Work and Relaxation this Summer

During our childhoods, summer was often full of free time and friends. As adults with full time jobs, summer may have lost that magical feeling. With careers and families, summer can become even busier than the rest of the year, leaving you feeling out of balance. Even without the summer vacations of our childhoods, there are ways you can find a balance between work and relaxation this summer.

Set boundaries with work
This is a rule to live by throughout the year, but especially during the summer. Limiting your work life to certain times and areas will preserve your precious time off. A good place to start is by only working within your scheduled hours. If you work from home, you could contain your work supplies to one area, rather than scattered across your whole living space. Keeping your work within certain parameters will prevent it from spilling into the rest of your life. If you find it impossible to fit your work into certain times or areas, you might need to evaluate the amount of responsibility or number of projects you have. Asking for more support or delegating work might be necessary for you to keep up with your role.

Get more sunshine
Even on a work day, you can still take advantage of the summer weather! If you work from home, try moving your desk to face a window for some extra sunshine. Or, get fresh air by bringing your laptop out to your balcony or porch to work for part of the day. If you work in person, eat lunch or take a coffee break outside. If you want to add in some activity, look for a nearby park or quiet neighborhood for a lunch break stroll.

Plan ahead for time off
Summer is the ideal time of year to take advantage of any PTO or vacation time you have. My best advice? Plan those vacations as early as possible! If you want to head out camping for a long weekend or fly somewhere tropical for a week, put that in the calendar well in advance. It’s easy to put off planning and then find yourself out of time at the end of the summer. Not only does planning early make things less stressful for you, it also benefits your employer and co-workers by giving them time to prepare for your absence.

Make the most of weekends and evenings
Even if you have limited vacation days, there are plenty of summer activities you can fit into a weekend afternoon, or even a weekday evening. Look for activities in your local parks, like outdoor movie showings, concerts, or family events. If you want to keep things simple after a long work day, head to a splash pad or have a picnic dinner. If you’re more of a homebody, you can create relaxing spaces to enjoy in your own backyard. Put up a hammock or invest in some comfy patio furniture so you have an outdoor space to recharge.

By creating an intentional balance this summer, you should be able to relax and make the most of the sunshine while still working your 9-5.

Let us know in the comments how you plan to stay balanced this summer!