Summer is a hard time to stay focused.  The Sun is shining, flip-flops are on your feet, and the home office feels more like cell block 109 than a cozy work station.  Do you know the feeling?  I feel it every year the Mercury rises past 70.  To keep myself productive I gave myself a few "Summer Rules".  Maybe they will help you work smarter this season.


1. Own your calendar:  During the summer months the social calendar is more active.  There seems to be an endless number distractions to pull us away from getting work done.  I use Google Calendar internally, to schedule time blocks to accomplish my different tasks for the week.  I fill in the most important things as early in the day as possible.  I like using Tungle for my external meeting scheduler.  It integrates well with other calendars and has a cool "proposed times" feature.

2. Get outside everyday: I love the long days of April through October.  I start my workday an hour earlier in the summer.  This gives me more daylight to get outside and enjoy the afternoon.  You could take a 15-30 minute walk or work outside in the shade.  Your body will love the vitamin D and fresh air.

3. Unplug: This is related to #2 but is important to categorize by itself. Unplugging gives your mind time to reboot.  You will come back more focused and effective.  Use the off the grid time to enjoy the company of friends and family.  Experience the world around you.  Last week I saw a guy laying in a hammock with a cell phone to his ear and a laptop on his chest.  Really?

These are simple guidelines that help me stay productive during the summer months.  Most people get distracted too easily this time of year.  We relapse to our school days when we had summer break and could sleep in and shed responsibilities.  Today we don't have the same luxury with projects due and business to ship.  Don't give in to the summer blues.  Work hard and play hard.

What are your summer rules?

Photo Credit: Ed Yourdon

Do you workshift while on vacation?  What tips would you suggest to others?

Photo by: melissaleon

Ok, that title may alienate a few folks, but sometimes instead of "holiday", I just want to say Christmas!  Ok, I feel better.

As Christmas gets near I need to mentally prepare for in-laws, distant cousins, intoxicated relatives, long drives, delayed planes and a lot of general pain associated with getting to loved ones.  Once i'm finally in the mix, I find that I need to disconnect from the festive crowd, sit down and log-on.  I look to workshifting as break from all the human connectivity.  I need to interact with my online community, maybe check-in at Foursquare (wish it worked better on the iPod Touch), Facebook, read some blog posts and if I'm really feeling uptight, check work email.

It's exactly what I'm trying to escape when I'm on vacation, and yet I find it so comforting when I need to disconnect...from my vacation.  Weird, I wonder if some of you feel the same way?
I don't think this is a bad thing.  Many of us workshifters love what we do.  I happen to be one of those people.  Logging into work or joining an online meeting is sometimes just what the doctor ordered during the holidays.  So if you do it, don't feel bad. 

Many people will be doing the same.  Watch for this type of behavior:  Someone will be nodding their head like they are listening to you intently, slowly they will be backing up towards the hallway but being sure to grab a champagne cocktail on the way, then quietly dipping into an office.  They will sit down to the warm glow of the monitor and then a certain sense of calm will wash over them.  Ahhh.....

Is that you?  How do you workshift during the holidays?

Merry Christmas!

Photo by: dejahthoris