Less is More and the Summer Rot

I recently read a New York Times article about the “summer rot”—or more accurately, the death of it.

Parents, especially in big cities, are stacking their children’s summers with camp after camp. Whether it’s driven by long-term ambition (the hope of raising an astrophysicist) or the very real and practical need for summer childcare—or maybe some blend of the two—it’s a lot. Families are wearing themselves thin, physically and financially.

But the thing is—boredom is often where curiosity takes root.

And while there are understandable reasons why true “rot” isn’t feasible for every family, the idea itself holds something worth paying attention to.

Schools are guilty of this, too. As a 12-month employee—and a Head of School, no less—I’m often asked: “Do you work in the summer?”

Do I work? Do I work?? How do people think the school year gets planned? The answer is yes—I absolutely work in the summer. But this year, I’ve been thinking a lot about what that summer work should look like. August to May requires a strange blend of marathon and sprint—all at once—and the truth is, that pace isn’t sustainable year after year.

So while yes, we work in the summer, I’ve been trying to focus on rest, too—my own version of “summer rot.” And what I’ve landed on, for myself and my school, is this: less is more.

What would it look like to focus on just a few things — and do them really, really well?

What if we gave ourselves permission to not fill every planning block, every to-do list, every committee charge?

What if we left just enough room for a little boredom — the kind that feels awkward and unproductive at first, but maybe, over time, becomes something else entirely?

For me, this is far easier said (or written) than done. But I’m doing my best to lean into the quiet, the margin, the slower rhythm — trusting that “less” might not just be enough, but exactly what I need.