Staying Productive Through the Festive Season……

As we get closer to the festive season, productivity can fly out of the window. Already I am coming across businesses delaying decisions and new projects until 2015. Does business need to slow down like this? Or are we wasting time and losing momentum?

While it is essential to take the opportunity to wind down, we need to be careful that we don’t write off an entire six weeks. Instead we need to strike a balance, or in between the parties, present buying and festivities, we can be in danger of getting no work done at all.

Here are some tips on how to stay productive and have fun during the festive season. 

Pace yourself

Keep a close eye on your diary in the weeks ahead. With lots of extra social events being added in for most people, it’s important to remember to pace yourself. A major cause of lost productivity at this time of year is getting ill or becoming run-down because of trying to do too much. One or two evenings marked ‘nothing’ in your diary might help. Also, rather than expecting yourself to attend meetings back to back, or get through as much work as normal, ask a little less of yourself workwise, as you’ll be spending more energy and time elsewhere. Keep your workload manageable and you’ll still be productive and have a sense of achievement

Low energy tasks

Start keeping a list of any unimportant, non-urgent tasks you need to do. Include, for example, any boring tasks that you keep putting off. This might include things like sorting out your expenses, filing, or catching up on some reading about your market. The ideal day to tackle these tasks is when you feel tired, have low energy, or have been out late the night before. A low energy day is a great day to clear through them. Don’t try to tackle something really difficult and struggle all day getting nowhere if you’re in this mood.

Wind down and disconnect

It’s important to take the chance this time of year gives us to wind down, take time out and reenergise. Have an early finish. Take a few days off. Recharge your own batteries and enjoy the winter festivities. For once people aren’t expecting an instant response. So make the most of that and disconnect for a few hours or a few days.

Plan ahead

Think about January! While most people don’t like to plan past Christmas at this time of year, change your mindset so your calendar continues rather than stops and starts. If you don’t plan ahead, the first week of January, in particular, will be unproductive. Early January is a time of year when other people are often unavailable, so do those projects you don’t need input from someone else to get on with. It’s a great time to clear any leftover tasks and get organised, so you’re off to a strong start for the new year.

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