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Stay Motivated During Summer Doldrums
E. Carol Webster, Ph.D.
Copyright © 2006
It’s summertime and the
workplace is chillin’. Many of your colleagues and senior management are
on vacation, making it tough for you to feel like doing very much. Enjoy
some downtime, but take advantage of a good opportunity to enhance
yourself professionally as well as personally.
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Show Your Stuff
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Use this time to act on
all those creative ideas that pop into your head but that you never have
the time to work on. All those suggestions about how things would run
better if only this or that were done on the job. Catch up on required
tasks and projects, but don’t rest on your laurels once they’re done –
tackle some new areas of interest so that you keep yourself motivated,
stimulated, and show your star power.
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Expand Your Network
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Since you have
some time on your hands now, it is likely that others do too. Identify
those in your organization you’ve been meaning to contact and get in
touch with them. What about those who are usually unapproachable? They
may be wandering the halls just like you looking to pass the time. This
is a prime opportunity to gain face time with these individuals, so put
some energy into doing so. Include contacts outside your organization
because these folks are probably freer now too. Those in business for
themselves can use these slow periods to cultivate new relationships and
may find that their breakfast, lunch, or dinner invitations are more
likely accepted because people are feeling a little less stressed and
pressed for time.
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Have Some Fun
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What better time to
take some half days or long weekends than right now? Just because you
can’t get away for a full vacation doesn’t mean you can’t use this slow
time to enjoy yourself. Get home early to enjoy your significant other
and/or your kids. Take your friend up on that golf game. Dust off the
hobby you haven’t been able to get to all year. Escape to the spa. These
activities are restorative and rejuvenating and help to clear your head
and lift your spirits so that you feel like working when you’re at the
office.
The doldrums of summer
are a great time to take action and make connections that highlight your
competencies and distinguish you from your peers. This is also a time
to re-energize so that you are fortified and ready for the wave of
stress and activity that will resume once the workplace gears up again.
Make this time count. You’ll be glad you did.
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