Keeping Productive During the Holidays
December is usually crunch time for everyone. All of the year-end work deadlines are piling up, in addition to holiday shopping, party planning, and visits to see in-laws. If you're stressed out and feeling unfocused, don't worry! That's totally natural. But rather than feeling like your holiday season is a bust, take time to reflect on strategies to keep you productive and on task, no matter what you have to do.
taken from: Entreprenuer Magazine
Set Aside Time Without Work
This might sound counterintuitive, but it's actually the most important policy. If your end-of-year deadline affects your ability to truly enjoy yourself, you'll be burnt out before New Year's Eve even hits. By taking time to spend with family and friends, even for simple things like seeing your neighborhood's holiday lights, or going to a special extended family meal, you'll feel recharged and rejuvenated. With that attitude, you're ready to take on even the most challenging clients.
Maintain A Routine Best You Can
Fitness regimes are one of the things that often fall to the wayside during the holidays, but instead of ditching that exercise, invest more time in staying fit. Even consider getting a fitness & activity wearable device like Fitbit. Why? Exercise is a great way to counteract overeating and stress in a productive way. If you take even 20 minutes out of your day to bike or run, you'll feel better and be able to focus better as a result because your mind and body will be in tip-top shape.
taken from: Wired
Encourage Office Team Building
December can be a notoriously difficult time in the office, as people prepare for year-end performance reviews or uncomfortable holiday parties. Entrepreneur says to ditch the performance reviews for "group feedback session, where every team member has to state one positive quality and one area of improvement for every other teammate." Forbes encourages building team events around philanthropy to maximize this season of giving back.
Find Your Creative Outlet
What do we mean by this? The holidays are a season of creative expression, so find your outlet. Do you love to sing? Find a place to sing your favorite carols. Do you love to decorate? Draw inspiration from Pinterest with these Christmas crafts. If graphic design is your thing, spend time designing a card you'll mail or email to your friends.
Not only are these creative tasks fun, they often help reach you those "Aha!" moments at work. Sometimes you have to look beyond a brainstorming session to find your best idea. Unexpected connections can be found all over, especially when you're not looking for them.
taken from: Blogspot
While there's no way of getting rid of the holiday season stress, if you give yourself moments to enjoy time with family and friends, build office relationships, and use the creative magic of the season to inspire new ideas, you'll be able to stay on track! Feel free to share your own tips for staying productive in this season of distractions.