Planning a Summer Slowdown
Opting Out of The Myth of Relentless Forward Progress, If You Dare
One day last week I woke up with a froggy feeling in my throat. My first thought: “Bummer, now I won’t be able to record the audiobook auditions I planned to do today.”
The day before, I’d submitted two auditions on ACX (Audible’s narrator platform for matching books with voices). I was on a roll! Unfortunately, I often find that when I have a day that’s extraordinarily productive, an energy crash follows.
I used to be very hard on myself for this. Now I recognize when my hyperfocus switch gets flipped. I often ride this wave, even though it’s probably better to take breaks every 90 minutes or so.
It reminds me of the way I used to work back in my medical device days. If I had a vacation coming up (usually just a week), I spent at least two weeks before the break on hyperdrive. It sometimes felt like we were “punished” for time off. If a former boss didn’t have everything she needed ahead of time, I knew what was coming.
She often gave herself a summer slowdown while the rest of her staff got additional work piled on to make that possible. I resolved when I became a boss one day (since I did hope that would happen) I’d be as mindful of employees’ time as my own. Hopefully I fulfilled that promise, but you’d have to ask my former colleagues.
Taking a step back means that relentless forward progress is not possible.1 This is a common term in the coaching field, and something that ultra-runners like to use.
Back in my long-distance running days (not coincidentally during my medical device career) I bought into this myth. When you’re in a long race, that’s how you’ll make it to the finish line. Whether walking or running, we inch toward the goal, either way. Sometimes triumphantly, often painfully, for long races.
It’s a little like Manifest Destiny, this notion that we have to constantly strive toward our god-ordained mission. Nevermind the colonization, enslavement, and maltreament of people indigenous to that land.
These productivity voices are socialized into our consciousness generationally. We no longer rely on a boss cracking the whip. For most of us our harsh internalized dialogue does that all on its own.
What if we instead embraced our inherent worthiness? What if our productivity were not a marker of our self-worth? What if all living beings are worthy just because they exist?
Shedding old beliefs is not always a comfortable prospect. It’s taken me a few years to peel back many of these culturally-reinforced ideas on worthiness. Fortunately, Uranus in Taurus helped guide this internal re-education.2 Uranus is the planet of surprise and revolution. Sometimes its transits can feel uncomfortable. Whether you subscribe to astrology or not, if we think in terms of 7-year developmental milestones, it helps us grasp the nature of transformation.
Slowing down, reflecting, and considering what we have learned is a helpful practice of self-understanding. It’s not usually celebrated, but consider this your permission slip (if you’re willing to accept it).
Summer can be a tricky time for parents, with children out of school and less structure. But allowing time for stepping away from the laptop, putting the phone on airplane mode, and listening to the birds is restorative for your soul. Putting your bare feet on some soil, or hiking in a new location gets you back into your body.
If your boss requires you to couch this break in productivity language, then do what you must. But give yourself the gift of slow-being if you can. Hear your own breathing. Notice your heartbeat. Feel the temperature of the air.
You won’t regret it.
Turns out Relentless Forward Progress is also a podcast! Not one I recommend, so I’m not linking to it.
Since the summer of 2018, when I left my long-term corporate job, Uranus has been hanging out mostly in Taurus. In July of 2025, it moves to Gemini! Curious about what internal and external revolutions might be brewing. ✨
Good reminder