As the days get longer and warmer, you’re starting to notice your attention span getting shorter and shorter. The great outdoors is beckoning, and your stuffy office is looking less appealing by the second! We get it; while winter feels like a natural time to sit inside in front of your computer screen, summer screams ‘fun in the sun’, so it can be a real challenge to stay motivated and productive at work!
If you’re finding yourself increasingly restless, gazing out the window at everyone else enjoying themselves, and slacking off from essential work, read on to discover our top tips to keep motivation at an all-time-high over these beautiful summer months.
Get Creative With Your Work Hours
Do you HAVE to stay fixed with regular working hours all year-round? If not, why not treat yourself with an early finish on Fridays in Jan/Feb to kick-start your summery weekends or amend your working hours entirely so you can start earlier and finish earlier. You could even consider slotting in an evening work session after the sun has gone down (and all the summer fun has been had!)
The point we are trying to emphasise here is to make your schedule work for you. Different people find they have bursts of energy, inspiration and motivation at certain times of the day, so try and schedule your important tasks for the times where you’re feeling pumped up and give yourself a break when your brain is feeling like a melted ice block!
Have it both ways!
The expression ‘You can’t have your cake and eat it too’ irritates me! Buy two damn cakes and eat one while you admire the other! That’s my motto. Apply this logic to working in summer by taking your laptop out into the action! You can head to the park, the beach, even the forest! Heck, you can even work on your back deck in the fresh air, with your back to the sun if that’s all it will take for you to put a summer smile on your dial!
If you don’t work for yourself and you’re stuck in an office environment, you still don’t have to stay glued to your desk all day. Find opportunities to get outside for some fresh air and a sunshine injection. Got a conference call to make? Then pop on your headset and enjoy a walk while you talk. You may even find you are more creative and ‘on the ball’ with a little physical activity because the increased blood flow to the brain provides you with a flood of endorphins and inspiration.
Plan Fun Activities For Outside Work
Instead of focusing on all the fantastic things your friends and family are up to while you are tapping away on your keyboard, plan some after work or weekend activities to look forward to. With longer daylight hours, there is still plenty of time to enjoy yourself once you knock off for the day.
Plus, ensuring you have something positive to look forward to at the end of the day will help you power through your work extra fast. Dangle a proverbial carrot for yourself!
Cut Out The Distractions
Nothing cuts down on productivity and motivation like getting sucked into the black hole that is social media. Get strict with yourself – put the phone away, don’t open Facebook or Instagram, and give each task one hundred per cent of your focus.
If willpower isn’t your best quality, don’t worry, there is an app for that! Yep, you can download a programme for your computer or phone that block certain websites for a given period. You will be amazed at how much faster you work without constant interruption, and how much your motivation increases when you are not looking at everybody else enjoying themselves while you are supposed to be working.
Reaffirm Your Goals
When motivation and passion start to wane, it’s the perfect time to take a look at your goals and remind yourself why you are doing what you do. Perhaps you are working on your passion project, and you have a vision for where you want it to be in five years, or maybe you are working and saving hard, so you can head off on your dream vacation in six months.
Whatever your motivation, keep it fresh in your head however you can. Pin an image of your goal to your workspace or reaffirm it every morning when you brush your teeth. Whichever way you choose to regroup and refocus on your goals, you will be much more inspired to keep at it if you can keep your eyes on the prize.
Get Rid Of The Jobs You Don’t Enjoy
When the beach is calling, not many people want to respond to general enquiry emails or reconcile their bank account. So, why not outsource those jobs (and any others you don’t like) to an expert Virtual Assistant. The work gets done, you get to enjoy the sunshine, and your business continues to flourish and grow.
We can help with a massive range of administrative, financial and general business tasks here at Virtual Assistants, so why not give us a call to see how we can lighten your load and boost your motivation this summer.