As summer rolls around, I’ve found myself considering what my last six summers looked like: slow business, strategizing, casual hours, but worry-filled. Worried that clients wouldn’t return for the new school year. Worried about paying rent over the summer, and worried about growing bigger the next year.
This summer is different so far. First of all, throwing a shirt and tie on in the vicious New York City heat is a fun way to start your day completely drenched in sweat! The subway platforms show no mercy with stifling heat and zero air flow. Thank goodness the trains themselves are air conditioned, but after a humid 8 minute walk, you just swim in heat on the platform.
When I was an entrepreneur, I still worked long hours, but they were completely unstructured. If I wanted to golf on a Tuesday morning in the summer, that was fine. I could work later into the evening or on the weekend.
While I still work on evenings and weekends regularly it’s supplementary as opposed to in-replace-of normal 9-5 hours. It’s no surprise that this is one of the frustrations of the corporate world and it’s well-researched that companies would benefit by letting employees work when they’re productive. I should clarify that my employer is actually quite flexible, but being involved in a client project with serious deadlines and coordinating people from all different areas to make decisions requires some aspect of regularity.
Anyways I digress. The reason this comes up is that I’m starting to make summer plans, and life fills up really quickly. I’m lucky enough to have a great vacation package but when you’re heads down in a project, and judged at the end of the year on how many hours you bill, it can be difficult to take advantage of your benefits.
I find myself stressing about asking for a few days here and there, when really I both need the break, and have earned the time. it might be just because I’m new in the role and new to the firm, but does anyone else stress about this? Would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Anyway, assuming I can step up, I’m super excited for summer and taking lots of long weekends. A wedding in Winnipeg, an SOA trip and friend visit to Utah, a wedding in Connecticut, parents visiting in September, and who knows how many random weekend jaunts to Toronto or Vegas or Boston.
Hope everyone is doing well and takes lots of vacations to enjoy the weather this summer!
Thanks for reading,
Mike