Did you know? May is National Revise Your Work Schedule Month.

I work with clients on their work schedules, but that doesn’t translate well for an article! I won’t presume to tell you how to do your work, as you certainly know your industry better than I do! And I won’t presume to give you specific advice around your day to day schedule.

However, we can look at this idea from an organizational coaching perspective:

When it comes to re-considering our schedule, we first need to acknowledge the shift in seasons. Spring is here and Summer is close. This new season just feels different. And for many of us, years of school as a student or parent or perhaps a teacher or profession have us trained to feel the change at the end of the school year. May always feels like a transition time. 

And the shift to Summer often calls us to make some changes in our work schedule around our families, events or vacation time. Let’s consider how to work some summer into your work routine!

• Plan some away-from-work time:
  • Did you know? Statistically, we get almost as much enjoyment from thinking about and planning a vacation as we do with the actual vacation. Planning a vacation boosts mood and decreases stress!(https://www.ustravel.org/sites/default/files/media_root/document/PlanningTravel_MichelleGielan.pdf)
  • Set your intention! Perhaps a go-away vacation? A stay-cation? Days off to pursue personal or home projects?
• Bring summer to work with you.
  • Switch from hot coffee to an iced tea, try a hand lotion at your desk that smells like the beach or a handful of picked garden flowers, pack bright fruits and salads.
• Look for ways to walk in the sun!
  • Speaking with a coaching client today, we were brainstorming about working more movement and sunlight into her work day. She mentioned a nearby park nearby where she ate lunch the other day while enjoying the beautiful view. Take the long way back to the office, walk outside at lunch time.
• Change up your daily routine:
  • Think about what feels like summer to you! And then make some room for that in your day-to-day!
  • Let in the sun! In the summer, I start my day REALLY early with a walk and some time outside watering and puttering in my garden. It’s an energizing yet peaceful way to start my day before things get busy or the sun gets too hot!
  • Check out the days and times of local farmers markets in your area. I love to stop and browse for a few minutes between client appointments and pick up something fresh for dinner.
  • Sometimes in summer, I will drive home from appointments purposely through the area forest preserves and roll down my windows to enjoy the sights and smells of nature.
  • We change up our menu plans in the summer, for packed lunches and for dinner. We don’t turn on the oven much at all, and rely heavily on grilling and salads.