If we’re being honest, summer is not our most productive season. In our defense, summer is meant for slowing down, spending time with friends, and taking a breather — right?? Thankfully, more and more companies are embracing Summer Fridays – 46 percent of companies according to this article – and encouraging employees to take off for the weekend a little early. Of course, work still has to get done, which leaves the ball in our court for creating a productive work schedule Monday through Thursday.

We think leaving the office (or our at-home desk) to start the weekend a few hours early makes all the difference — we’ll take every minute of “summer break” we can get! To be sure we can take advantage of Summer Fridays, we’re motivating ourselves to put these six productivity practices into action. Whether you have kiddos you want to spend time with, or summer weekend travel plans, these tips will help you embrace the season and get your work done efficiently. Keep reading below for our six tips!

Embrace Earlier Sunrises

One perk of summer is early morning sunrises which make it easier to start the day earlier. Keep your blinds cracked so that the morning sunshine will motivate you to avoid hitting the snooze button. Once you’re out of bed, start your day with whatever morning routine sets you up for success. Try to start work an hour earlier than usual — this time adds up and will help you get ahead for the weekend.

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Prioritize Tasks

You likely have a to-do list of items that fall into two categories — ‘need to be tackled ASAP’ or ‘can wait a week or two’. Start each Monday by outlining what must get done by Friday and highlight what can wait. This will help you to not get distracted by second tier priorities and end up with a mountain of to-dos to wrap up on Friday afternoon. If you need guidance for prioritizing tasks, be sure to read our interview with Erin Condren, founder of the LifePlanner, and our time management hacks.

Scale Back on Lunch and Coffee Breaks

While taking an hour lunch break outside in the sun might sound nice, it’s probably not as enticing as leaving the office a few hours early on Friday. Instead of leisurely lunch breaks, eat lunch at your desk to maximize your office hours.  The same goes for coffee breaks. While we’re all about taking breaks during the day to help boost creativity, we’re scaling back on them this season so that we can knock out our to-dos earlier in the week.

Delegate When Possible

Learning how to delegate takes time but it’s crucial for productivity. If there is a task that doesn’t require your attention or expertise, assign it to someone who can take it off of your plate. This way you can focus on what truly requires your attention before the weekend.

Multitask

To make the most of your Monday through Thursday, look for every opportunity to multitask. Do you have a long commute? Schedule calls from the car. Do you have 15-30 minutes to spare while waiting for a meeting or appointment to start? Clean out your inbox. These intervals of time add up and you’ll be glad you hustled once Friday rolls around.

Say No to Extra Activities

With summer weather comes lots of invitations for al fresco happy hours, outdoor strolls with friends, team building activities, etc. We don’t think you should say no to all of these invites, but if you’re trying to break for the weekend early, prioritize a couple that you will really enjoy and say no to the ones you’re debating. If you’re stuck at the office at 5 p.m. on a Friday because you decided to go to a so-so networking event, you’re going to regret it!   

Wind Down with A Little Work (and Wine!)

Usually we’re all for separating work and personal, but to make the most of Summer Fridays we’re doing a little work in the evenings. To make working after hours not totally dreadful, focus on projects that don’t require too much attention to detail – invoicing, scheduling meetings, cleaning out your inbox, drafting meeting agendas. Change into your comfy clothes, pour a glass of wine, and maybe even put on a new Netflix show or a podcast if you’re able to multitask! It might not be enjoyable, but you’ll be thankful when it’s 4 p.m. on Friday and you’re relaxing al fresco with friends instead of rushing to get through your work load.