Work life balance: Tips for enjoying summer

I certainly love the summer months and I am always trying to find ways to get out and about to enjoy myself on the weekends. But what about during the week? It is important to have a good work life balance.

Working hard all day and even late into the night is a lot easier during the winter months. The days are shorter and for most Aussies the weather is colder. The summer months can be distracting, especially if your non-soloist friends and family are having time off.

When I used to have a busy corporate office job in the city, I would often find myself looking out the window and feel that summer was passing me by.

So as a soloist, I feel that I should have the flexibility to make the most out of summer and still be productive in my business.

Do you look out the window and wish you were outside enjoying the summer sun? Do you feel that summer is passing you by?

Now I am all for a bit of work life balance, and I am definitely not suggesting that you quit work and become a beach bum, but there are a few things a busy working soloist can certainly do to make the most of summer.

So try and find time, enjoy summer, and you just might find that you are more productive (and happier) than ever.

My tips for enjoying summer

1. Make the most of the late summer evenings. Finish work as early as you can and head to the beach or pool for a swim, or go to the park and do some outdoor exercise.
2. Take some time out for lunch. Take a book or the newspaper and go and sit outside in the sun or under a tree and enjoy some time out from work. Or go for a walk.
3. Try taking a long break during the day at least once a week, and use the time for some fun summer activities, and catch up by working later in the evening or starting earlier in the day.
4. Try and find some business tasks that can be done outside, like reading or writing type activities.
5. Get an office phone that can roam large distances, or use your mobile to take conference calls outside in a park or garden (useful for home offices).
6. Get up early and watch the sunrise. It is a beautiful time, very relaxing and a truly creative time of the day. You will head into the working day with a lot of enthusiasm and maybe a little earlier than usual.
7. Try and organise business meetings in pleasant locations, such as a café with an outdoors area, a golf meeting, in a park etc.
8. Work out quiet times in your daily schedule (Monday  morning? Friday afternoon?) and try and fit in summer activities then.
9. If you have to travel for work or a meeting, try and add on a summer based activity while you are already out of the office.

A final reminder to 'slip, slop, slap'. After all, you can't enjoy the sun if you get burnt – so make sure you cover up appropriately.

• Published 07 March 07
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Work life balance (10) | Health & wellbeing (17) | Stress management (6) | Work and family (9)

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