Everyone in the office seems to get in vacation mode once the warm weather hits, with their minds more on laying on a beach than making deadlines. But that doesn’t mean you have to join the club. Summer is the perfect time for play — and for the grind.
Brazen Careerist details three summer productivity killers and how you can remain on point, even while enjoying fun in the sun time.
Letting vacation schedules derail your work: It seems like there’s always someone on vacation during the summer months. And until U.S. companies realize Europe is right about August and just shut down for the month, summer means you might have to tackle projects without a critical team member or pinch-hit for a co-worker to keep the wheels turning. It’s never easy to operate shorthanded, but with a little planning, you can at least avoid full-fledged chaos.
If your organization doesn’t already have a shared vacation calendar, spearhead the effort to create one. Being able to see when various co-workers are going to be gone can help you plan ahead and create realistic deadlines for projects.
When your own vacation rolls around, minimize disruption by completing essential tasks ahead of time and lining up a back-up plan for work that will need to be covered. Remember, it’s your job — not your boss’ — to make sure your work still gets done. If you’re going have coworkers fill in for you, create short, step-by-step guides to essential tasks, including the location of key files, necessary contact info or critical deadlines.