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If you are in the Northern Hemisphere, it is now officially summer! Throughout our school years, summer is different from all the other seasons of the year because kids are out of school. Even if you attend school year-round, you’re off for part of the summer. It’s the one time of year with a carefree, slower-paced feeling to it.

And then you grow up, become an adult with a job and responsibilities and summer doesn’t feel a lot different than the other three seasons of the year, just hotter.

It’s time to change summer!

Start at the end. When you look back on this summer, what do you want to remember? Do you want to have read a certain number of books, seen a specific number of movies, gone on a vacation? Think about your life and what realistically fits it. While you might want to go to Europe, your role as a caregiver may not give you the time to take an extended trip. Make a list of those items you would like to accomplish this summer, including deadlines where possible, and get started!

If you’re wondering what you might set as summer goals, here are a few and some ideas to get you motivated:

– Read a certain number of books. For an incentive, join your library’s summer reading program. At one of my local libraries, I can get a small prize, and a raffle ticket to possibly win a bigger prize for every five books I read to a maximum of ten. At another library, I receive a prize after the first review I write on the library’s website. I always read more books during the summer because of summer reading programs.

– Watch a movie. It is fairly expensive to go to the movies these days, but there are other, less expensive options. Many senior centers show a free movie one day a week during the day. Could you and your caree attend a movie together? The senior center in my city shows movies as they become available on DVD. Some movie theaters show older movies for a couple of dollars one or twice a week during the day. There are generally a lot of children at these events. Look to see what is available at the library. You can check a DVD out for free from your local branch library, or put a movie on hold and pick it up at your local branch. Some library systems do charge a nominal fee for holds.

– Start or finish a project. Most people have unfinished projects. What projects do you have that you have started but never completed? Do you want to finish them? If not, now’s a great time to donate them. Someone else may be interested in what is no longer of interest to you. Are there projects you really want to start, either indoors or outdoors? Find out what you need for the project, gather your supplies, set a deadline and do it!

– Pictures! Do you have boxes of pictures or pictures stored on your computer, phone, or camera? This might be a great time to organize them. Label the pictures with who, where, when if you can. Sort through the pictures, getting rid of duplicates and blurry photos. Sort them into folders on the computer. If your pictures are digital, consider setting up a free account on shutterfly.com and uploading your pictures. Not only does this provide a backup, your pictures are already uploaded for any photo project you might want to create on their website. I use shutterfly.com all the time. Not only do they have good prices and excellent customer service, they frequently send out coupons for discounts or free items.

If you are still at a loss for what to do this summer, go online and do a search for free activities in your city, county, or state. You are bound to see things that look fun and interesting.

It’s not too late! Make today the day you set some goals and plan to have a good summer!