A new month is always a good excuse to check in with yourself. What has been working lately? What has quietly fallen out of the routine? What would make the next few weeks more enjoyable, easier, or simply more you? August is a particularly good time for that kind of check-in, with enough summer left to enjoy and the next season close enough to start thinking about.
This month at GLW, our focus is Linger. At this point in the year, there can be a temptation to rush ahead to the next season, the next routine, the next version of your life. Linger is an invitation to give yourself a little more time where you are. To notice what is working, enjoy what you have, and resist the pressure to move on simply because something new is coming.
That can mean taking a closer look at your routines, your priorities, your relationships, and the way you’re spending your time. Some things may be worth carrying forward, some may need a little more attention, and others may have simply run their course. August gives you room to notice the difference before making your next move.
Inside this month’s graceful guide, you’ll find practical ideas to support your wellbeing, seasonal inspiration, simple habits worth trying, and thoughtful reminders to carry with you throughout the month. Read it all at once with your favorite drink in hand, or come back to different sections whenever you need a little inspiration!
Letting summer have its full run
Staying a little longer when you’re having a good time
Making plans without filling every weekend
Taking the long way home when you have time
Reading the book that’s already on your nightstand
Wearing the things you bought for summer
Leaving some afternoons deliberately unplanned
Letting conversations run past the point of convenience
Making ordinary evenings feel worth staying home for
Buying the ingredients for the meal you actually want to make
Spending time outside without needing to turn it into a workout
Keeping a few plans purely because they sound fun
Revisiting hobbies you forgot you liked
Taking photos because you want to remember, not document everything
Giving good news enough time to sink in
Finishing things before immediately looking for the next thing
Keeping your calendar spacious enough for spontaneity
Enjoying your favorite places before the season changes
Making time for people you genuinely enjoy
Letting yourself be a little unavailable
Choosing depth over constant novelty
Paying attention to what you keep wishing you had more time for
Keeping the routines that make summer feel good
Making room for one more good day before moving on
Rushing through the end of summer
Treating September like a deadline
Filling every open space in your calendar
Saving the good plans for “someday”
Turning every hobby into a project
Checking your phone during perfectly good conversations
Buying something new because you’re bored with what you have
Starting a new routine because the old one needs one small adjustment
Saying yes simply because you technically have time
Letting an empty afternoon make you feel unproductive
Planning your next season before enjoying this one
Treating rest like wasted time
Making every weekend something to recover from
Mistaking novelty for enjoyment
Keeping plans you’re already hoping will get cancelled
Consuming recommendations faster than you can enjoy them
Photographing the moment before actually experiencing it
Turning every meal into something to rush through
Feeling guilty for wanting a slower day
Waiting for a vacation to do things you could enjoy now
Overcomplicating your routines before the season even changes
Keeping up with everyone else’s version of summer
Saying “we should” instead of actually making the plan
Forgetting that a season can simply be enjoyed
August is a good month to slow the pace enough to notice what your body, mind, and everyday life are actually asking for. Summer routines can be wonderfully loose, but they can also leave a few things feeling scattered by this point in the season.
This month, we’re keeping the reset simple: five small practices for each area, chosen to help you feel well, make space for what you enjoy, and carry the best parts of summer with you as the season begins to shift. Pick a few to focus on and let them become part of your August rather than another list to complete!
Your body can benefit from a little extra attention in August, especially when warmer days, travel, later evenings, and looser routines change the way you eat, sleep, move, and recover. This month, keep things simple and focus on a few habits that support steady energy and help you feel good in your body as the season begins to shift.
Drink water before your first coffee
Make hydration the first drink of the day. Have a glass of water when you wake up, then enjoy your coffee as usual. It’s an easy habit to anchor to something you already do every morning, and it’s especially useful during hot summer months when fluid needs can be higher.
Include a solid source of protein in your first meal
Starting the day with protein can make breakfast more satisfying and help support steady energy. Eggs, Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, smoked salmon, tofu, or a protein-rich smoothie are all easy options. You don’t need a complicated breakfast; just give your first meal some staying power.
Take a 10-minute walk after one meal each day
A short post-meal walk is an easy way to add more movement to your day without turning it into another workout. It can also support healthy blood sugar regulation and digestion. Take the walk after whichever meal fits most naturally into your schedule, and use it as a chance to get outside, too.
