The livin’ may be easy but you still have to work

 There are fewer people in the office, everyone starts daydreaming in the late afternoon heat, and holiday energy is vibrating from people leaving for a couple of weeks. Even if you’re not going on vacation this summer, there’s no doubt that productivity stops as soon as the sun’s rays hit you through the open window.

One of my favourite blogs, Unclutterer.com, has some great ideas to make sure your summer months aren’t wasted.

Sit down and make a list of your regular tasks and when they need to be done and write them on a calendar. This will make sure you don’t fall behind and the visual cue will help you plan out the rest of your time.

Start your Mondays with a cup of coffee and the aforementioned calendar before turning on your computer and ask yourself:

• What calls you have make
• What meetings you have and the items you need to prepare
• What deadlines do you have and what do you need to do to meet them
• Anything else you were hoping to accomplish this week

Talk to your supervisor about shifting your working hours. Instead of going in at 9 am, try getting there for 7 and leaving at 3 to enjoy the end of the day. The office is quieter before working hours and there are fewer distractions so you will get more done.

When all else fails and productivity grinds to a halt, try these tasks to find a sense of accomplishment:

• Return anything in your office that shouldn’t be there
• Clear bulletin boards, monitors, note pads, piles of paper, etc. of unnecessary info and old sticky notes. Shred what’s useless and file what you need to keep
• Throw away inkless pens, dried highlighters, old white out tubes, and anything else taking up extra space
• Dust your desk and your shelves to breathe new life into your area
• If anything on your to-do list can be completed in less than two minutes, do it.

How do you make sure you stay on track during the summer?