If you’ve spent any time on TikTok lately, you’ve probably heard the term nonna maxxing. And while the name sounds like it involves making homemade gnocchi every Sunday or learning how to crochet, it’s actually much simpler than that.

Nonna maxxing is basically the art of living a little more like your grandmother. Think home-cooked meals, long walks, fresh flowers, dinner parties, reading instead of scrolling, and finding ways to enjoy your day without spending a fortune.

At first, I thought it was just another internet trend. Then I realized I was already doing half of these things.

Maybe it’s because it feels like we’re constantly being told to do more. Every hobby needs to become a side hustle. Every walk needs to count as exercise. Every free evening needs to be productive. Nonna maxxing feels like the complete opposite.

Instead of asking, “How can I get more done?” it asks, “How can I enjoy this a little more?”

It’s choosing to walk to the grocery store instead of ordering delivery. It’s making a pasta dinner with whatever’s already in your fridge. It’s spending an hour reading outside without feeling guilty that you’re not doing something more “useful.”

The more I think about it, the more I realize that some of the best parts of summer already fit perfectly into the nonna maxxing lifestyle.

Farmers’ markets on a Saturday morning. Bringing a book to the park. Picking up a bouquet of flowers while running errands. Hosting friends for drinks and snacks on the balcony instead of coordinating an expensive night out. None of it is groundbreaking, but that’s kind of the point.

Of course, some nonna maxxing content can make it seem like everyone is spending their afternoons tending to a vegetable garden and baking focaccia from scratch. Meanwhile, the rest of us are answering emails and wondering what’s for dinner at 5:37 p.m. The beauty of the trend is that you don’t need a completely different lifestyle to participate. Most of us still have jobs, commutes, and calendars full of obligations. Nonna maxxing can be as simple as walking to grab your morning coffee, reading a few pages before bed, or hosting a low-key dinner instead of another expensive night out. It’s less about having more time and more about making the most of the time you do have.

There’s also something refreshing about how offline it feels.

Not everything needs to become content. Sometimes a homemade dinner can just be dinner. A walk can just be a walk. A coffee on your balcony can just be a coffee on your balcony.

Revolutionary, I know.

What I like most about the trend is that it’s less about buying things and more about appreciating the things you already have. Wearing the same linen dress you’ve loved for years. Using the nice dishes on a random Tuesday. Making your apartment feel cozy with fresh flowers from the grocery store instead of waiting for a special occasion.

It’s really just romanticizing everyday life without making it feel like a full-time job.

So this summer, I’ll be embracing my inner nonna. Not by making tomato sauce from scratch for six hours, but by slowing down a little, spending more time outside, hosting friends more often, and remembering that some of the best moments happen in the middle of ordinary days.

Nonna knew what she was doing all along.

Love, Laura