How to work productively in the summer heat

The last couple of weeks the UK has been greeted with warm weather, which can sometimes make it more difficult to concentrate and work productively.

If you're anything like me, you like summer and you do like warm weather, but not when it gets too hot to even function. If it reaches the high 20s in temperature (Centigrade, not Fahrenheit), and I don't have a swimming pool to jump into, then I'm not necessarily my usual positive self.

And recently the UK has experienced some hot weather. It's been lovely having a bright blue sky and being able to not worry about taking an umbrella or wearing a raincoat.

However, it has at times got a little too hot and apparently, it may only get hotter. A lot of companies implement summer working hours, but sometimes, that's not enough.

Therefore, I wanted to share some tips about working productively in the summer heat, whether you work from home, commute to an office or even work outside.

Hopefully, if you're someone who doesn't always function at the best of their ability during the summer months, these tips will be of some help to you.

Take regular breaks

I've said this before in other blog posts regarding mental health and productivity in general, but it is key for summer too.

Taking breaks allows you to rest your mind for a short period of time and return to work with fresh eyes. It allows you to have a break from looking at a computer screen or writing notes on a pad.

And it also allows you to stretch your body and get out of your office to go somewhere cooler, fresher and less stuffy. I know if I sit behind my desk for long periods of time and it is very hot (inside and outside) then my room can become stuffy and make me less able to concentrate.

So when the sun is shining and it's hot weather, take some breaks. Schedule them so you don't forget.

Ice, ice baby

Now this tip covers a lot of bases. I've labelled it as 'Ice, ice baby' because the ideas encompass ways of cooling you down.

When it does get too hot and you feel yourself struggling, try and cool your body down. You will automatically sweat, which is your body's natural way of trying to cool you down, but there are other ways that you can implement whilst working to make sure you're still productive. These include:

• If there is a breeze, open some windows

• Have a fan or air-con turned on

• Put ice cubes in your drinks

• Use a cold flannel to dab on your forehead and wrists
  

Comfy and loose clothing

If you have to wear a uniform for work, then this tip might not be for you. However, if you get free rein over what you can wear whilst working, then listen up.

There is nothing worse than being hot and having tight, fitted clothing sticking to your body. So, when you are working, make sure you're wearing comfy and loose clothing.

This way, you should hopefully feel more comfortable during the working day and therefore will be able to work productively without having to pull on your shirt collar, roll your trousers up or kick your socks off.

Hydrate, hydrate, and hydrate

This tip is one that everyone should follow all year round, but it is even more important when we enter the summer months.

Our bodies are made up of up to 60% water, so when people say it's important to hydrate, it is important to hydrate.

Plus, when temperatures reach high figures, it can be difficult to work productively if you haven't drunk enough because it can make you feel under the weather and give you a headache.

So in order to work productively in summer, ensure you've always got a drink, preferably water (or an equivalent if you don't like water) with you so you can always have a sip. And when your glass or bottle is empty, refill it.

Shut out the sun

It is lovely to have the sun shining in the summer, but if you're working and the sun is incredibly bright and giving off a lot of heat, it's not necessarily a good thing to have your curtains or blinds open all day.

In my house, the sun shines on the back (where I work) in the morning and then on the front in the evening. When that's the case, I like to have my blind shut because one, the sun makes it difficult to see my laptop screen, but it also makes my room even hotter, making it harder to concentrate.

If you're finding the sun is adding heat to your office and you're able to shut it out, pull those curtains shut.

Obviously, if you have a job that requires you to be outside, that's not possible. But what you can do is take some time to find some shade, even if it's for a brief moment.

Change the time

Another thing that you can do to help you work productively in the summer heat is to change your working hours. Now, this is only really applicable if you don't work a general 9-5 or a job with strict hours.

But for those of you who have the flexibility to alter your working day, it could be beneficial to change your working hours.

What I mean by this is when it's cooler in the day, say earlier in the morning, that's when you could get a good chunk of work done. Then, when it's hotter, around midday, you could take a break.

That way, you're not forcing yourself to work at the hottest part of the day, which would in turn, make you more productive because it would be cooler.

Now these aren’t the only tips you could follow to try and cool yourself down and work productively, but these are some I implement to help me.

So, if you're someone who struggles to give 100% focus to the task at hand when it is rather hot, I hope these tips help.

Until next time...