Summer. What comes to your mind when you hear that word? For many it’s a word that conjures visions of poolside flip flops or glasses of iced tea on the front porch. It is sunscreen, fireflies, bonfires, long days and family vacations.
It’s also lazier days and unpredictable schedules. For many of us with kids, it means negotiating new routines and daytime activities while we still juggle our regular work tasks. Even if you don’t have kids at home, all the extra socializing and summer events can throw a wrench in your daily schedule. Sometimes all that extra makes it hard to be productive! And it’s not all in your head. The lazy days of summer is a ‘thing’! In fact, this article in the New Yorker sites scientific evidence that summer really does tend to be a time of reduced productivity.
Instead of letting it completely derail you, our encouragement is that you would reclaim summer! The change of pace and the extra daylight time make it a great time to take on new tasks and initiate changes in your life. Sometimes productivity is about quality of life not quantity of tasks. Let summer be a time to focus on quality by taking intentional steps toward refreshing your life.
How can you embrace summer as an opportunity to refresh and regroup with an eye toward your goals? We have a few suggestions!
Fix up your work space. Sprucing up your office or work environment can keep your life from feeling stale. Summer offers a perfect time to start a project. It might be as simple as an inspirational quote on the wall or a potted plant on the book shelf. It might be something more ambitious like a fresh coat of paint or going through filing cabinets and purging the junk. Clutter can be a hindrance to focus and productivity – are there things you can remove from your work space and donate to someone else? Ask yourself how you could improve your space so that you feel more inspired to tackle your goals when things get busy again this Fall. These are the kinds of bonus tasks that we usually put off but can be very motivating. Summer is a great time to go after them and still make a contribution to your goals.
Launch a gratitude campaign. Giving thanks isn’t just for Thanksgiving. You can turn summertime into a season of appreciation. Send a note to your support system, take clients out to lunch, or just call to simply say, “thank you” to someone who has been a help along the way. It will build your relationship with the people in your life and it will be so good for your own spirit!
Get face time. Summer is the perfect time to catch up with contacts, colleagues and prospects. The options are endless. Grab an iced coffee, have lunch al fresco, or simply go for a walk. You’ll enjoy the summer weather and build your support structure in the process.
Soak in the sunshine. Be intentional to get time outside while the days are long. With the extended reach that technology gives us, many of us can do our work anywhere. Find a library or café where you work outside. If you can’t do that, be sure to take advantage of nature at other points in your day. Take a hike at a local park with your spouse or a friend after your work day, take extended time in the evening to sit by the river and journal or read a book, or take a stroll outside during your lunch break.
Learn a new skill. The slower summer pace can offer you greater freedom and flexibility to get out of the office for your own professional development. It can be a good time to attend a conference, trade show, or industry event that you might not usually have time to attend. Maybe you can check out the networking group in your area or find an online course to learn a new skill through an online workshop. A few weeks ago, we reminded you that pursuing your goals should transform you along the way and that means asking yourself what you need to be willing to learn, do, or become along the way? Summer is a great time to try to answer that question and take the first steps toward accomplishing it!
Yes, summer tends to be a less productive time quantitatively. But, it doesn’t have to mean losing your momentum. Use some of these strategies to continue to grow your dreams during the summer months and prepare for a big finish in the second half of the year.
