Ways to Keep Productivity Soaring Throughout the Summer Season

With the hours of daylight super long this time of year, it's the perfect time to take steps toward boosting productivity as you enjoy this sensational season...

List out your goals. It's only by knowing what you want to accomplish that you can best integrate all elements of your life for your greatest fulfillment and summer productivity. Therefore, take a few moments to jot down all your must-do activities, projects and tasks for this season. Think of it like a bucket list but take into account your goals for work, home, society as well as your self-care via mind, body and spirit. Once everything is culled into one place, it'll be so much easier to assign time for each and work through your checklist.

Calendar the craziness! Line up calendars for the months of July, August and September on your wall so you can see everything at a glance. These might be wall-hanging paper or dry-erase calendars; the key is to have all three months visible at once. Then, add vacation details for you and your team members, holiday celebrations, impending deadlines and personal or family commitments, including swim meets and camp registrations alike. Include all elements of your life, considering a different color for each bucket. When you know what is coming, you can more proactively invest your time in achieving all of your desired results for each area of life and address "all the things" that matter most for the life you want to craft to achieve your highest priorities.

Establish your non-negotiables from the get-go. As summer schedules tend to become a little more erratic than normal, you and your team need to know which items have less flexibility than others. For me, I absolutely must maintain my weekly strategy session and daily wrap-up, but the good habits that keep each individual on track productively will vary from person to person. Do you expect your team members to have certain hours during which they always work in the office rather than operate remotely? Is there an expectation for how team members should request vacation time or notify the rest of the team about a hiccup related to impending deadlines, which can be especially vital with varying schedules for summer vacations? This would be a good time to communicate leadership's expectations to everyone. Be as clear, concise and transparent as you can. Then, when looking at your personal commitments, which can't be shifted as they help you energize, stay centered and maintain some semblance of sanity? Make sure those are highlighted on the calendars you've hung on your wall and communicate their importance to those who can help you keep them scheduled. Is it getting outside daily or going to the pool? Maybe it's a daily yoga session or movement? Whatever you need, be sure to ask for and commit to those fuel sources.

Focus your efforts on individual activities or tasks, not projects. It's not possible to check a project off your to-do list in one sitting. "Plan a party" is not a single action item; instead, there are many actions that make up that project. As you are mapping out the next three months, take time to break larger goals into smaller, bite-sized action items that can be completed as individual tasks. Make sure these are actions that move you forward with regards to goals in the areas of your life that matter most, avoiding the "shoulds" so you focus on your priorities. Start each task with a verb so as to fuel action, break each task down to as simple of a function as possible, estimate how long each action item will take to complete so you readily know those tasks taking 10 or 30 minutes, and assign a deadline for each task's completion. It is only in the instances that we assign a "when" for each "what" to be accomplished that we get more done so move your "someday" tasks to a specific date and time. Your future self will thank you for this emphasis on crafting the life you want to live.

Invest some time to reflect inward. With erratic schedules during summer, many companies have fewer meetings that would otherwise be held at normal intervals; this can be the ideal time to review and reset some of your organization's key elements. When was the last time your team updated its mission, vision, values, goals, processes and workspace organization? If it has been awhile, block out time during the dog days of summer to look them over, adjust as needed and, thereby, boost productivity for what really matters most. Maybe you'll want to freshen up clients' experiences, update what messages you are conveying across all mediums and put yourself in the client's shoes. Further, this can be an ideal time for a personal audit, where you assess what you have learned and achieved thus far this year, what priorities need attention in the coming months and what "someday" actions need to be scheduled so they move from to-do to done. Do your goals for work, home, community or self-care need to be adjusted, and how can you realign your actions to focus on achieving each?

Make time for fun and frivolity. If you block out time to truly enjoy the season, you'll be less distracted by what you are missing when you are focusing intently on getting things done. Brainstorm what cool things you can do to dive into summer enjoyment; then, once you've blocked off time for those activities, your mind will be less likely to drift from working towards wondering when you'll actually be able to celebrate summer fun. Plus, when you are taking time to enjoy all this season offers, you can truly take a break from everything else since you've planned for when those other goals will be addressed, boosting productivity overall.

What steps can you take today to get the ball rolling? With whom can you partner to hold each other accountable in creating your plan and, then, following through on that plan, even as things might need to be tweaked and your flexibility might get tested?

Invest in Self Care to Fuel Your Energy Reserves

In a society that is constantly focused on doing more, it is increasingly easy for our energy to become depleted and we get burnt out. It is imperative to act deliberately to take care of our mental, emotional and physical health via self-care practices which replenish our energy reserves. Only when we build up what we have within can we fuel our desired results.