Get outside soon after waking
Spend a few minutes outdoors early in the day, ideally getting some natural light into your morning. Morning light helps support your circadian rhythm, which plays an important role in sleep and wakefulness. Take your coffee outside, walk around the block, or simply step out while you decide how to start the day.
Give yourself one genuinely restorative hour each week
Protect one hour for something that leaves you feeling better rather than more accomplished. Read, swim, sit outside, take a bath, wander around a neighborhood, or do absolutely nothing in particular. The point is to give your body and mind a stretch of time without an agenda.
Your attention is one of the things you spend all day without always noticing it. By August, it can be useful to create a little more space between yourself and the constant stream of messages, headlines, opinions, and entertainment competing for it. This month, focus on a few simple practices that give your mind more room to think, notice, and enjoy what is already in front of you.
Keep the first 20 minutes of your day phone-free
Give yourself a short window before checking messages, social media, or the news. Use the time to get ready, make breakfast, drink your coffee, or simply decide how you want to begin the day. Starting with your own thoughts can make the rest of the morning feel considerably less reactive.
Read for 15 minutes before reaching for a screen at night
Choose a book and make it your default evening wind-down a few nights each week. Reading gives your attention somewhere slower to go and creates a natural transition between the busyness of the day and bedtime. Keep your current book somewhere visible so reaching for it becomes easier than reaching for your phone.
Give yourself one screen-free hour each week
Put your phone away and take a break from television, laptops, podcasts, and scrolling. Let yourself decide what to do with the time once there is no algorithm suggesting the answer. You might read, cook, walk, sit outside, browse somewhere interesting, or simply see where your attention goes on its own.
Write down what you’re looking forward to each week
Keep a short list of the things you’re genuinely excited about, from plans with friends to a book you want to read or somewhere you want to visit. Looking forward to something gives your mind a reason to stay connected to your actual life rather than constantly searching for the next thing to consume.
Do one thing each day purely because you enjoy it
Give yourself a little time for something that has no productive purpose. Read, cook, draw, garden, swim, listen to music, or sit somewhere you like. Enjoyment is a worthwhile use of your attention, even when it produces nothing you can check off afterward.
The way your days feel can change quite a bit as summer winds down. Schedules begin to fill up again, unfinished tasks become harder to ignore, and the next season starts making its way onto the calendar. August is a good time to enjoy the space you still have while making a few small decisions that will make the weeks ahead easier.
Plan one thing to look forward to each week
Give each week a small highlight to anticipate. It could be dinner with a friend, a day trip, a movie night, or somewhere you’ve been meaning to visit. Having something enjoyable on the calendar gives the week a little shape and gives you a reason to stay engaged with the month you’re actually in.
Keep one block of time completely unplanned
Leave a few hours open each week with nothing scheduled. You can decide what you want to do when the time arrives, whether that means making a spontaneous plan, taking yourself somewhere, or staying home.
Finish one lingering task each week
Choose one small thing you’ve been meaning to deal with and finally take care of it. Make the appointment, return the package, replace the broken item, answer the email, or sort through the pile you keep moving from one place to another. One loose end at a time can make a surprising difference to how much mental space you have.
Make one summer meal at home each week
Choose something seasonal that you genuinely enjoy eating and give yourself time to make it properly. August is a good excuse to use the produce that is at its best, invite someone over, or turn an ordinary dinner into something you actually look forward to. Keep it simple enough that cooking still feels enjoyable!
Start a September list now
Keep one running note for anything you want to remember before the next season begins. Add appointments to make, errands to handle, things to buy, projects to start, people to see, or areas of your life that need a little attention. Getting these thoughts out of your head now means you can enjoy the rest of August without trying to remember everything at once.
A few well-chosen habits can give your month a little more structure without making your routine feel rigid. August is a good time to strengthen the basics that support your energy, your physical health, and your ability to stay on top of everything else.
This month, we’re focusing on three habits that are simple enough to repeat and useful enough to keep beyond August. Together, they support a more consistent sleep rhythm, regular strength work, and a clearer way of managing the things competing for your attention.
Give each habit a little time to become familiar. You don’t need a perfect month for the stack to be worthwhile; the goal is to practice these habits often enough that they begin to feel like natural parts of your routine.
