WEBVTT - Second Cup: Set your summer hours

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to Before Breakfast, a production of iHeartRadio. Good Morning.

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<v Speaker 2>This is Laura. Welcome to the Before Breakfast podcast. Today's

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<v Speaker 2>tip is to set your summer hours. Work might look

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<v Speaker 2>a little bit different in the summer, and that's okay.

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<v Speaker 2>It's better to be mindful of it and acknowledge it

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<v Speaker 2>than to set expectations that won't work with reality. So

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<v Speaker 2>after Memorial Day, some companies switch to what are known

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<v Speaker 2>as summer hours.

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<v Speaker 1>Generally, these are shorter half days on Fridays are common,

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<v Speaker 1>and I view them as a nod to reality. The

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<v Speaker 1>opportunity cost of working into the evening just feels different.

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<v Speaker 1>When it's light and nice out. People want to be

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<v Speaker 1>out in parks and restaurants and such. They want to

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<v Speaker 1>leave for the beach on Friday afternoon. You can have

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<v Speaker 1>resentful employees watching the clock and sneaking out, or you

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<v Speaker 1>can seem magnanimous, build it in and get the exact

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<v Speaker 1>same amount of work out of your people. Even if

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<v Speaker 1>you work for yourself, though, there are just certain summer realities.

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<v Speaker 1>Many of us have different childcare situations than we do

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<v Speaker 1>during the school year. We might have more days off

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<v Speaker 1>or half days because of out of work commitments. Colleagues

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<v Speaker 1>might be gone, which slows things down to If that

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<v Speaker 1>is the case, it might help to decide on summer

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<v Speaker 1>hours so you can set your expectations accordingly. If you

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<v Speaker 1>might normally be able to tackle two projects in a week,

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<v Speaker 1>but that assumes a forty hour work week and you

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<v Speaker 1>wind up working thirty hours in the summer, you are

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<v Speaker 1>going to feel behind. But if you know that you

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<v Speaker 1>are working those summer hours, you might set the timeline

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<v Speaker 1>as eight working days for completing those two projects rather

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<v Speaker 1>than five days, and you'll wind up feeling a lot

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<v Speaker 1>better about it. Setting summer hours can also give you

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<v Speaker 1>permission to relax. You might not be getting much done

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<v Speaker 1>on Friday afternoons anyway, but if you do have control

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<v Speaker 1>over your time and you decide that work is done

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<v Speaker 1>at two pm on Fridays, then you won't feel bad

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<v Speaker 1>about reading a book or going for a walk at

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<v Speaker 1>three pm. The key realization here is that if the

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<v Speaker 1>work isn't getting done anyway, it's best to spend the

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<v Speaker 1>time on something worthwhile rather than just puttering around. Now.

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<v Speaker 1>I know that not everyone can set their own hours,

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<v Speaker 1>and some people are busier over the summers, but if

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<v Speaker 1>you've got a different slow season, then by all means,

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<v Speaker 1>set winter hours or fall hours or whatever it happens

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<v Speaker 1>to be for you, and if nothing else, you might

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<v Speaker 1>try setting a true ending time during the summer. Many

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<v Speaker 1>people who don't get paid by the hour drift out

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<v Speaker 1>of work at various points based on when they think

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<v Speaker 1>it is acceptable, or when their boss leaves or whatever.

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<v Speaker 1>So go ahead and set your forty hours and stick

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<v Speaker 1>to it and see how it goes. You might find

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<v Speaker 1>that you are getting just as much done and that

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<v Speaker 1>you like having the boundary when you get outside and

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<v Speaker 1>explore those summer nights. Do you have summer hours. I'd

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<v Speaker 1>love to hear about how they differ from your work

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<v Speaker 1>hours in other seasons. You can let me know about

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<v Speaker 1>it at Laura at Laura Vanderkam dot com. In the meantime,

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<v Speaker 1>this is Laura. Thanks for listening, and here's to making

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<v Speaker 1>the most of our time. Hey, everybody, I'd love to

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<v Speaker 1>hear from you. You can send me your tips, your questions,

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<v Speaker 1>or anything else.

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<v Speaker 2>Just connect with me on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram at

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<v Speaker 2>before Breakfast Pod that's b E the number four then

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<v Speaker 2>breakfast Pod.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also shoot me an email at before Breakfast

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<v Speaker 1>podcast at iHeartMedia dot com that before Breakfast is spelled

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<v Speaker 1>out with all the letters thanks so much, should I

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<v Speaker 1>look forward to staying in touch. Before Breakfast is a

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