The other day we bought our daughter a new backpack, lunch bag and gym bag. She’s entering high school in a few weeks and needs cool-looking new gear, to help her both fit in and stick out, and easily transport her belongings. She was glad to buy these items while there were choices available (you don’t want your backpack to be a colour that you hate) but she wanted us to hide them in the house. Looking at them meant thinking about them, and that meant realizing that summer is nearly over and September is almost upon us.

We discussed how adult life is different. We (most adults) don’t get more than a couple of weeks off during the summer, yet we all like to go into summertime mode. We eagerly jump at a chance to be on the beach, on a patio, in our backyard, in a swimming pool, at a barbecue, near an ocean or mountains … take your pick.

Sure, work still gets done. Often a lot of work gets done. When I was toiling in a newsroom and later in television post production, work simply never stopped. Yet I – and everyone else around me – pounced on any opportunity to leave as quickly as possible at the end of the day. We flipped a mental switch. Somehow it always seemed easier to do this in summer.

The problem with summer is that invariably and inevitably, it ends. When it ends, we all need to be ready for what comes next. We don’t want to think about it but September arrives regardless of our level of planning.

This is where I think of my best friend Rob – the urban planner – and one of his favourite adages: Those who fail to plan, plan to fail.

The most efficient and productive teams and people that I know have plans well in place months ahead of September’s arrival. The same goes for Christmas. Ditto for all their vacation times. These plans include:

Editorial and production calendars have long been established and are ready to be tweaked and carried out seamlessly by an individual or team members

Staffing needs have been addressed and a plan is in place to ensure that all work will get done, at a consistent level of excellence

Workflow has been ‘flowing’ all along – even if at a slow-paced summer level – so there’s no need to panic about a major gearing up for the busy fall

Crucial work has already begun, is in its advanced stages, or has been completed well ahead of time: namely the projects that pertain to key clients and customers, external teams and external organizations

A ‘To Do’ list is on someone’s mind, on their computer or on their wall; this person is typically the boss (in a company of many, few or one) and is ready to implement and delegate

Meetings have been scheduled and arranged to ensure that everyone has had a good summer, is relaxed and in a positive frame of mind, and is prepared to produce

Regarding the last point: I hear of many teams that don’t allot time to discuss everyone’s summer, and share pictures and memories. I wish this wasn’t the case. This kind of team building is simple, cost-free and effective. It only takes a short while – maybe just an hour – and can be fit into a staff/department meeting. If you have all your September plans in place already, it’s a great way to get everyone in the mood to produce.

And so, the human resources part of my soul has spoken. Thanks for reading. Now go enjoy more summer.