Practical Tips for Staying Organized and Making the Most of Summer in Self-Direction
Hello, Summer!
Summer has arrived—and with it comes a chance to reset, relax, and prepare for the new fiscal year. While self-directed programs don’t follow the school calendar, the July 1st fiscal year start does bring some familiar structure. In this blog post, I’m sharing a few tips we’ve developed over the past two summers to keep things running smoothly—while still making time for fun in the sun.
📊 Starting the New Fiscal Year Strong
✅ Set Up a New Budget Tracker
At the start of each fiscal year, I create a fresh Google Sheet for the upcoming year, with tabs for each line item in our budget. I think of it like a personal checkbook—easy to update, and helpful when reconciling monthly reports from the Acumen portal. Keeping this up to date each month makes it easier to spot and resolve discrepancies.
📁 Archive the Previous Year
At the end of each year, I download the old spreadsheet as a PDF and save it to an external hard drive. I also print a “year-end summary” showing starting and ending balances, and file it with all our paper records—just in case we’re ever audited.
📂 Reset the Budget Binder
I keep paper copies of invoices, Acumen reports, and key documents in a binder throughout the year. Once the fiscal year ends, I file away the old documents and start fresh with an empty binder for the new year.
📉 Estimate Quarterly Spending
Now that we’re entering our third year, I use the past two years of data to forecast quarterly spending. This helps me plan staffing and expenses and stay aligned with our budget—avoiding mid-year surprises.
🌻 Summer Planning That Works
🎯 Make a Seasonal Bucket List
At the start of June, we talk about what seasonal activities L wants to do—especially those listed in his person-centered plan. It’s also a chance to add new ideas and remove things he’s outgrown.
🏞 Build in Time for Fun
L’s volunteer commitments continue throughout the summer, but we prioritize flexibility for special events or one-day opportunities. With longer daylight hours, we often plan hikes or outings in the evenings after work.
📅 Make It Visible
We hold monthly and weekly check-ins to review and update our calendar. Planning activities ahead of time increases the chances they actually happen! This summer, L’s goal is to use the calendar feature on his new Echo Show more independently—so he can check his schedule without always needing to ask.
💡 Use Your Flex Funding
Some activities may qualify for reimbursement through your program’s flexible funding. It’s worth exploring what’s possible—especially for camps, classes, or memberships.
☀️ Soak It All In
The long days of summer always seem to fly by. Take time to enjoy the season while also laying the foundation for a smooth year ahead.
Here’s to a summer full of sunshine, growth, and meaningful moments!
-Cheryl
#Life Without a Filter 