This One Question Will Save Your Summer

More isn’t better. The dose is the difference between delight and damage...

After 26 hours, 1 taxi, 2 planes, 1 Uber (thanks, Dallas!), and unlimited screen time, we finally made it from Singapore to Houston.

Our flight landed at 6:00 a.m.

Anyone who's done the international travel shuffle knows the early-morning arrival can be *dangerous*. If you give in to sleep too early, you risk multi-day jet lag.

The key? Stay awake until at least 7:00 p.m. by any means necessary.

For us, that meant sunlight.

We dropped our bags at my parents' place, rallied the kids, and got everyone outside and into the pool. We talked about how great sunlight is for the body when you’re tired. At the same time we’re talking about how great the sun is we’re also trying to get sunscreen on everyone because of how bad the sun is for our bodies.

"All things are poison, and nothing is without poison; the dose alone makes a thing not poison."

Paracelsus

I’ve been thinking about this moment as we kick off summer. Because it’s not just the sun. This idea of a “desired dose” shows up everywhere.

In medicine, the “desired dose” is the *specific amount* of medication that offers maximum benefit with minimal risk.

Too little, and it’s ineffective. Too much, and it’s harmful.

Everything in life has a desired dose.

Even the good stuff:

• Too much oxygen? Oxygen poisoning.

• Too much water? Water intoxication.

• Too much exercise? Rhabdomyolysis (look it up — it's wild).

The question we each need to ask is:

What’s your desired dose?

Summer is when we tend to overdo.

We eat more, spend more, sleep in more. We say yes to everything.

But just because something is fun, or helpful, or even healthy — doesn’t mean more is better.

One bowl of ice cream? Might be perfect.

Another 90 minutes of scrolling? Might not.

Saying yes to another party, another project, another purchase? Maybe. Maybe not.

Asking this question won’t make you perfect. But it might help you pause.

And that pause might be enough to keep you aligned with the version of yourself you’re trying to become. Even if it helps you say no once to the thing outside your desired dose, it’s a win.

And, every win counts.

Here’s the other thing: your desired dose might not be someone else’s.

Your friend might thrive on six hours of sleep. You might need nine.

They might work best with back-to-back plans. You might need margin and quiet.

Comparison? That’s the enemy of the desired dose.

This season, respect your own limits.

Honor what you need, not what Instagram says you should be able to handle.

This summer, try this: When you feel the impulse to say yes, to reach for more, to push past your own rhythm — ask: “What’s the desired dose… for me?”

Keep Asking,

Kyle