“You have the same 24 hours in a day.”

It’s a phrase that’s been weaponised in the age of productivity culture, used to shame, to motivate, to push. But as summer unfurls its heat and slowness, it’s worth asking , what if the most radical thing you could do this season is… rest?

Summer has always carried the weight of contradiction. We associate it with ease: barefoot days, late sunsets, spontaneous joy. But in today’s always-on culture, summer has also been hijacked by the hustle. It’s become a period where rest must be earned, where ‘hot girl summer’ morphs into a performative checklist: work harder, look better, launch something, heal faster. And if you don’t? You’ve somehow failed.

This essay is a reclamation of summer as a time to be, not just to do.

The Tyranny of Productivity

Over the last decade, productivity has quietly become a moral currency. We’re praised for being busy, admired for our ‘grind’, and expected to monetise everything we enjoy, from yoga to journaling to cooking. Even our rest has been infiltrated: meditation apps with streak counters, relaxation “tracked” by wearable tech, self-care framed as yet another task to optimize.

Capitalism teaches us that time is money. But more insidiously, it teaches us that our worth is measured by how we use time. And in the summer months, this message gets louder:

“Use this time wisely.” “Get your body right.” “Build your brand.” “Fix your life before Q4.”

The problem is not ambition. It’s the illusion that rest and softness are indulgences rather than necessities.

Cultural Context: Rest as Resistance

For women especially Black women this pressure to be productive is deeply historical. Our rest has often been stolen, undervalued, or shamed. We are expected to be the caretakers, the problem-solvers, the strong ones on call emotionally, physically, financially.

In this context, choosing to slow down is a radical act.

Movements like Tricia Hersey’s The Nap Ministry remind us that rest is not laziness; it is liberation. Hersey’s work roots the need for rest in ancestral healing, arguing that grind culture is a tool of white supremacy and capitalism. When we refuse to participate, when we choose stillness, we reclaim our bodies, our time, and our humanity.

The Myth of the “Summer Makeover”

Every June, our feeds are flooded with before-and-afters. Fitness transformations. Glow-up routines. Hustle advice disguised as “motivation.” There’s an entire economy built around the idea that summer is the season to reinvent yourself.

But here’s the truth: you don’t owe anyone a new version of yourself by September.

Sometimes, transformation looks like stillness. Like allowing yourself to stay in one place emotionally. Like sleeping in without guilt. Like reading for pleasure instead of productivity. Like a day spent doing absolutely nothing and trusting that it was enough.

There is nothing inherently wrong with wanting to evolve, but what if you’re already worthy in your current, un-optimised state?

The Art of Doing Less, Deeply

This summer, what would it look like to live unstructured and well?
        •       Pleasure, not performance: Take walks with no destination. Eat meals slowly. Wear the dress you love with no occasion.
        •       Boundaries, not burnout: Just because you can do more doesn’t mean you should. Reclaim your time.
        •       Being, not broadcasting: You don’t have to share every sunset, every joy, every quiet win. Some things can belong to you alone.

We’ve romanticised hustle culture and made it aesthetic. But this summer, romance your own rest. Build altars to softness. Plan unscheduled days. Let your body exist without a goal attached.

Because Summer Is Not a Deadline

It is a season. A space. A permission slip.

You are not a machine. You do not need to earn your right to rest. And while the world may not stop spinning, you are allowed to stop running. In fact, your power might lie in slowing down enough to hear what your soul has been trying to say.

So if you needed a sign, this is it: you don’t have to hustle this summer. You just have to be!