4 ways to design a dreamy summer, according to a happiness expert

I tend to romanticize summer. The movies and TV shows I grew up with made me think that the season was about adventure and big-time transformation.

I imagined myself building a tight-knit friend group and getting out of a pickle together, like in The Sandlot or Camp Nowhere . Or traveling across the world, say, to Greece, like Lena Kaligaris, a character in The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants , having a whirlwind summer romance and returning an entirely different person.

I've never actually had a summer like that.

Even when your expectations are more modest than mine, "so often, the summer just flies by, and we haven't taken the picnics or gone for the day trip or whatever it was that we thought we were gonna do," says happiness expert Gretchen Rubin.

Rubin, author of The Happiness Project and host of the podcast Happier With Gretchen Rubin , has been sharing ideas on social media about how to make the season more memorable and satisfying.

She walks through four exercises to help you get what you want — and more — out of the season. Print out our worksheet here , fill it out and stick it on your fridge to keep you accountable. Or take a screenshot and post it to Instagram (don't forget to tag @NPRLifeKit !).

🍑 Give your summer a theme

Pick a single word or phrase that you want to embrace this season — something that captures the feeling you want to have over the next few months.

"My theme for the summer is 'ketchup,'" Rubin says. "It has a kind of a summer feeling, because you think of putting ketchup on your burger."

"It's a metaphor," she says. It means to look for "whatever I could add [this season] to make something elevated and more fun."

Meanwhile, my theme word this summer is "juice." I no longer think that I need to travel far or completely transform to have a delicious summer. I just need to take advantage of the abundance that the season offers: ripe peaches and tomatoes, juicy softball pitches and the opportunity to feel juicy in my body when I wear a bathing suit.

Print out our worksheet here , fill it out and stick it on your fridge to keep you accountable. Or take a screenshot and post it to Instagram (don't forget to tag @NPRLifeKit !). Malaka Gharib/NPR hide caption

🪣 Create a summer bucket list

What do you want to do this summer? On my bucket list: ride the Ferris wheel at a summer fair, have more barbecues at my parents' house and see the sunrise at least once.

There might even be something you don't necessarily want to do but have been trying to accomplish for a long time — like cleaning out the garage or learning how to swim.

"Some people love a long list with a lot of easy things to cross off," Rubin says. "I'm a fan of that approach myself."

But some people like a list with fewer goals that are more ambitious. If you take this path, just make those items realistic, she says. "It's easy to get discouraged if you set the bar too high."

🏁 Set a fun challenge

It could be fun to gamify a few of the items on your bucket list — or to come up with an entirely different kind of dare for yourself.

You might try 10 new taco joints this summer or read five romance novels. Or you might come up with a theme, like "Freaky Flavor Friday," Rubin says. Every Friday, you go to a different ice cream shop and try a new and ambitious flavor.

A good challenge can make your summer feel more memorable, she says. "If you did 'Freaky Flavor Friday' all summer long, that would stand out in your mind. Years later, you'd be like, 'That's the summer I discovered creamed corn ice cream.'"

Two challenges I'm considering: taking a swim class and rewatching all the best Pixar movies .

🖼️ Take a "five-senses portrait"

Experience the summer through your five senses — then reflect on each one. What does summer look like, smell like, taste like, sound like and feel like?

"It's one thing to look at photographs, but that's very flat," Rubin says. "A 'five-senses portrait' puts you back into that experience. It's a creative, fun way to look back on summer and capture the memories that you've created."

Do this exercise either for your whole summer or for a specific summer adventure, she says. Do it with yourself or with a group. You can journal about it, make a collage, draw a picture or simply have a conversation.

When I think of summer, here's what comes to mind: the smell of smoke from a crackling outdoor fire and the taste of toasted marshmallows on a stick.

More summer-worthy goals from Life Kit

Learn how to swim . Knowing how to swim can help you have fun at the pool or beach this summer. But it could also save your life. Here are some tips to start swimming at any age.

Focus on rest and relaxation . In Dr. Saundra Dalton-Smith's book Sacred Rest , she outlines different kinds of rest you may be craving. From the mental to the physical, Dalton-Smith shares how to identify what kind of respite you need and how to embrace rest.

Get into running . Ready to kick-start a new running habit? Coach Martinus Evans breaks down a common misconception to get you into the mindset and offers quick tips on pace, form and more.

Declutter your home . Got piles of stuff you just can't seem to get rid of? Professional organizer Star Hansen explains how to let go of unnecessary items and keep your home neat and tidy.

This episode was produced by Clare Marie Schneider. The story was edited by Meghan Keane. The visual editor is CJ Riculan. We'd love to hear from you. Leave us a voicemail at 202-216-9823, or email us at LifeKit@npr.org .

Listen to Life Kit on Apple Podcasts and Spotify , and sign up for our newsletter . Follow us on Instagram: @nprlifekit .