A consistent wake-up time can help keep your body clock more predictable, which supports better sleep and steadier energy throughout the day. You don’t need to wake up at the exact same minute every morning. The idea this month is to give your body a fairly reliable starting point, including on weekends.
How to implement it:
Choose a realistic one-hour wake-up window based on your usual weekday schedule.
Set your alarm for the beginning of that window rather than relying on a completely different weekend schedule.
If you have a late night, still aim to stay reasonably close to your usual wake-up time.
Give yourself enough time in the morning that waking up doesn’t immediately feel rushed.
Keep the habit going for at least two to three weeks before deciding whether it is working for you.
Strength training is one of the most useful forms of exercise to keep in your routine as you get older. Regular resistance training helps maintain muscle and bone strength, supports everyday movement, and makes it easier to stay physically capable over time. Two sessions a week is a realistic place to start and gives you enough consistency to build the habit without making exercise take over your schedule.
How to implement it:
Choose two days that are usually predictable and keep them roughly spaced apart.
Aim for around 30–45 minutes per session, adjusting the length to your current fitness level.
Build each workout around the major movement patterns: squatting, hinging, pushing, pulling, and carrying.
Start with a weight that allows you to complete each exercise with good form and controlled movement.
Keep the same basic routine for several weeks so you can gradually increase the weight, repetitions, or difficulty.
If you miss one session, simply complete the next planned workout rather than trying to make up for it with an extra-long session.
When it fits in your day: Pick the time when you’re most likely to follow through. Morning, lunchtime, or after work can all work well; consistency matters more than choosing the “perfect” workout time. Put both sessions on your calendar at the beginning of the week so they have a place before everything else fills in around them.
When your mind is keeping track of appointments, errands, ideas, follow-ups, purchases, and the ten tiny things you don’t want to forget, it has less room for everything else. A running brain dump gives those loose thoughts somewhere to go so you can stop mentally rehearsing them throughout the day.
How to implement it:
Choose one place for your brain dump and keep it easy to access.
Add things as they occur to you instead of trying to remember them until later.
Write everything down without worrying about organizing it in the moment.
Spend a few minutes reviewing the list once a day and turn anything actionable into a calendar item, task, or reminder.
Remove things once they’re handled so the list stays useful rather than becoming another source of clutter.
Keep separate notes for information you need to reference regularly; the brain dump is for things currently taking up mental space.
When it fits in your day: Use it throughout the day whenever something pops into your head that you need to remember. Then give the list a quick review in the evening or at the end of your workday. The goal is to capture first and organize second, so you can get back to whatever you were actually doing.
Need an idea for tonight? Planning dinner with friends? Have a free afternoon and want to do something that feels a little more interesting than scrolling? This month’s activity lists are here for exactly those moments.
Inside, you’ll find late-summer ideas for an ordinary Tuesday night, simple ways to make dinner with friends feel more special, and solo side quests to take yourself on throughout August. Keep the list handy, pick whatever sounds good, and give yourself a reason to do something different with the time you already have.
Take your laptop outside and work from the patio, balcony, or a café for an hour.
Pick up an iced coffee and take the long way home.
Go for a swim before dinner instead of waiting for the weekend.
Sit somewhere outside with a book for 30 minutes.
Take yourself out for a late lunch at a restaurant you’ve been meaning to try.
Stop by the farmers’ market on your way home and build dinner around what looks good.
Book a midweek workout class and grab a smoothie afterward.
Run one errand you’ve been putting off, then reward yourself with a coffee or treat.
Work from a different room in your home for the afternoon.
Take a scenic drive with the windows down and your favorite playlist on.
Go to the grocery store specifically for ingredients for a really good dinner.
Spend an hour at the pool with no agenda beyond reading and swimming.
Pick up flowers on the way home and arrange them when you get back.
Meet a friend for an afternoon coffee instead of waiting until the weekend.
Take a 30-minute walk somewhere pretty before starting your evening.
Make a fresh batch of something you can enjoy for the rest of the week.
Go somewhere nearby for an iced tea or lemonade and sit outside while you drink it.
Do your weekly grocery shopping slowly enough to actually look at what you’re buying.
Take yourself on a little bookstore-and-coffee outing.
Finish work early enough to make dinner from scratch instead of ordering in.
Have a midweek “vacation hour” at home: shower, change into something comfortable, make a drink, and stay off your phone.
