Posted by I don’t think it’s a massive exaggeration to say that August is a bit of a black hole as far as getting things done is concerned.
People go on holiday, projects go on hiatus, entire cities shut up shop (*cough* Paris *cough*) – basically, it gets really hard to get anything done.
But wait a sec, weren’t you saying just a few months ago that you couldn’t wait until it was a bit quieter so you could get some of those annoying jobs done? How’s that going?
If you’re stuck at work whilst everyone else is enjoying themselves in the sun (or so it seems), then it can really hinder your motivation to get stuff done. But why is that, and what can you do about it?
Why you feel sluggish
It’s worth taking a look in the first instance at why motivation might drop in the summer months.
One of the most obvious culprits is the heat. If trying to knuckle down during the hotter months makes you feel like you’re wading through treacle, you’re not alone. When the weather is hotter, your body is working overtime trying to regulate your temperature. Add to that the fact that the warmer nights are probably disrupting your sleep, meaning you’re not getting much restorative rest. It’s like your brain is in conservation mode – it’s not working at full power, meaning the kind of focus you need for big jobs is harder to come by.
Your brain is also playing tricks on you a bit – you’re surrounded by people taking longer breaks, posting holiday photos, or generally being a bit slower-paced, so it’s almost like there’s social proof that it’s OK for you to coast a bit too.
Lastly, in August there’s rarely any urgency about deadlines. No-one’s screaming about deadlines, so it lulls you into a bit of a false sense of security and makes it feel like you’ve got loads of time to get things done, which can put a dampener on your motivation.
But remember – coasting for a month is generally a terrible idea, no matter what your brain is telling you.
Why taking your foot off the gas is a terrible idea
Basically, the work isn’t going anywhere!
All the projects or tasks that have been piling up are still going to be there in September, and you’re probably going to end up with even more on your plate when people start coming back to work.
Think about it this way – most of the people who’ve taken a summer break will be feeling refreshed and ready to hit the ground running, meaning you might end up scrambling to keep up where you’ve been letting things slide. It’s a bit like being the only person who hasn’t trained for a race: everyone else is on their marks, whilst you’re still tying your laces up.
Give yourself a headstart
Of course, there’s often a big divide in knowing you need to get stuff done, and knowing where to start. In his book ‘How to be a Productivity Ninja’, Graham Allcott suggests writing a master to-do list, which is a brilliant way of getting yourself organised.
Rather than working off of a dozen lists, or just trying to keep it all in your head, the master to-do list is a single document where you brain dump all your tasks, ideas and commitments. It’s not meant to be the list that you’re working from on a daily basis – that would be way too overwhelming – but it does at least reduce some of the stress of trying to remember everything.
Take some time to put everything on a document, and then go through it item by item. If there’s anything on there that you can do in less than 2 minutes, do it now and cross it off – you might be amazed at how many things you can get clear!
Manage your time like a president
Next, create an Eisenhower (yes, as in President Dwight D Eisenhower) matrix to identify what the most pressing tasks to complete are.
Grab a sheet of paper and divide it into 4 quadrants – Urgent/Not urgent across the top, and Important/Not important down the side. Transfer items from your master to-do list into whichever quadrant it needs to go into – Urgent and Important, Urgent and Not Important, Important but not Urgent, Not Important and Not Urgent.
The first thing I’d suggest is just ditching anything in that last quadrant. If it’s not urgent and it’s not important, why are you working on it? After that, it’s time to start working out what needs to get done first, and when you’re going to do it.
Are you a lark, or a night owl?
Knowing when you work at your best can really help when you’re trying to boost your motivation and get things done. We all have three levels of attention, and if you structure your day around them, then you’re onto a winner.
When you’re at maximum focus, that’s the time to work on those big projects that need moving forward, or things that might be challenging and need your full attention. Then you have mid-level focus – your brain’s still working well, but it’s definitely not going at full speed. After that you’ve got your low-level focus, which feels like one long Friday afternoon! You can still be productive though – use the time to sort out your inbox or tidy up your LinkedIn profile (i.e. that job you’ve been intending to do since March).
Pay attention to your energy levels throughout the day, make a note in your schedule, and start transferring the tasks from your Eisenhower Matrix into time slots that match the focus needed for each one, then start getting them done!
Think about your future self
That might not sound like the most dynamic thing to be doing on a warm and sunny summer day, but as a last resort, remember that by avoiding work now, you’re potentially creating a ton of stress for yourself further down the line.
As I said earlier, the work isn’t going anywhere, so try and picture how bad it’s going to be when you’ve got 4 deadlines due on the same day and you’re at your desk beating yourself up for spending August sitting at your desk, doomscrolling.
At the end of the day, August may be a bit of a black hole, but that doesn’t mean you should stop moving things forward – before you know it, September will be here and the hamster wheel will crank up again. You’ve been given a gift of time, so make the most of it!