Some say the pace of work and productivity moves a bit slower during the summer months. That is definitely not the case in our office, where deadlines know no season, but amid the busyness, the vibe seems a little more relaxed. In the Pacific Northwest, where everyone wants to take advantage of every moment of sun, “work hard, play hard” becomes our daily mantra between June and September.
It takes more than switching from your usual steamed latte to iced coffee to maintain your productivity through the summer. Here are three tips to help you keep your cool and get more done at the office:
- Tackle your most important tasks early in the day. Many productivity experts advise getting your most important, brain-heavy tasks done by late morning or early afternoon. I’m definitely at my sharpest before 4 p.m., but particularly during the summer, the prospect of leaving the office a little early to join friends for an al fresco happy hour or to go kayaking with my Communiqué PR colleagues motivates me to plow through my to-do list and complete high-priority tasks early in the day.
- Plan ahead and around. With more people out of the office for extended periods of time, forecasting your project timelines and staffing becomes even more critical. In our firm, we maintain a vacation calendar in Smartsheet which enables us to see who is out and when so that we can plan staffing on projects accordingly. Knowing when your clients and key business partners will be out of the office is also key to planning ahead and determining the timing for deliverables that require their participation or input.
- Give others more lead time for deadlines. This is akin to tip no. 2, but working in a few extra days for deadlines can save you from stress-induced headaches down the road. If you normally allot three days for feedback on a plan, allot five days. This may mean kicking off projects earlier, but in the end this will keep your schedule on track.
While these tips are relevant anytime of the year, employing these in particular can make the difference between working late chasing down approvals on a proposal or hitting the water for some stand-up paddle boarding before sunset. Our team has also found that taking breaks together outside of the office to grab a scoop of Molly Moon’s ice cream or to take a quick walk around the block to enjoy the sun gives us the extra boost to power through the rest of the day.
Enjoy the rest of the summer!
What are your tips for staying productive and getting work done?