WEBVTT - Set your summer hours

0:00:03.480 --> 0:00:09.600
<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

0:00:10.920 --> 0:00:17.080
<v Speaker 2>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

0:00:17.120 --> 0:00:22.520
<v Speaker 2>tip is to set your summer hours. Work might look

0:00:22.560 --> 0:00:25.640
<v Speaker 2>a little bit different in the summer, and that's okay.

0:00:26.680 --> 0:00:27.480
<v Speaker 2>It's better to.

0:00:27.480 --> 0:00:31.920
<v Speaker 1>Be mindful of it and acknowledge it than to set

0:00:32.040 --> 0:00:39.400
<v Speaker 1>expectations that won't work with reality. So after Memorial Day,

0:00:40.040 --> 0:00:45.400
<v Speaker 1>some companies switch to what are known as summer hours. Generally,

0:00:45.479 --> 0:00:50.320
<v Speaker 1>these are shorter half days on Fridays are common, and

0:00:50.400 --> 0:00:55.600
<v Speaker 1>I view them as a nod to reality. The opportunity

0:00:55.680 --> 0:00:59.640
<v Speaker 1>cost of working into the evening just feels different. When

0:00:59.680 --> 0:01:04.039
<v Speaker 1>it's light and nice out. People want to be out

0:01:04.120 --> 0:01:08.000
<v Speaker 1>in parks and restaurants and such. They want to leave

0:01:08.040 --> 0:01:12.800
<v Speaker 1>for the beach on Friday afternoon. You can have resentful

0:01:12.880 --> 0:01:17.360
<v Speaker 1>employees watching the clock and sneaking out, or you can

0:01:17.440 --> 0:01:23.000
<v Speaker 1>seem magnanimous, build it in and get the exact same

0:01:23.160 --> 0:01:27.360
<v Speaker 1>amount of work out of your people. Even if you

0:01:27.400 --> 0:01:31.640
<v Speaker 1>work for yourself, though, there are just certain summer realities.

0:01:32.800 --> 0:01:36.039
<v Speaker 1>Many of us have different childcare situations than we do

0:01:36.200 --> 0:01:39.959
<v Speaker 1>during the school year. We might have more days off

0:01:40.520 --> 0:01:44.640
<v Speaker 1>or half days because of out of work commitments. Colleagues

0:01:45.040 --> 0:01:50.000
<v Speaker 1>might be gone, which slows things down to If that

0:01:50.160 --> 0:01:54.120
<v Speaker 1>is the case, it might help to decide on summer

0:01:54.200 --> 0:02:00.760
<v Speaker 1>hours so you can set your expectations accordingly. If you

0:02:00.880 --> 0:02:04.360
<v Speaker 1>might normally be able to tackle two projects in a week,

0:02:05.200 --> 0:02:08.880
<v Speaker 1>but that assumes a forty hour work week and you

0:02:08.960 --> 0:02:12.960
<v Speaker 1>wind up working thirty hours in the summer, you are

0:02:13.040 --> 0:02:16.720
<v Speaker 1>going to feel behind. But if you know that you

0:02:16.760 --> 0:02:20.680
<v Speaker 1>are working those summer hours, you might set the timeline

0:02:20.760 --> 0:02:25.560
<v Speaker 1>as eight working days for completing those two projects rather

0:02:25.639 --> 0:02:29.519
<v Speaker 1>than five days, and you'll wind up feeling a lot

0:02:29.560 --> 0:02:34.520
<v Speaker 1>better about it. Setting summer hours can also give you

0:02:34.560 --> 0:02:39.840
<v Speaker 1>permission to relax. You might not be getting much done

0:02:39.960 --> 0:02:44.120
<v Speaker 1>on Friday afternoons anyway, but if you do have control

0:02:44.160 --> 0:02:48.040
<v Speaker 1>over your time and you decide that work is done

0:02:48.520 --> 0:02:52.200
<v Speaker 1>at two pm on Fridays, then you won't feel bad

0:02:52.280 --> 0:02:55.200
<v Speaker 1>about reading a book or going for a walk at

0:02:55.280 --> 0:03:00.440
<v Speaker 1>three pm. The key realization here is that if the

0:03:00.560 --> 0:03:05.960
<v Speaker 1>work isn't getting done anyway, it's best to spend the

0:03:06.040 --> 0:03:13.320
<v Speaker 1>time on something worthwhile rather than just puttering around. Now.

0:03:13.360 --> 0:03:16.079
<v Speaker 1>I know that not everyone can set their own hours,

0:03:16.120 --> 0:03:20.000
<v Speaker 1>and some people are busier over the summers, but if

0:03:20.000 --> 0:03:23.160
<v Speaker 1>you've got a different slow season, then by all means,

0:03:23.680 --> 0:03:27.400
<v Speaker 1>set winter hours or fall hours or whatever it happens

0:03:27.400 --> 0:03:31.560
<v Speaker 1>to be for you, and if nothing else, you might

0:03:31.720 --> 0:03:37.560
<v Speaker 1>try setting a true ending time during the summer. Many

0:03:37.600 --> 0:03:41.200
<v Speaker 1>people who don't get paid by the hour drift out

0:03:41.200 --> 0:03:44.800
<v Speaker 1>of work at various points based on when they think

0:03:44.840 --> 0:03:48.000
<v Speaker 1>it is acceptable, or when their boss leaves or whatever.

0:03:49.120 --> 0:03:52.720
<v Speaker 1>So go ahead and set your forty hours and stick

0:03:52.760 --> 0:03:57.360
<v Speaker 1>to it and see how it goes. You might find

0:03:57.440 --> 0:04:01.160
<v Speaker 1>that you are getting just as much done and that

0:04:01.200 --> 0:04:05.800
<v Speaker 1>you like having the boundary when you get outside and

0:04:05.920 --> 0:04:12.880
<v Speaker 1>explore those summer nights. Do you have summer hours. I'd

0:04:12.880 --> 0:04:15.280
<v Speaker 1>love to hear about how they differ from your work

0:04:15.280 --> 0:04:18.880
<v Speaker 1>hours in other seasons. You can let me know about

0:04:18.920 --> 0:04:25.520
<v Speaker 1>it at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com. In the meantime,

0:04:26.560 --> 0:04:31.159
<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

0:04:31.200 --> 0:04:41.120
<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

0:04:41.160 --> 0:04:44.120
<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

0:04:44.240 --> 0:04:45.080
<v Speaker 1>or anything else.

0:04:45.839 --> 0:04:49.400
<v Speaker 2>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at

0:04:49.440 --> 0:04:54.280
<v Speaker 2>before Breakfast Pod that's b E the number four then

0:04:54.360 --> 0:04:55.839
<v Speaker 2>breakfast Pod.

0:04:56.720 --> 0:04:59.560
<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at before Breakfast

0:04:59.600 --> 0:05:03.560
<v Speaker 1>podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that before Breakfast is spelled

0:05:03.560 --> 0:05:06.040
<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters thanks so much, should I

0:05:06.040 --> 0:05:14.120
<v Speaker 1>look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

0:05:14.160 --> 0:05:18.880
<v Speaker 1>production of iHeartRadio. For more podcasts from iHeartRadio, visit the

0:05:18.920 --> 0:05:22.720
<v Speaker 1>iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your

0:05:22.760 --> 0:05:27.400
<v Speaker 1>favorite shows.