Summertime! Can’t Get Anything Done

Okay, I have an attitude problem.  I just can’t get anything done.  My mind is gone . . . and it’s on the beach at Lake Tahoe or on that tandem bike down in Geneoa.  It feels great to finally have some warm weather here in Northern Nevada.  Just last Monday morning, June 6th, it looked like the old days of living in Norway – cold & wet.  But now it’s is lovely and I’m ready to just play.  So how do I “self-coach” myself to not bolt out the office with flip flops & swimsuit in hand at noon each day?  Now you might be much more disciplined that I am but just in case you struggle with this same delicious impulsive behavior here are three good tips . . . 

Keep the “To-Do” List Very Short

I like to work with odd numbers.  So this morning I said I would get five main “work-related” tasks done.  No more – no less.  I write that list down and check it off.  Some of the tasks I even break into smaller pieces so I can give myself lots of credit for getting part of the bigger elephant eaten.  I turn off the music, close the blinds and not allow myself to wander off down the hallway to chat with colleagues.  And lots of celebration for getting those five tasks done. After all, it’s summertime!

“Chunk” Your Time

Remember this ‘ole way of maximizing your time and energy.  Take your day and divide it up into chunks of time.  And then decide what tasks are the most important and put those into the chunk of time that you are the most energetic, alert and productive.  For us business owners, put in anything to do with the financial end of your business into this prime time.  I know that I am much more productive early in the morning – I can get more done at 5:30am than the whole evening before.  So I try to minimize working late at night and instead just get up a bit earlier in the morning.  That early morning “chunk” is my best time. 

Plan Ahead to Slow Down

If you can, plan ahead to enjoy the summer.  Being an obsessive planner myself, I mapped out the summer months way back when we were buried in snow in January. I blocked out time on the wall calendar that I knew I would either be back on the East Coast, hitting the wineries with my identical twin or transporting various college kids back and forth to their schools.  If I can, I slow down the number of training commitments I make for the summer months and instead schedule those in the early fall.  Usually, that is just fine with others since they also want to be less hurried and stressed during these nice warm days. 

Finally, just go do it. Slide out the door discreetly and head for either the Truckee River to float your toes or grab up those vacationing kids and head up to Lake Tahoe.  After all, summertime only comes once a year!

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