Whether it's the heatwave hitting most European countries or the longer days and fun plans awaiting, summer can definitely be a more difficult season to navigate in terms of productivity.
Especially if you're working remotely, you may be escaping the commute inferno, but sometimes you still have to drag yourself to the desk and start working. This blog post is for navigating these days, or what we call the summer slump.
Different seasons require different routines
Expecting from ourselves to have the same motivation as at the beginning of the year, or even have the same momentum as when we were rolling in spring, might not be the most realistic thing to do.
Our routine doesn't have to be the same throughout the whole year, especially if we're seeing that it is getting all the more difficult to stick to it. So if that means you're more productive earlier in the day or later on, that's fine. You don't need to follow the same schedule.
Give yourself permission to rest and have fun
When the work day is over, make sure you honor your needs and do things you feel excited about. Whether that's going out with friends or staying in and staring at the ceiling, both fun and boredom can feed your energy levels.
By enjoying the time off work, you'll find it easier the next day to go back to it. Resting well and having fun aren't distractions from productivity, they're what makes it possible in the first place.
Add sparks of creativity in your work
Sometimes it takes trying new things to get out of a slump. So in whatever way you can, try to either do different things or approach your usual tasks in different ways.
This could mean switching up the order you tackle your to-do list, working from a different spot for an afternoon, or finding a new way to structure a task you normally do on autopilot. Even small changes can be enough to wake your brain back up and make the work feel less like a rut.
Lean into shorter, more flexible work blocks
Long, unbroken stretches of deep focus are harder to sustain when it's hot outside and your mind keeps drifting elsewhere. Instead of forcing a full uninterrupted morning, try working in shorter bursts with real breaks in between and save your sharpest hours for the one or two things that actually need them.
Try working from a café
If you're not tied to your desk, a change of scenery can boost your motivation. A café with decent air conditioning, some background buzz and a good iced coffee can make the difference between staring at your screen and actually getting through your to-do list.
This is exactly the kind of thing remote work is supposed to make possible, so it's worth taking advantage of it instead of defaulting to the same spot out of habit. Even one or two
remote work café sessions a week can be enough to break up the monotony and give you a bit of a reset.
Explore the best cafés for remote work
here.
The bottom line
The summer slump is real and fighting it head-on rarely works. The more useful approach is to adjust: rest properly, shake up your routine when it feels stale, work in shorter bursts and keep . You'll get through the season with your energy intact rather than pushing through a routine that was built for a different time of year.