As part of the Simple Change team, I am well aware of how diminishing or replenished energy impacts my productivity; however, like you, I often feel the pain of how challenging it can be to improve my energy level. There's a big difference between knowing you need to take care of yourself to have the energy needed for getting things done versus taking action to boost those energy reserves, right? Although each of us has unique requirements for ways to best boost energy, here are some ideas you can easily implement immediately for better boosting productivity through greater energy reserves:

• Listen to music. Maybe you prefer something upbeat. Maybe you prefer something calming. Maybe it's more about the beat of the bass. Get singing or humming or dancing to it.

• Create a vision board. Add something with vivid color or energetic imagery, conveying excitement and movement.

• Connect with those who matter to you. Sometimes, it can be in person, but, if not, consider a video chat, phone call, text message or sharing something on social media.

• Get moving. Take a brisk walk, especially if you can get out in nature. Physical activity oxygenates blood cells while breathing outdoor air while absorbing vitamin D is invigorating.

• Count your blessings. Gratitude is so powerful; taking time to document appreciation for what we have, who we are with and what lessons we've learned along the way fuels desire for more while energizing our belief that we can get things done.

• Laugh out loud. Find something you've done recently that was funny or watch online videos that you find humorous. Choose something that gets you giggling from down in your gut.

• Eat well. Healthy foods fuel our energy, especially with increased amounts of magnesium and antioxidants. 

• Stay hydrated. Keep a reusable water bottle with you at all times and drink from it frequently, especially when you start to feel your mind drifting or need to re-energize.

• Focus on something you have to look forward to in the near future. Whether you are planning for an upcoming vacation or bought tickets to a special event, that feeling of anticipation and excitement will be a great energy boost.

• Meditate. Sitting quietly and being intentional with your breathing will bring oxygen to each individual cell. Apps like Calm, Headspace, Buddhify, Simply Being as well as Stop, Breathe & Think make it easier to get started.

What kinds of things have you found help energize you? Are you feeling a little low on your energy reserves? If so, which of these can you give a try right now?

Top Ten Ways to Boost Energy

Organize for Success® Turns 10 

In honor of 10 years of business for Organize for Success®, I will be posting a "top 10" list to this blog each day through Wednesday, May 31st. Each Sunday, my team will randomly select from those who commented on the prior week's "top 10" blog posts for a gift card giveaway and free download of one eBook via OrganizeForSuccess.biz/shop The grand prize for celebrating Organize for Success, LLC's 10 years will be awarded on Thursday, June 1st, randomly selecting from all those who commented on any of the month's "top 10" blog posts as well as those who have subscribed to my eNewsletter for a winner to receive downloads of all 5 eBooks, a pass for my Stress and Time Management online video course as well as a 60-minute video productivity consultation.

As part of the Simple Change well-being team, I am well aware of the impact on my productivity that comes from diminishing versus replenished energy. Although what works best will be unique to each individual, here are my top ten ways to boost energy:

10. Acknowledge gratitude. Appreciate what you have, who you are with and what lessons you have learned along the way; then, take time to write them out. I find that gratitude is so powerful and writing out how I'm blessed energizes my productivity.

9. Eat well. Healthy foods spread throughout the day fuel energy, especially via magnesium and antioxidants. I really enjoy a power shake for a snack during the day: Put 1 small, ripe banana that's been sliced into a blender; add 2 tablespoons of creamy peanut butter and 1 tablespoon of honey before blending smooth, and finish it off by blending in 1 cup of cold milk until it's foamy.

8. Stay hydrated. Up to 60% of the human adult body is water, including how the brain and heart are composed of 73% water and lungs are about 83% water. To function properly, we need continuous intake of liquids; therefore, keep a water bottle nearby at all times to drink from it frequently all day.

7. Breathe deeply. Oxygen is necessary for functioning; therefore, it can be helpful to slowly take about 10 breaths, exhaling for longer than I inhale, focusing inward.

6. Determine something to look forward to in the future. Whether planning for an upcoming vacation or having bought tickets to an event, that feeling of anticipation and excitement boosts energy, often even more than the adventure itself.

5. Find something to make you laugh. Sometimes, I can simply laugh at myself; other times, it's an online video that gets me giggling. Have you searched for "funniest videos on YouTube"?!? If still struggling, I chat with a peer, sharing stories to give us laughs from deep in our guts. Happiness is infectious, fueling energy.

4. Spend time with those who matter. If you are an extravert, this could be connecting with other humans in person, via video chat, over a phone call or on social media; if you are an introvert, this could be solo activities that allow you to reconnect with your spirit or one-on-ones. It's whatever speaks to your spirit most.

3. Get out in nature. I have to be careful due to allergies, but there is definitely something to be said for the power of vitamin D. A little sunlight can be refreshing and energizing, whether working on a coffee shop's patio, walking through the park, sitting close to the window in my office or plugging around town in my car.

