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Happy Summer, Subscriber First Name! It’s that time of year again: Everyone’s talking about slowing down for summer. I totally get it. I too am looking forward to taking things a bit slower (which is why this will be our last newsletter until September!) But after three decades of experiencing summer as the only normalized season for easing up, I can’t help but feel that something is missing. Like I said on LinkedIn the other day, the shift we need is not a seasonal one. I’m not knocking the growing number of nonprofits that are embracing healthier workplace rest practices, like Summer Fridays, week-long office closures, or compressed work weeks. There are great and important steps! But I keep asking myself—will this be enough when we’re all expected to hit the ground r̶u̶n̶n̶i̶n̶g̶ sprinting after Labor Day… as if nothing changed? And as we watch so many systems unravel right before our eyes, I wonder if we can use this season as an opportunity to change our systems as well. Never let a good crisis go to waste, am I right? What if we didn’t just rest for the summer, but took a moment to dream of different ways of working that supported us all year long? Here are some additional reflective prompts: What am I willing to do differently as it relates to my own healing and wellbeing? What policies can I speak up about in the next team meeting? What will I no longer let slide with my colleagues? How can I challenge what’s already been done, and encourage everyone to dream up something better?
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