It’s summertime in the Northeast! Many people are looking to go on vacation, visiting classic summer destinations such as the shore or the Poconos. Yet this can be a source of anxiety for some workers and entrepreneurs. Will vacation cause your work to suffer? How can you justify taking time away from the office?

It’s important to understand that you and your employees need your vacation time for rest and rejuvenation, and you will be a better worker because of that rejuvenation. Vacation time also provides an important backdrop for a new mindset. Changing your routine and location can encourage new thoughts and ideas that can revolutionize your business when it is time to return.

Some people figure out how to combine their vacation with work, such as the Philadelphia Phillies, who traveled to London in order to play the New York Mets. London is a lot farther away than New York, but they were increasing the exposure and attention to baseball in the UK. So the Phillies got to take a trip while also doing some business development.

Networking still continues throughout the summer, but sometimes people find it a bit more difficult because people are on vacation! So, this summer, make the effort to network. My rule is that you talk to everybody. You never know who will be a useful connection! But also, make sure to think to yourself, what happens after you meet new people? How will you encourage your relationship with them? One strategy that is helpful for me is putting reminders in my calendar to follow up with new connections. That way I can remember to call them to check in, and it doesn’t even matter if we are in the same location or not.

In May I took the train to meet someone for breakfast. I met someone on the train and, because I made the effort to talk to them, I realized that they work in the same field that my daughter-in-law wants to get into. So we are now LinkedIn connected and I am giving her name to my daughter-in-law.

Networking can also be fun! The minor league baseball team, the Jersey Shore Blue Claws reached out to me and said they wanted to welcome us back with four free tickets to one of their games. So I’m going to turn that into a networking event by inviting three people! The trick is finding things that are low-cost, enjoyable, and give you all the chance to talk and connect. Top Golf is a driving range with a simulator that tells you how far you hit the ball. It’s cheaper than a full round of golf, very social, and you can go and have fun even if you are not a golfer!

I hope that you all have a good summer full of rest, relaxation, and enjoyable networking!