Check out our latest episode of Ask Paul here or read below for a brief summary of tips.

Summer is here and it's not uncommon to be distracted by the various activities you could be doing while at work. In this installment of Ask Paul, our main question touched on this same issue: Hey Paul, the weather is getting much nicer and with each sunny day I'm losing my ability to focus at work. I spend a lot of my time daydreaming about what fun summer activities I could be doing instead of actually getting anything done. How can I stop myself from falling into a summer-time work slump? Do you have any tips to for keeping me motivated throughout the day?

 1 - Remind yourself why you're at work

Think about and answer these questions: Why do you go to work? What motivates and inspires you to work? If you have something important to you, remind yourself about that and it may help pull you back. For everyone that something is different.

Paul recalled a conversation with a former Associate Employee who worked for QPS on several minimum wage, short-term assignments before QPS found him a better opportunity. Paul said, "The thing that kept him focused even on those not so great jobs was thinking about his kids and making sure they had something that he thought was important." As an individual who experienced pressure in his youth to dress and look well, his main motivator was making sure his kids had nice clothes and shoes. Paul said, "Maybe that idea means nothing to you, but you find your motivator. You find your thing that inspires you and when you start to lose focus, think about that."

2 - Break your job into parts

Not every aspect of the job will be fun. You might only enjoy certain parts of your job while being bored by other parts. You can think about the enjoyable stuff while getting through the more tedious work. In a manufacturing setting, you can also take the job and break it into smaller steps to get through. For some, if you've fallen into a slump while working on a project, take a break from that project by completing other tasks. It may help to create a go-to list that will keep you on top of things while switching it up.

3 - Add something you associate with fun

What do you associate with fun? Listening to music that you associate with things you find enjoyable while you work may help. Create a playlist with music that can brighten your mood, motivate you and help you get through the work day. Keep in mind that your ability to listen to music depends on your work and environment. Make sure your workplace permits it and if it is safe to do so.

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