The Livin' May be Easy but You Still Have to Work

The office is a sleepy place come the summer. The few remaining employees are daydreaming at their desks, holiday energy is flowing through people who are leaving for some time off, and even those of us staying in town can’t help but feel sluggish as soon as we get that first blast from an open window on one of the hottest days of the year.

Summer is here, and the opportunity to take time off work for vacations or family visits can be tempting. But how often have you found yourself feeling overwhelmed and limited by your time?

One of my favourite blogs Unclutterer.com has some great ideas that will keep your summer from going unused!

Begin with your usual Monday morning coffee: sit down with pen and paper (or better yet - Google Calendar) for five minutes. Just after taking that first sip – check your email (and don't forget about those calls!), review meetings scheduled for later in the day/week and prepare items needed beforehand so nothing is forgotten last-minute!

Anything else you are hoping to accomplish this week? Make a note.

Talk to your supervisor about shifting your working hours - instead of starting at 9am, try getting there at 7am and leaving by 3pm. The office is quieter before working hours, so you can get more done without distractions.

Are the building blocks of productivity starting to crumble? Take a break for 5 minutes, and do something you’ve been putting off or have wanted to try in order to get some sense of accomplishment back - like tidying up that office space!

Return anything in your office that shouldn’t be there. Clear bulletin boards, monitors, note pads, piles of paper—and throw away inkless pens or old white out tubes if they are taking up too much space. Dust off shelves and desks to help get rid of the clutter you have accumulated with time while also restoring some new life into the area for yourself!

And if any lingering task on your 'to-do list' can be completed within two minutes - do it! You'll thank yourself later.