It’s the middle of summer and it’s my turn to write a blog post. I don’t feel like writing a blog post. In fact, I don’t feel like doing much of anything. Did I say it’s the middle of summer?
So – how to stay motivated and productive during the dog days of summer, when frankly we’d prefer to be at the beach or in the mountains rather than sitting at our desks?
Of course, I don’t have any great ideas about how to stay productive, so I fall back on what I do when I’m stuck on anything – look at what other people are doing. It’s not exactly cheating; in fact, my boss has pointed out that visiting the blogs of clients or competitors can be a great way to generate some new ideas or perspectives.
At Buchanan, we make a point of keeping up with the blogs of our fellow agencies in the Public Relations Global Network, the global network of independent agencies of which we are a member. A recent blog from Landis PR, our San Francisco affiliate, quotes a study that shows office productivity falls by 20 percent during the summer months. But the good news is you can counteract that by taking advantage of the summer weather and getting some fresh air and sunshine during your lunch hour; fresh air and a change of scenery has been shown to increase productivity.
If you’re warm when you return to your desk, check the thermostat. Research has shown that office temperature affects work output. Apparently, the optimal temperature is between 70 and 72 degrees. If it gets any warmer, productivity falls and if it’s too cold, that increases the number of mistakes workers make. Plus, if your office is anything like ours, with people frequently disagreeing about whether it’s hot or cold, this science could settle the argument.
Other good suggestions on how not to waste away the summer in the office?
- Organize your inbox. As the volume of email lightens, take the opportunity to whittle down that inbox and file emails away where you’ll be more likely to find them anyway.
- Clean up your workspace. Summer is a perfect time to sort through those piles of paper building up around you and straighten up your bulletin board. Plus, it’s probably time to pitch all those magazines you swore you’d get to. Either that – or now’s the time to read them!
- Work on annual budgets. If budgeting is part of your responsibility, there’s no reason you can’t begin to look at how the year is going and plan ahead for next year. It will save time when you finalize in the fall.
- Concentrate on strategy. Many people complain that the pace of work slows during summer because colleagues can be harder to reach. If a boss or co-worker goes on vacation, preventing you from getting the go-ahead on a project, use the time to focus on projects that call for strategic thinking and planning, so you’ll have a leg up when the business of fall arrives. Plus, your boss will be impressed when she gets back from vacation.
And speaking of vacation – take yours! A recent study showed 26% of workers feel guilty taking their allotted vacation time, and 42% feel obligated to check their work email while they’re on vacation. Admittedly, PR people are among the worst about constantly checking email, but you’ve earned the chance to disconnect and relax. Plus, the same study shows an overwhelming percentage of people feel more productive after a vacation. Win-win!