Tips for Staying Productive During the Summer Months

When classes are in full swing and the campus is full of busy students and faculty, the fall and spring semesters can be pretty hectic. But once summer rolls along, the pace often seems to dwindle. With summer on the way, we decided to ask some SPSP Student Members for advice on how they navigate the summer months!

What are some ways that you have found helpful to stay motivated and productive during the summer months?

Handling deadlines (or lack thereof)

• In order to stay productive, I create external deadlines over the summer: conference presentations, dissertation committee meetings, grant deadlines, and submission deadlines for journals.
• We have a surprising amount of control over these deadlines. If you are working on a research study, don't just say to yourself, “I'll finish that over the summer.” Instead, say “I'll submit this to SPSP’s special edition.” This gives you a hard deadline from which you can work backward to ensure you stay productive.
• Strict deadlines that I share with my advisor in order to keep myself accountable.
• I set reasonable, specific goals that I can break into small chunks. This helps me see my progress throughout the summer. For example, I will sign up for a web course and then watch one hour of lecture, three days a week. For my writing, I will read articles or work on a draft for two hours, twice a week. Having a specific structure for my work helps me stay productive instead of pushing things off for another day.
• Staying stressed. Summers can (and should) be a time to rest, recuperate and take the edge off semester stress. But I have found that without some pressure or stress, I end up taking it a little too easy. Deadlines and some amount of pressure can be a good thing.
• If I don't schedule the time, I won't work. So I schedule two afternoons a week at the library to work on research and writing and I prioritize that time over other things. I treat it like an important meeting that I never cancel. I've found this has kept me on track and consistently moving forward on things that I'd otherwise push to the side until the end of summer.
• Plan for a lighter output level and do not expect that you will suddenly become a superhero and finish everything you could not finish during the year or the first half of the summer. Take advantage of the lack of other work distractions, and plan to focus on something that requires the continuous concentration you cannot find during the busy semesters. However, be realistic and do not fill your to-do list with mega projects that you know you will not complete, and will only turn your to-do list into a wish list.

Clean out the backlog

• I make a list of specific daily tasks. Focus on things over the summer that you don't have time for during the year. Maybe this is writing up studies or teaching. Start with the backlog of studies, unless newer studies are time-sensitive because of research context.
• The number one pitfall I think people have with summer work is that lots of things throughout the year get put off as “good projects for the summer.” Once I start thinking that way during the year, I start making a summer to-do list and soon realize that I'm asking too much of myself in a very short period of time. Try to set achievable goals for the summer months so that each step feels productive.

Change it up

• Find a fun place to work, like a park or coffee shop. If you're not taking classes or teaching, then you're not beholden to the office. Perhaps even travel somewhere new for a while.
• See who else is around during the summer and try to coordinate a writing block during the week.
• Read scientific literature when you are traveling, rather than trying to analyze data. I find I need a big screen (or multiple screens) for data analysis, so I reserve the summer for reading.
• Keep a sacred space for work and work only. When I go to this space (a room in my house, my office, a coffee shop), I don't allow myself to do anything but work. If want to check social media or browse the internet, I leave the space. That additional extra bit of effort dissuades me from getting distracted!
• Acknowledge that the summer, besides your own vacation, will include a lot of social events, from BBQs to friends’ weddings, and a natural, heat-induced slowing down of activity and pace. Give yourself a flexible work schedule, so you can incorporate these factors into your day. Focus on the output and not the hours spent working.

Take the time to have a good time!

• My priority for the summer is not to stay motivated and productive. My goal is to live a rich and interesting life, because ultimately what we are studying at the end of the day is people and how they live and think and feel and behave. If we leave no time for those things in our own lives, how can we hope to understand how and why others do? Ironically, I think that makes me more productive.
• I set aside time each summer for two or three trips or vacations, in addition to a three to four-week visit with my family. I plan and schedule these trips in the spring so that I know when I will be in town during the summer months. This helps me be more productive when I'm home and working, because I don't fall prey to the “unlimited summer days” fallacy.
• When I'm on vacation, I do not answer emails and am categorically unavailable for work-related matters. I turn off my phone and internet access, and limit myself to a few minutes in the evening at most. I check in with my collaborators and advisors ahead of time to let them know that I'll be gone, and if there are things they need from me, I take care of these before I leave.
• Take a break, and keep it a break. Whether you go on a trip, or simply take some days off to relax at home, make sure you do not bring your work with you. The only goal of your time off should be to enjoy yourself. The year ahead of you is long, and recharging is crucial. And you cannot recharge if at the same time you guilt yourself into expecting you will get some reading done. In the end, you know you will not get the work done, and you will not enjoy your vacation either. You will return to the new semester already stressed. So save yourself the anguish, and make it a clean break.