2. Take a brisk walk. The movement gets my blood flowing, activity breeds activity, and physical activity oxygenates blood cells. It doesn't matter if I walk around an office building, run up a flight of stairs or head outside, when I get moving, I'm re-energized. If you're tired, a short walk for about 15 minutes will generate about 90 minutes of energy. Further, if you schedule walking meetings or add a conference call, it's even more powerful.

1. Listen to upbeat music. Whether it's a song that gets stuck in my head or a fast beat that gets me moving, happy tunes make me happy, which generates additional energy.

At what point during your day do you feel your energy slipping? Which are your favorite tactics for replenishing or getting an immediate boost to your energy? Will you try implementing any of the tactics listed here?

Top Ten Self-Care Strategies

Organize for Success® Turns 10 

In honor of 10 years of business for Organize for Success®, I will be posting a "top 10" list to this blog each day through Wednesday, May 31st. Each Sunday, my team will randomly select from those who commented on the prior week's "top 10" blog posts for a gift card giveaway and free download of one eBook from OrganizeForSuccess.biz/shop. The grand prize for celebrating Organize for Success, LLC's 10 years will be awarded on Thursday, June 1st, randomly selecting from all those who commented on any of the month's "top 10" blog posts as well as those who have subscribed to my eNewsletter for a winner to receive downloads of all 5 eBooks, a pass for my Stress and Time Management online video course as well as a 60-minute productivity consultation via video conference.

In honor of this National Mental Health Awareness Month, which spreads the word that mental health is something everyone should care about, let's cover my top 10 self-care strategies:

10. Drink a cup of warm green tea. This soothing beverage is packed with antioxidants, and I like to mix mine with some honey and lemon juice for the perfect jump-start to any morning or mid-afternoon. My Keurig makes this an easier self-care strategy, particularly with many green tea options for me to rotate between, like Celestial Seasonings, Lipton, Tazo and Twinings.

9. Get a facial. In addition to keeping my face healthy, limiting the effects of aging and minimizing my acne, getting a facial is such a relaxing as well as energizing experience. I have a membership at Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa so I'm more easily able to make this part of my regular investments in myself.

8. Diffuse essential oils. As explained by mindbodygreen, essential oils can be "a great, simple way to reset that doesn't take much time or effort." While there are several suggested oils in the article linked above, I really like Breathe, Eucalyptus, Frankincense, On Guard and Peppermint oils from doTERRA, but I'm trying to transition to Young Living Essential Oils with the help of a friend.

7. Absorb some vitamin D. Unfortunately, my skin can burn by simply winking at the sun; however, I find a little vitamin D can be life-altering, whether from sitting in front a coffee shop while enjoying a treat, walking in the park or getting outside in between appointments. It uplifts my mood and boosts my productivity.

6. Eat fruits and vegetables. Stress can make it more difficult to maintain a healthy diet, but I find that indulging in my favorite fruits or vegetables helps me better face whatever stress is happening in my life at that time. As listed in my "Top Ten Favorite Foods", I absolutely love sweet potatoes and broccoli; then, in my "Top Ten Salad Ingredients", I mentioned how much I enjoy blueberries, bell peppers, apples, green peas, oranges and cucumbers, but my favorite fruit or veggie is watermelon. So many great options to keep me happy, healthy and energized!

5. Breathe deeply. Although I've not been able to fully adopt a consistent practice of meditation, I find it helpful to simply sit for a few minutes, being mindful of my breathing. It can be helpful to slowly take about 10 breaths, exhaling for longer than I inhale, calming my heart rate and focusing inward.

4. Make time for hobbies. My two favorite pastimes are sports and music. Now, I'm not the one actually playing the sports or making the music, but I absolutely love attending sports events (especially my Wake Forest University Demon Deacons), watching sporting events on TV (like my San Antonio Spurs) and attending amazing concerts. In October, I'm attending Tim McGraw's concert in Greensboro, NC, and the excitement is already building!

3. Connect with friends. Words cannot express the value of time with those folks who truly support me as I am. We care about what's happening in each other's lives and provide a supportive ear or distraction from what we can't control. Headed to lunch with one of my dearest friends today, I can attest to the value of being surrounded by like-minded souls who care about my well-being.

2. Exercise! Whether it's Zumba or Dance Jam at LifeTime Fitness or simply one of many options on my 7-Minute Workout app, when I get moving, my body releases endorphins, which boost my feelings of overall well-being. Plus, one of my friends is a workout partner so I pair connecting with friends as well as listening to great music for a triple whammy of greatness.

1. Listen to music. Anytime a happy, energetic tune with a great beat comes on, I can't help but get moving. When I hear someone say something that reminds me of a song, I can't help but start singing or the song really gets stuck in my head. Music is so empowering and enriching. From Kool & The Gang to Lionel Richie to Earth, Wind & Fire to 38 Special to so many more, there are plenty of options for music that soothes my soul, energizes my spirit and keeps me plugging forward.

What are your favorite self-care strategies? Are there any on this list you'd like to try?