August used to be a month for slowing down and simplifying, of lifting your head up and looking around with renewed curiosity. When I was working it was the time when meetings and deadlines evaporated, the calendar looked abashed at its nakedness. I used to create a summer plan to investigate topics that I had put off, to play around with tools, read books, explore ideas and generally switch things up from the regular working pattern. But what to do in August when your whole year is like that...
