As the temperature skyrockets above 90 degrees, I can’t help but to keep singing the lyrics from song “Summertime” by The Jamies. Between long days in the sun   and tranquil evenings watching the fireflies play, it’s easy to fall into a slower pace during the summer. But as business owners, we have to be careful not to slow down too much. Momentum we’ve built up over the winter and spring months shouldn’t be lost to too many nights relaxing on the front porch swing.

So how does a business owner find a healthy balance? There are a few things you can do to keep the business moving while you and your staff enjoy hard-earned time to relax.

Touch Base With Your Annual Goals

Before the slow pace really settles in, take some time to touch base with your annual goals. For most businesses, June 30th marks the end of the second quarter – the business year is already half over!

Of course you set goals for the year – but when was the last time you stopped and did a thorough evaluation of which goals are being met, and which need more attention? Is your revenue and operating income in the line with where you expected to be by now? Given where you are today, what will it take to keep the rest of the year on track so by December 31st your goals have all been met or exceeded? Implementing changes and bolstering what’s already working will ensure you get where you want to go.

Good Documentation Doesn’t Take a Vacation

Many people use the summer to take a vacation. But while staffers are out, someone else needs to take over their job in most cases. Are your procedures well documented so that someone else can just step in and do the work? Vacation season is the perfect time to test your documentation procedures, information flow and communication processes. Paying attention to these important factors now could save you weeks of trouble later.

Keep At It!

When I was a child, we went on many family vacations, I have fond memories of heading out in the family station wagon with my two parents and five siblings. On one vacation, we rented a condo on Jekyll Island in Georgia. Jacques Cousteau’s son, Phillippe, had been on the island just the prior week doing research. This inspired my brother Jim to fish for shark from the nearby pier. The first night Jim put out a fishing line and the hook. In the morning it was gone – something had bitten it and taken the hook and line. Jim might have been discouraged, but instead, the next night he put out a much stronger line and a bigger hook. The morning after, the line was totally wrapped around the pier and at the end of the line was a shark with a hook in its mouth! That night we ate well and it’s a memory we’ll always have.

The point is, stick with going for your goals. Even though it’s summer and you want to relax, going the extra mile to get what you want often results in just that – getting what you want!