5 top tips for staying productive over the summer

Wednesday July 12, 2017

Written by Simon Morgan, South East London and North Kent

The summer months often see a slowdown in the office. Colleagues and clients take annual leave, and the hot weather encourages early finishes and increased social engagements. Sometimes the workday seems to drag. But the slower summer period can be a time of great productivity – putting you in a strong position come September.

The summer months often see a slowdown in the office. Colleagues and clients take annual leave, and the hot weather encourages early finishes and increased social engagements. Sometimes the workday seems to drag. But the slower summer period can be a time of great productivity – putting you in a strong position come September.

Here are our top tips for staying productive this summer:

1. Get strategic. Use the quieter period to do some forward planning. What challenges are over the horizon and how might the business tackle them? This isn’t something you should do alone – get colleagues along to help you brainstorm. As well as preparing the business for what’s to come, this kind of exercise can really help to keep people motivated and engaged.

2. Take time for training. It can be so hard to find the time for training, but it’s crucial to helping you to work effectively. The quieter summer months are a great time for you and your team to complete the training sessions you usually struggle to make time for.

3. Have one-to-ones with your team. If you’re a manager, schedule informal chats with each of your team to find out how they think they’re getting on, what their goals are, how they’d like their career to develop. Annual reviews are far more formal and often time-pressured; use the summer to just ‘catch up’.

4. Use holiday absences as development opportunities for your staff. When colleagues are away on leave, there are always tasks that need to be done in their absence. Look for willing volunteers – they may learn new skills that’ll make them more valuable employees and gain exposure to new colleagues and stakeholders.

5. Network. In just about every job, there are huge advantages to networking. But for many of us, when we’re busy it’s difficult to find the time to really engage. Summer’s a great time to get out and about, either to formal networking events, or even just for a casual coffee.

By all means, enjoy the breathing space that the summer period allows, but don’t let it go entirely to waste. A productive summer will mean you’re in a much better position to tackle the challenges that the rest of the year will inevitably bring.

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