music is a simple, portable mood-boost.
CELEBRATE TINY MOMENTS
Last but not least summer reset routine tip I can give you is to give yourself permission to pause for small celebrations.
These tiny moments are the ones that will make the big picture in your life.
Enjoy your first watermelon slice of the season, a mid-week ice cream run, or the satisfaction of fresh sheets after a day at the beach.
Snap a quick photo or jot a note on your phone. Collect these fireflies of happiness in a jar of memory that you can look back to and smile again.
WRAP UP
How to create a summer reset routine? If you see, it isn’t a grand makeover show; it’s more about the tiny changes we make in the season.
By lightening your space, clearing your mind, and lifting your mood with tiny rituals, you create a season that feels light on the shoulders and warm in the heart.
So, pour yourself something cold, queue your favorite summer tunes, and begin wherever feels easiest.
Bit by bit, you’ll craft a summertime rhythm that’s calm, inspiring, and entirely yours.
Happy resetting! Here’s to a summer that feels like a deep, refreshing breath.
