That was one hell of a weekend.
We know we’re not the only ones to agree that weekends got a lot more fun the second this warm weather finally decided to grace us with its presence. Between cottage weekends, road trips, day-long boat adventures, pool parties, park parties, house parties (okay, any type of party) and concerts, there’s simply too much fun to be had on the weekend these days. Right?
The problem is, of course, Monday comes like a slap in the face.
But the wild weekends are only one of the summertime traps we hard working and hard playing young professionals (YPs) can find ourselves in. Case in point: the following four common YP traps of summer…
The weekend-long booze fests.
Did your weekends feel a lot more productive in the winter? Yeah, same for us.
Not that it’s rocket science, but if you’re going to party during the day, maybe take it easy during the evening? It’s not like you’re in Vegas – your city isn’t going anywhere. Or maybe you’ll continue through dinner and be home by 10 with water within arm’s reach? Nothing that great happens after 10pm (or at least 11) anyway, especially in the over-crowded, tourist-filled clubs of the summer. If you do want to party one day of the weekend, schedule something healthy and productive (but still outside) for the other, like a hike, bike excursion or beach volleyball session. To take it a step further, book a workout first thing on Monday so you can sweat out any remaining booze… and teach yourself (and your body) a lesson in the process.
The single-for-the-summer mentality.
There’s no better time to be single than in the summer, right?
A least that’s what we’ve heard from no shortage of scheming, smiling singles this summer. Barely clad bodies, vacations, and a re-vamped social calendar make being single in the summer all the more appealing. And hey, there’s no shame in that. But don’t remain or become single because you’re caught up in this frat boy notion. Sure, summer’s a great time for steamy make-out sessions with strangers. But it’s also a pretty great time to enjoy your relationship or to fall in love. Think of it this way: few things are as romantic as a fall day. Picture a crisp, sunny, early October Sunday walking hand-in-hand through your city or a park knowing you’ve found your hibernation season partner in crime (sigh). Well, you may miss that boat if you don’t open yourself up to it now (as opposed to the Tuesday following Labour Day Weekend). If you choose to play the ever-so-green field for the next two months, that perfect fit may quite literally pass you by. Remember: being single is expensive, frustrating and a lot of work (and involves way too much texting).
The daily patio happy hour.
Every day is Thursday in the summer.
With city patios bustling in full force, after-work drink suggestions are in overdrive – no matter the day of the week. Sure, this was all fine and harmless those first few weeks of warm weather, but you will quickly screw up your work and your relationship (or chance of ever being in one) if you’re out every night. Not to mention, you’ll look worse and worse in those swim trunks or bikini. We once decided to take a break from drinking right at the start of summer and though the open bars and beer-filled coolers were always there to tempt, we maintained our booze break for the sake of vanity and our bikini body (which was made better than summers past thanks to the yoga classes over Long Island Iced Tea-filled patio sessions). During the weeknights, schedule workouts with trainers and friends, tennis matches, low-key dinner dates, and even your niece or nephew’s soccer game over the boozy banter and bar tabs. Thursdays, on the other hand…
The summer slacker.
Between half-day Fridays, the rotation of colleagues on vacation, and the lazy, hazy weather, it may be easy to let yourself slack in the workplace come July and August.
We’ve seen countless friends and colleagues throughout the years shocked (and borderline enraged) that their workload didn’t correspond with their relaxed summer mentality. We’ve learned a few things over the years when it comes to staying in the game work-wise in the summer. The easiest: Wake up early. It’s so much easier to do when it’s already sunny outside. Clear your head for the day with a walk to work or session at the gym. Or get to the office before everyone else when there are less phone calls, emails and overly chatty coworkers dishing about their cottage weekend. It also gives you more time to strategically plan for the day and will also make you feel better about leaving early on a Friday and for that upcoming vacation. Speaking of vacation, remember that it may be difficult to snap back into the world of spreadsheets, deadlines and never-ending meetings after that unforgettable Euro trip. Make sure you give yourself a day at home in the city upon return to do laundry, regroup and mentally prepare for the return to the office (as opposed to flying into the office from the red eye). Finally, don’t leave on Friday without all necessary plans in place for the next week. Not only do you want to be prepared, you don’t want to waste that afternoon on the dock stressing about it.
If you find yourself consumed in one (or all of these) already, you may want to reevaluate because we have two more months ahead of us…
#LYNL | (Live Your Notable Life)
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