Try a new summer recipe while listening to an album you love.
Take an afternoon nap if you genuinely need one, then get outside before dinner.
Sit outside with a crossword, magazine, or puzzle instead of automatically opening an app.
Put out warm bread, salted butter, and olives before everyone arrives.
Make a big salad with tomatoes, peaches, basil, and mozzarella.
Serve dinner family-style in your nicest everyday serving dishes.
Chill your wine or sparkling water before guests arrive.
Put a small bowl of salted nuts on the table for everyone to snack on.
Buy one grocery-store bouquet and split it between two small vases.
Set the table before you start cooking so everything is ready when guests arrive.
Make a pitcher of lemonade, sangria, or a simple spritz so you aren’t making individual drinks all night.
Choose one dinner recipe you can prepare almost entirely before anyone arrives.
Put the dessert in the fridge before guests arrive so you can bring it out without doing more cooking.
Serve something seasonal, like grilled corn, tomato pasta, peach salad, or berry crumble.
Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones for an easy upgrade.
Put candles on the table and light them once everyone sits down.
Make enough of the main dish for everyone to have seconds without you going back into the kitchen.
Put coffee or tea on as soon as you clear the dinner plates.
Move dessert outside if you have a patio, balcony, or backyard.
Ask one friend to bring dessert and another to bring the wine so you aren’t responsible for everything.
Put your phone on Do Not Disturb and leave it in another room once dinner starts.
Make one dish you’ve never cooked before and keep the rest of the menu simple.
Put the music on before your first guest arrives so you never have to think about it again.
Serve ice cream with sliced peaches and crushed cookies for an easy late-summer dessert.
Put a carafe of cold water on the table instead of making everyone get up for refills.
Keep the table set for coffee and dessert rather than immediately clearing everything away.
Have a simple after-dinner option ready, like cards, a favorite board game, or a stack of conversation cards.
Book yourself a facial, massage, or other treatment you’ve been putting off.
Take yourself out for a proper breakfast on a weekday morning.
Find a beautiful spot to read for an hour with an iced coffee.
Try a new Pilates, yoga, barre, or strength class.
Go grocery shopping for ingredients to make yourself an excellent dinner.
Spend an afternoon at the pool with a book, SPF, and no agenda.
Take yourself out for lunch and sit at the bar or a table for one.
Try a new smoothie or juice place after your workout.
Buy a new book and spend the afternoon somewhere you can actually read it.
Take yourself for a long walk in a neighborhood you enjoy.
Book a hair appointment and make an afternoon of the whole outing.
Go to a garden center and choose a new plant for your home.
Have an everything shower, put on fresh pajamas, and make an early dinner.
Take yourself to a coffee shop and spend an hour planning the month ahead.
Try a new healthy recipe and make enough for tomorrow’s lunch.
Go for an early-morning swim before the day gets busy.
Visit a local farmers’ market and build your dinner around what you find.
Take yourself out for an afternoon iced tea or lemonade and sit outside.
Spend an hour organizing your bathroom and restocking your everyday essentials.
Book a solo lunch somewhere you’ve been wanting to try.
Do a strength workout followed by a long shower and your favorite body-care routine.
Pick up flowers, take the scenic route home, and put them somewhere you’ll see them.
Have a solo picnic with something good to eat, a book, and a blanket.
Spend an afternoon offline and leave your phone at home while you run a few errands.
Choose one small thing you’ve been meaning to do for yourself and finally put it on the calendar.
Each month, we pull together a small selection of things we think are genuinely useful, enjoyable, or worth having around. Some are everyday staples, while others are simple little upgrades that make a routine, meal, home, or weekend feel better.
For August, we’re leaning into the final stretch of summer with picks that suit the season and the way we want to spend it: useful enough to earn their place, enjoyable enough to reach for often, and easy to carry into the months ahead. As always, take what makes sense for your life and leave the rest.
CURRENTBODY LED Red Light Hair Helmet
This is a slightly futuristic one for the woman who has decided her scalp deserves the same attention as her skin. The new Current Body LED helmet uses red and near-infrared light as part of a consistent hair-care routine, making it an interesting at-home addition if fuller-looking, healthier hair is a goal. (PS: all GLW readers can get 10% off when you use this insider discount code at checkout: MODERNMUSE)
WELLECO The Evening Elixir Supplement
This is a lovely evening-routine pick if you like your nighttime drink to feel a little more special than plain tea. WelleCo’s cocoa-based blend combines magnesium, vitamin C from acerola, and botanical ingredients, and you mix it with warm milk or water for a chocolatey nightcap.
