Summer is great.

 

The weather is brighter and more cheerful, the undergraduate population on campus has whittled down to a minimum, the Stamp Union is (for the most part) emptier, and us grad students are free from the obligatory teaching responsibilities that (most of us) usually have during the regular school year.  These three months give us the opportunity to buckle down, head to the lab bench, and crank out the most efficient and productive amount of work we can generate.

 

Or is it? 

With the advent of summer, not only is the time more flexible for research, but more days are available to go out into the world and enjoy the comings and goings of the season.  While the days are longer, more time can be spent working in the daylight in addition to looking out the window (for those who have them) wondering what exactly is going on beyond.  Extend your lunch hour sitting outside the many picnic benches on campus.  Explore the free summer events going on in the district or elsewhere around town.  Roam through the many parks and trails full of flora, fauna, and people doing just what you're doing.  Or even take a vacation to some faraway place physically distancing yourself from proposals, papers and projects.  

 

Some might say that these distractions makes us lose our focus on research, but others might say that they give us a moment to reprieve, reboot, and refresh our minds for more effective labwork.   The key to this time of year is discipline and moderation.  We may have to fend off distractions and procrastinations like little kids grabbing for something they know is bad for them (*pushes hand away from candy* nooooo, noooo, not until after dinner), but discipline does have its rewards.  The joys of summer feel that much nicer when rewarded for hard work.