As the summer arrives and the temperatures start to rise many of us find the weather causes us feelings of fatigue and tiredness leading to an increased struggle when it comes to staying focused and motivated with work. Here, Abbas Kanani, Pharmacist and health adviser for Chemist Click offers his advice for staying motivated when the weather is hot.

1. Wear Light Clothing

You may think that when working from home you can wear what you want, however many people will have to take zoom meetings throughout the day and have to wear suitable clothing, this can increase chances of overheating and becoming increasingly hot and sweaty.

If you can, try and wear light breathable clothing, so loose cotton shirts, preferably in a light colour, avoiding black clothes. If you only need to have your face on screen then you can always swap trousers for shorts on your bottom half. If you are heading into the office, wear light cotton shirts and loose, cotton trousers, a full suit will not only leave you sweating but could mean you overheat which could promote feelings of fatigue and exhaustion.

2. Limit Sunlight

Allowing sunlight into your home is a sure-fire way for making your place incredibly hot when it needn’t be. Keeping blinds and curtains closed should help to keep your home cool, if you struggle to work in limited light you can always keep curtains open in the morning and evening hours and closed in the heat of the day hours. If you are in the office, ask if your colleagues are happy to keep blinds down or limit sunlight, as direct sunlight could leave you feeling fatigued.

3. Take Some Time Away From Your Desk

For the most part the reason many people lose motivation with their job is because they’re simply tied to they’re desk and don’t have any time to think outside the box or reassess, this is especially true in summer when many people want to be outside in the sunshine. This is quite apparent when working from home because when you’re in the office you are making coffee for people, chatting to colleagues, attending real time meetings and generally having a lot of mini breaks throughout the day which are actually important for keeping you feeling on top of your game.

When working from home this is all taken away and you may end up at your desk with little or no breaks, so ensuring you take regular trips away from your desk is imperative, whether that be a daytime walk, workout, lunch break or regular tea breaks taking yourself away from your screen which should increase productivity.

4. Invest In A Fan

Buying a decent fan is a great way to keep you cool whilst working as the air blowing directly on you will keep your overall body temperature down and will make working much easier.

5. Drink Plenty Of Liquids

Drinking plenty of water throughout the day will help keep you hydrated, this is especially important if you find you are sweating much more than usual due to the heat. Keeping your body and mind hydrated should help you to stay focused on your work.

6. Keep Your Laptop Cool

Laptops don’t do well with heat, and you may find after a few hours it starts to heat up and blow out hot air. Try to work from a desk if you can, as keeping your laptop on a hard surface should prevent it from overheating. It’s tempting to work from your sofa when working from home, but your laptop will most likely overheat, and this will make you even hotter as the hot air will be hitting your lap directly.

7. Change Your Working Hours

This may not be doable for some people, but if you can change your working hours to suit the weather this may help you to be more productive. For example, working earlier in the day and in the evening as opposed to in the middle of the day should help you to stay cool and work more effectively.