BROOKLINEN Super Plush Turkish Cotton Bath Towels
Summer is a perfect time to rethink your bath linens, when lighter fabrics, frequent showers, and more time spent at home make the difference especially noticeable. These towels are an easy place to start: oversized, exceptionally plush, and made from heavyweight Turkish cotton that gives your everyday shower a decidedly more luxurious finish!
This stone Diffuser is a good pick if you want essential oils to become part of your evening routine without adding another ugly gadget to the room. It runs for up to eight hours on intermittent mode and covers spaces up to 500 square feet, so you can set it up in the bedroom or living room and let it run while you read, get ready for bed, or wind dow!
BALA’s Play Mat is a practical upgrade if you do Pilates, mobility work, stretching, or strength sessions at home and want something that can stay out without making the room look like a gym. It’s extra-thick for cushioning and grip, with a large surface that gives you more room to move through floor-based workouts comfortably!
These are the kind of sunglasses that can carry a very simple summer outfit. The Lyna style has a sculptural, oversized shape that feels polished without being overly precious, so they work just as well with a white tee and linen trousers as they do with a dress and sandals.
A woven bag is a good choice if you’ve been looking for one everyday summer tote that can actually keep up with your life. It has enough room for your laptop, water bottle, sunglasses, and the inevitable extras you pick up along the way, while the woven leather gives it a more polished feel than a basic canvas carryall. It’s the kind of bag you can use constantly rather than saving for a particular outfit or occasion!
Some parts of life are easy to rush through because there is always something waiting after them. You finish dinner while answering messages, read a few pages while thinking about tomorrow, leave a friend’s house while already checking what’s next. August feels like a good month to notice those moments and stay for a little bit longer.
Linger is about giving your attention enough time to catch up with your experience. It might mean letting a conversation continue past the point where you would normally say goodbye, sitting outside after dinner because the evening is still beautiful, or keeping a favorite part of your routine instead of immediately replacing it with something new.
When you stop rushing through every small part of your day, you get more information about what you actually enjoy, what restores you, and what deserves a permanent place in your life. You may discover that the things you want more of are already there; they simply need a little more of your time.
Try this when you need a reminder to linger:
Finish the coffee before opening another tab.
Stay at the table until the conversation naturally ends.
Give yourself one completely unhurried morning this month.
Let a good book take the place of an hour of scrolling.
When you catch yourself planning the next thing, come back to what you’re doing.
August will move on either way. You may as well give some of the good parts your full attention while they’re here!
There’s still plenty of summer left, but August also gives us a natural opportunity to look at how the year is unfolding. What have you enjoyed this season? What has slipped? What have you been giving your time to without really thinking about it?
Use the prompts below as a quick personal check-in before the month gets busy. You may find a few things worth changing, a few things worth keeping, and a few things you’d like to make more room for!
1. What have you been enjoying lately that deserves more room in your life?
Think beyond big milestones. Maybe it’s cooking dinner at home, seeing friends on weeknights, reading before bed, getting outside, having slower mornings, or simply having more time to yourself. What would it look like to make more space for it?
2. Where have you been rushing when there’s no real need to?
Look at the ordinary parts of your day: meals, getting ready, conversations, errands, your commute, your evenings. Is there anywhere you could give yourself an extra ten minutes and actually feel the difference?
3. What do you want to carry with you into the next season?
Consider the routines, priorities, relationships, habits, and ways of spending your time that have been serving you well. Which ones are worth keeping when summer ends, and which ones are ready to be left behind?
You don’t need to come up with a complete plan. Write honestly, follow the thoughts that feel interesting, and let your answers give you a clearer sense of what you want more of in the months ahead.
If you’d like to keep reflecting throughout August, don’t forget to download your August Reflection Journal from this month’s Downloads Edit. It includes 31 prompts to help you check in with yourself, notice what’s changing, and make the most of the month.
Some links in this section are affiliate links, which means GLW may earn a small commission if you make a purchase through them. We only share products we genuinely think are worth considering, and our recommendations are always our own.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.