Working during the summer months can present challenges. The kids are off from school, co-workers are sharing pictures of their tropical vacations, and your friends are talking about plans for their weekend getaways. All the while, your commute is becoming longer, hotter, and sweatier. It’s time you get out and enjoy a summer vacation too. Here are a few tips to help you stay productive and focused while making your summer plans.
- Schedule vacation well in advance.
The best time to schedule your vacation is two to three months in advance. This gives your managers adequate time to approve your vacation and manage project resources around your absence, so you won’t spend your whole vacation taking phone calls and answering work email. You need to take vacation days to recharge. Continually remind your manager of your vacation dates in your one-on-one meetings, so that they are aware of the need to work around you during those dates. Doing so will ensure that you don’t have to cancel your vacation last minute because nobody is available to cover your work. - Get to and maintain inbox zero.
Before going on vacation, get on top of your email overload. During the summer, both email volume and demands on your time tend to decrease, so it’s a great time to clean out your inbox. Sort important email that shouldn’t be deleted into file folders until your inbox has zero messages. This will make it much easier to get caught up on email when you get back from vacation. Only email you received while out of office will be in your inbox. - Read.
Great leaders are well read. Use your free time this summer to get to that list of books you’ve been meaning to read. Build a daily reading time into your schedule both when you’re on vacation and during the workweek. Read consciously, deliberately, and (most importantly) read to learn. If you haven’t had the time to set aside any books to read, ask your manager or coworkers for suggestions on books having to do with your career and industry. - Do something you never “have the time” for.
Help yourself stay productive by accomplishing projects off your “someday/sometime” list. If there are things you’ve been putting off because you haven’t felt like it’s the right time, tackle those tasks this summer. - Enjoy friends and family.
When it comes time for your vacation, have fun with your loved ones that you don’t get to see during the busy months of the year. There are numerous activities that you can do with your family and friends, so take advantage of them. Don’t take time off to seclude yourself this summer; be outgoing! Getting to relax and have fun with the people you love is the greatest, most gratifying part of summer vacation.
Is finding an exciting new career part of your summer vacation plan? Let the experienced recruiters at BOS Staffing help. For more than 35 years we have helped match candidates just like you to jobs that really suit them.
Contact us today and we’ll work together to find just the right match.
