Staying productive during the festive season

The lead up to the festive season and the festive season itself can be a busy and chaotic time at home and at work. We provide handy tips on staying focused on your day job.

It can be easy during the festive season to get distracted by family life. School concerts, sports break ups and catch ups with friends consume out of work hours. You may be entertaining more and your diary might scare you with its complexity.

The lead up to the festive season in the workplace can be just as chaotic. There are client demands and festive parties and lunches to attend. Your time feels like it is compressed into less working hours. 

It can be hard to focus on clients, deadlines and deliverables during such a crazy busy time. It is also easy to get overwhelmed and throw your hands in the air with a cry of 'it's too hard!'. Lots of people take the tack of putting projects off until after Christmas.

Stay in control with our tips on how to maintain focus on your day job.

Personal

• Shop for gifts online (in your own time of course!) and have them delivered .
• Delegate or outsource what you can - cleaning, personal shopping, errands.
• Plan your gift lists and menus early. You will save yourself time and beat the rush.
• Get some regular exercise.
• Prioritise getting a good nights sleep.

Professional 

• Continue to do the most important thing first every day.
• Block out some time in your diary to free yourself up from meetings. 
• Keep motivated. Are you on track to meet your goals for the year?
• Have realistic expectations of what you and your staff can achieve during this time. 
• Ensure your office is adequately staffed over the festive break. Do you close down? What skeleton staff do you need onsite to keep your clients serviced?
• Plan to disconnect over the festive season. Put down your mobile phone and step away from the client files. Give yourself time to recharge and you will return to work with more energy (promise!).
• Take some time to celebrate the year that was with your team. Don't forget to thank them for their efforts. 
• Take a breath. The festive season is supposed to be fun. It is ok to take a moment to enjoy it. 
• If there is some down time between festive parties, consider using it for planning. 

The more productive you are in the lead up to the festive season, the less likely you are to collapse in a heap with burnout on the eve of the festivities. You might even stand out from the pack with your focus and dedication!