BUT IT’S SUMMERTIME!

I understand it’s a beautiful, warm, sunshiny day. The kids are out of school and are playing in parks or at the pool and here you are working away. With all that on your mind, it is keeping you distracted from what has to be done.

This time of year, it is very challenging for some because of those distractions and the pull from family and friends may be stronger than at any other time of the year.

However, there are strategies that you can employ in order to make sure that summer is not the cause of you not reaching your goals. These include:

1. Sticking to your morning routine: You set one and have followed it during the fall, winter, and spring. Therefore, why would summer be any different? Keeping the same morning routine sets you up for staying on track. If nothing changes in the morning, then nothing should change during the day.
2. Time Management: Summer is the most critical time to make sure that this is handled properly. I remind you that you should be setting up for your day the night before. If you are doing it on the day, then you have no ‘destination’ for the day. With committed meetings, there is no alternative but honor the promise you made and therefore, not focusing on the sunshine.
3. Stay Hydrated: Water is going to be your best friend. It quenches not only thirst, but also hunger and, therefore, allowing you to avoid those high carb and sugary meals that sap you of energy and enthusiasm which is magnified by the heat of the day.
4. Unplug: If you want to get out there quicker, but have a project to finish before you can leave, unplugging is the best advice I can give you. Turn off all notifications, social media, phone, emails etc., and have only the internet browser window open that needs working on. The one exception that I have to myself is that I have some music softly playing in the background. It is amazing how quickly you can get everything done without distractions and your outdoor activities arrive quicker.
5. Delegate: Either part or the full project. What better way to get some summertime than to have someone else who can do what you do actually do it. I can hear it: “Joe, but no one can do it as well as I can. How do I know I can trust them that they will do it?” My questions are: first, what makes you think that they can not only do it, but can actually do it better than you and secondly, how do you know if you can, or cannot trust them unless you give them an opportunity to earn that trust?
6. Breaks: Give yourself permission to take some time off every couple of hours. Even if it is just for 10 minutes. Get outside, enjoy some fresh air, go for a short walk to re-energize and get re-motivated. It is summer after all.
7. End the business day: Set a time to shut business off and stick to it diligently. When you leave, make sure that you not only leave physically, but also mentally. Give your attention to your friends, family and the season.

How to handle summer seems fairly easy; set your intentions for meetings tonight so that when you get up in the morning and do your routine you know exactly what you will be doing. Grab your full water bottle, delegate a project or part of one to someone and unplug when you just need to get it done, but do take some well earned breaks and when you leave work, make sure that is where it stays.