19 Jun FOCUS ON SELF-CARE FOR THE SUMMER
After a busy spring full of meetings, conferences, and project deadlines, summer is a great time to shift professional priorities and focus on self-care. An increase in automated out of office emails means projects are being put on hold, and the daily grind of back-to-back meetings is slowing down. This is the perfect opportunity to regroup, refocus, and refresh.
Schedule time in June to assess and prioritize needs for the next few months. Sort time sensitive items that need to happen over the summer and tasks that can wait until the fall. Look at your own vacation schedule and make note of things you need to complete before taking a well-earned break. Even if something may not be “due” before your vacation, setting internal deadlines will help you to not feel like you’ve fallen behind the second you return. Plus, knowing what doesn’t need to be finished quickly will help you to move things off your desk, so you’re not rushing needlessly as you prepare for your time off.
If you haven’t scheduled time off, for travel or for a refreshing staycation, find time in the schedule to do so. Everyone needs occasional breaks to power down from work mode and take time for themselves. Look at your company policies for time off and figure out how much PTO you’ve accrued. That time doesn’t do you any good if you don’t take it! Summer can be an especially good time to take earned vacation time, as so many clients and vendors are also out of town, and productivity will slow naturally.
If your days will be less jam-packed than normal, this is also a good time of year to shift your focus to self-care on a daily basis. If your office is quieter and deadlines are less imminent, you can take the opportunity to fit more personal time into your daily routine. Start your morning at the gym, schedule a massage, journal each day, or take afternoons off to play with your kids. Even simply spreading your meetings out to create a slower pace each day can help you to de-stress and enjoy the quiet moments.
In all of your summer planning, remember that communication with your team is vital. Make sure everyone knows when team members will be out of the office and discuss how this may affect priorities and deadlines. Also be sure to communicate policies and expectations around time off – do you need to delegate tasks to others, do regular meetings need to be moved, do inboxes need coverage? Planning ahead ensures vacation time will be a time to relax, rather than an additional source of stress.
Most importantly, remember that work-life balance requires that you take time for your life. Enjoy your time off, enjoy the nicer weather, and find time to take care of yourself. We hope you all have a wonderful summer!