Getting things done in a heatwave

(This blog started life as an episode of my podcast, Unfrazzle. You can listen here if you prefer (6 minutes).

Apologies to any listeners from outside the UK, but I’m about to be very British and spend some time talking about the weather.

Temperatures are on the rise, we’ve experienced more extreme heat over the last few years, and here in the UK we aren’t built for it, are we? Either physiologically, or in terms of our environment. I’ve been loving seeing the creative ways people are finding to staying cool – putting ice packs in front of fans, keeping damp tea-towels in the fridge and hot water bottles in the freezer. I end up sleeping on the sofa when it gets too hot because the upstairs of our house turns into an inferno, and there’s no way I can work in my office so the sofa becomes my desk too.

And then there’s the whole – what on earth do I wear on Zoom calls thing. I don’t want to be flashing too much skin, but I also need to be able to function!

It's a challenge, isn’t it? Fatigue kicks in for me around lunchtime, and all I want to do is nap and/or climb inside the fridge.

Much as I’d love to talk about the climate crisis, that’s not what you’re here for. So I’ll restrain myself!

Instead, I want to talk about what happens to our productivity when temperatures rise.

Being hot and bothered is not a personal failing!

Unless you’re fortunate enough to live and work somewhere lovely and cool, when it gets hot getting stuff done can be a struggle.

So how do you navigate your to-do list when it’s hotter than the sun and you don’t have AC?

Do you expect to be as productive as you usually are?

Do you feel guilty, frustrated, disappointed, cross with yourself for not getting enough done?

Or do you take a moment to look at everything on your plate, and identify the things that could wait so you could direct your possibly limited energy on the things that mattered most? Shifting your expectations of what’s possible when your body is using extra energy to regulate your temperate and keep you safe.

Every month in Make It Happen Club I invite people to look at the plan they’re creating and make sure they’re clear about what’s most important and impactful. Getting that clarity at the start of the month – when they’re in a lovely, calm headspace – makes it so much easier to adjust if something unexpected happens. Like a heatwave, for example.

When you’re hot and bothered, of course you’re not going to be as productive as you usually would. It’s not your fault! It’s biology! And yes, there are things you can do to help your body stay cool. But you can also take control of how you work, so you make the most of the energy you DO have.

Can you adjust with the heat instead of fighting against it?

My hope is that you learn to be gentle with yourself, hone in on the most important things and let everything else go.

If that isn’t your experience and you’re carrying guilt because when it’s too hot some things don’t get done, can you gently let that go?

These heatwaves are going to happen more often (don’t get me started), so it might be worth practicing putting your wellbeing above your to-do list. That might feel uncomfortable at first, but it gets easier over time.

And putting yourself first doesn’t mean getting nothing done. I’m an early riser at the best of times, and even more so when it’s hot. So last week I gave myself permission to open my laptop at 5am, when it was still cool enough to concentrate. That meant I could lounge about feeling hot and bothered in the afternoons, without needing to stress about work. 

Making an intentional choice to work shorter days forces you to be discerning about what you choose to do with the time you have, and that’s always a good thing in my book, heatwave or not.

It’s also worth thinking about what sort of work you do when. For me, when it’s hot I start with the thing that requires the most brainpower, because I know I can just about manage those more mechanical, adminy things when I’m starting to get tired.

Could you do something similar? Shifting your working hours so they work for you, instead of forcing yourself to sit at your desk when you’re melting and struggling to stay awake? I love the idea of us all pretending we’re in Spain and downing tools for a siesta… maybe we could start a petition to make that a thing when the temperature hits 30 degrees?

If you’re not happy with how you’ve been navigating work when things get hot, what will you do differently moving forward?

If the forecast is to be believed, it may well be heating up again right now. So this is a perfect opportunity to choose your approach and then practice!

Making a choice to do less feels so much better than trying to do everything and then feeling like a failure when you can’t.

As always, I hope that this helps and I look forward to seeing you again soon.