Trying your best to conquer your day, but having trouble because you're constantly on the go and distractions seem to be lurking around every corner now that the weather is warmer? Keep reading, girl. 'Cause that (F)empire ain't gonna build itself. Get my tried and true tips for staying on point even during the most wonderful time of the year!
Get outside early before it gets too hot.
I’m not consistently a morning person, but summer mornings are the best. Depending on where you live, it’s typically still pretty cool around sunrise, and getting up and out and moving at such an early hour can completely help you feel uber accomplished because you’ve done more before noon than most people will do in their entire day. Plus, you’ve got the added benefit of not getting the same draining beat down of the summer sun all over your neck while you’re out trying to accomplish stuff.
Give yourself some boundaries.
It’s easy to blow of your responsibilities in the summer because the kid in you wants to run off and play. And I definitely encourage you to get out and enjoy… but within reason. Decide ahead of time if you’re going to let yourself day drink at lunch that you’ll only have one cocktail instead of three. Or, allow yourself to go to that pool party over the weekend when you’re supposed to be working on your passion project, but only if you promise to work an extra couple of hours in the evening to make up for it.
Reward yourself for prioritizing and completing tasks.
I love a good reward for being good to myself and on my best adulting behavior. I have a cart full of cool sh*t I’m ready to click purchase on this week because I finally sat down to complete a major task that had been lingering for a couple of weeks. I looked at what needed to be done and invested in ahead of time and completed those necessities first. Then, as I began chipping away at it I ran into a few minor hiccups. But, because I paced myself, was patient with the process, and knew I had something I really wanted waiting for me on the other end, I worked through everything that came up with ease. I felt the double satisfaction in knowing that I got both what I needed to get done for myself-- plus, I was able to reward myself with something that I wanted.
Complete mindless, but necessary tasks at the pool, beach or wherever you find yourself with time and opportunity
I typically carry around work stuff (sometimes just my ideas notebook) to non-traditional work spaces because something brilliant might come up. But, more often than not, I end up looking at quotes or memes and storing them for an uninspired, rainy social media day. Ordinarily, I’d consider this a time suck. But let’s admit it. If you’re in business or a creative mind, then social media is just a part of life now, and a necessary part of marketing ourselves.
Other mindless tasks you could do include paying bills online, digitally purging old photos and apps you no longer need on your phone or iPad, or pulling recipe ideas off of Pinterest that you want to try for the week. You know your life and what it needs. Sometimes, it’s the small and seemingly inconsequential things that help us streamline our life for better efficiency. You’re smart and nimble with your time and focus so, I’m sure you have far better things to do besides play Candycrush. You’ll think of some good stuff to fill the gaps.
Use technology to your advantage while on-the-go.
I’ll admit, since I got my Kindle Paperwhite, I’ve been spending a bunch of time reading in the Uber, in waiting rooms, in line at the store, and basically wherever else I can squeeze it in. Every week I feel smarter and wiser.
We all basically walk around with a computer in our pocket, so we mine as well use it to maximize our potential. Grab your smartphone to jot down important notes for later. The best ideas often happen spontaneously. I always carry my wireless keyboard with me so I can type stuff out fast and efficiently if inspiration happens upon me during my downtime at a lunch cafe or my fave juice bar. My other fave tool is the dictation feature that I use with google docs. Sometimes it’s just easier to talk things out, ya know.
Summer is the most fun season of all, in my opinion. And it’s important to me that I get out and enjoy it as much as I can-- but, not at the expense of my goals for world domination. ‘Cause once that happens, I can hop on my jet and make summer happen whenever I want. Until then, cash me outside, enjoying the journey whilst staying on task and productive af.
