You aren’t imaging things.  It’s hard to work during the summer.

But you still have emails to send, social media to update, newsletters to publish and the 101 other things you’re asked to do as a nonprofit communicator.

Assuming you can’t just skip work all summer, how can you make it through the next few months?

Here are a few ideas to help:

Look at Your Work in a Different Way

Instead of thinking of your lead newsletter article as a burden, think of how it will educate, motivate, or challenge your supporters. Or you can think of it as an important part of your professional development. You are enhancing your writing and marketing skills.

Prioritize Your To-Do List

If your to-do list is overwhelming, narrow it down to the three tasks you HAVE to do today. Then go back and add your other tasks as you go.

Break Your Work Into Smaller Steps

Anything you are working on starts with one smaller step. Don’t worry about the end result and just start with step one.

Just Get Started Already

Sometimes you are just not going to want to do something no matter how much you try to motivate yourself. This is when you just have to start working (as I mentioned above, breaking the work into smaller steps should help). It maybe time to take a deep breath and dive in.

Get Hyped

Got a song that gets you pumped? Or maybe a motivational speaker or article can help spark that work? Find it and use it!

Reward Yourself

Create some motivation by giving yourself a treat when you complete a task. Chocolate, time on TikTok, a walk – whatever you think of as a treat can work.

Celebrate Your Wins

Keep a daily “Small Wins Diary,” regularly talk about small wins with others (we have a space in our Community devoted to this), and refocus your thoughts away from frustrating “how” questions to the more fulfilling “why” questions related to why you do your work.

Published On: June 1, 2023|Categories: Workflows, Processes, and Productivity|