summer 2021 email series
Email 2: Making your “great summer” goals a reality (planning + implementation!)
Originally sent June 3, 2021
Hi there,
Today we’re going to talk about specific planning and implementation steps to take, in order to set yourself up for a fantastic summer ahead.
If you missed my last newsletter, all about how to have a great summer both professionally and personally, I recommend reading that first (linked here). It’ll help you identify your priorities for the next few months as well as what you’re going to try to do less of, in order to have time for what matters most to you.
Whether you created them a few weeks ago or a few minutes ago, you should now have four short lists:
What you plan to prioritize personally during the summer ahead
What you’re going to do less of on the personal front to make space for what matters most to you
Where you’re going to apply laser focus professionally
The unproductive or low-value time drains you’re going to try to minimize during your work day, in order to achieve what’s most important (and allow you to spend a bit more time enjoying your summer)
Let’s talk about the personal side of the equation first, since that’s probably more exciting. What concrete steps do you need to take in order to make your personal priorities happen this summer?
If you’re planning a vacation, those steps might include submitting a request for time off, doing any necessary research about your destination, and booking accommodations and/or transportation (it’s getting pretty competitive out there). If you’re planning gatherings or adventures closer to home, you might need to coordinate with friends, purchase tickets, find childcare, and so on. Write down anything that needs to be done in advance (read: if you don’t do these things, it could blow up your plans).
Next, decide when you will take action. Whether you’re a calendar person, a to-do list person, or have some other system that works for you, get an implementation plan in place to ensure these must-do’s happen.
A little less straightforward: following through on what you’ve decided to do less of on the personal front, in order to make space for the priorities you just planned for. Whatever those things are for you, what concrete steps will you commit to taking in order to actually follow through?
For instance, if you want to spend less time on social media, you might decide to delete certain apps from your phone for the summer (drastic, I know), or time box your consumption to a certain time of day for a set period of time (less drastic, but also harder to stick to). Or if you want to spend less time cleaning up your house, you might make a plan that involves every member of the household doing certain chores on a specific day of the week while also tolerating a bit more mess than you usually would. Perhaps you want to spend less time watching tv; if so, pausing your streaming subscriptions would be pretty effective.
Commit to what you’re going to do and when you’re going to do it. If you can do it in five minutes (e.g., deleting apps or pausing a subscription), why not do it right now? While this part might be a bit painful, remember that it’s in service of what you really want to do this summer! When you frame your options as Netflix vs. happy hour with friends, or scrolling Instagram vs. hiking the national park on your bucket list, it can help motivate you to take action.
Now let’s get to the reason why these tradeoffs are necessary: your professional priorities and imperatives. When it comes to the areas where you’re going to apply laser focus at work this summer, you’re likely (hopefully!) not starting entirely from scratch in terms of planning. But it’s also likely that your plan needs some tightening and additional specificity.
What needs to be done when in order to hit your KPIs or other objectives? If you have reason to believe those goals are unrealistic, how will you get ahead of the problem? Do you need to better define scope, ownership, or timelines for key aspects of a big project? Whatever you need to deliver on this summer, it’s time to get precise: driving alignment or clarity where needed, determining who’s doing what and when, putting any necessary contingencies or troubleshooting measures in place, and the like.
Sure, it takes some extra time and effort to do more strategic advance planning than you otherwise might, but it’ll set you up for success – and, hopefully, decrease the odds of your personal plans being blown up – this summer.
Finally, let’s talk about the unproductive or low-value time drains you’re going to try to minimize during your work day in order to free up time for more important (and more fun!) pursuits. You’ve already identified the actions you’re willing to take – or at least to try (if not, here’s some help to do so). Now it’s time to create a plan and start implementing.
Perhaps you attend a few low-value standing meetings that could be shorter, less frequent, or disappear entirely without impacting outcomes. You might need to identify whose buy-in is required for a trial run of meeting less frequently or for less time and then make the case for doing so. Or you may have decided to test drive checking your email less frequently; if so, determine when you will and won’t open your inbox, then hold yourself to it. The small steps you take to free up 30 minutes here or 60 minutes there will add up to a nice chunk of time to spend enjoying your summer instead of sitting at your desk!
As for me? I have a life-changing summer ahead: my husband and I are expecting our first child! To keep serving this community while I’m on maternity leave, I’m working on scheduling newsletters in advance so you’ll continue to receive them without interruption. And while I still don’t feel fully prepared for this baby’s arrival, checking off items on my to-do list is helping!
I’m not out of the office yet, though, so if you’d like to share how your summer planning is going, you know where to find me. Next month’s newsletter will focus on releasing perfection as you navigate (and hopefully enjoy!) Summer 2021.
Best,
Courtney