Can't Get Anything Done Lately? Blame Summer Brain™

It’s mid-July and in this particular section of the Northern Hemisphere, it’s hotter than the hinges of Hell with a long stretch of blinding sun and more heat ahead. If you can’t concentrate and you’re feeling distracted and you, uh, can’t concentrate, you may have Summer Brain.

Bill Ward writes about Summer Brain for the Star-Tribune, explaining that while it is well-documented in children — the so-called Summer Slide of out-of-school brain atrophy — adults can suffer from symptoms as well. Diane Amundson tells Ward that there are so many ways to get distracted, between vacation, having kids at home and the great weather. Amundson says: “If you’re lucky enough to have an office window, you need to not look out it.” Because you will start dreaming of getting up from your desk and going outside for a walk and eventually hitchhiking to Mexico and living in a hammock in someone’s yard.

She also adds: “If the boss is more laid-back in summer months, that lends itself to employees.” Everyone is spaced out, and when you do try to get work done, the people you need to talk to are on vacation. Why. Bother.

As a Summer Brain expert, allow me to tell you about some other things you might be distracted by:

Your coworker’s mandals
Whether or not you will take another shower later
That dude on the street in the neon skank top
Looking for a ponytail holder or a pencil so you can get your hair off your neck
Is white zinfandel really that bad?
WHY AM I NOT SWIMMING RIGHT NOW
How much money you would need to quit your job and travel around the world
Wondering if you should you be writing teen fiction for a living
If the air conditioner is making you sick
Reading weird listicles on the internet

Unfortunately, this piece on Summer Brain does not offer a cure, so it’s something you’ll just have to endure/enjoy until late September. Good luck.