Welcome to Work Smarter, Fast Company‘s newsletter on career, leadership, and productivity advice. You can sign up to receive this newsletter every week here. Summer is officially here, complete with its packed vacation schedules, overly air-conditioned offices, and—if you’re lucky—Summer Fridays. It may feel inevitable to fall into a work slump during the summer. But this season can also be a great time to focus on goals—specifically those that will bring you personal satisfaction and/or help with career development. “People tend to lose motivation and energy during this time of year,” coach Katie Sandler told writer Stephanie Vozza a few years ago. “Often, it’s because they’re not taking enough time for themselves.” If you want to fight against this feeling, there are a number of things you could do. You could prioritize using all your PTO—something that Americans are notoriously bad at. Or take advantage of your more flexible schedule to sign up for a class that excites you or might help you think differently about your job.  “This time of year is a great opportunity to hone a skill or learn a new one,” says Sandler. “Getting training under your belt can spark new ways of thinking that inspire you to get more involved in the workplace. People always leave retreats saying that they can’t wait to return because they feel replenished.” Personally, I’m prioritizing reading this summer. Cognitive scientist and longtime Fast Company contributor Art Markman has a great piece this week that looks at the many benefits of reading for pleasure. Whatever you do this season, make sure you take some time to do something fulfilling. Creating a bucket list, or set of goals, can help the season feel as special as it did when you were younger. “Summer was my time to explore new video games and challenge myself to defeat bosses,” writes Nicolas Cole. “[It] was my time to get better at playing hockey or record songs in my bedroom closet. Summer has always been a time of embracing a new challenge, and then pushing myself to overcome that challenge in a condensed period of time.”

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