The holidays are upon us — do you hear the jingle bells, too? — and with all the gatherings, seasonal beverages, and lists of gifts to attend to, it can be a tall order to focus on work.
We don’t blame you. Who wouldn’t rather be frolicking under the twinkling lights? But we also know how much you care about the work you’re doing. With that in mind, we’ve put together a list of tips and tricks to help you stay focused and productive during the last few weeks of the year.
1. Leverage your organizational skills
You already do so much day-to-day to keep yourself organized and on track. You might use your calendar to block out work time, a project management tool like Asana or ClickUp that helps you collaborate with your team, and a to-do list that helps you stay on task on a daily basis. As the holiday season ramps up, make sure to keep leaning on these systems — you put them in place for a reason, and they work.
Pro tip: Use your calendar for personal commitments as well. This is a great way to have a full view of your day from morning til’ night.
2. Don’t over commit
Relatedly, make sure you’re being realistic with your time. Your organizational tools are there to give you a clear picture of the amount of time you have available — so use them to make decisions around what events you can go to, and which will have to be a pass this year.
Pro tip: Stick to commitments and events that bring you joy. You’re already a busy person, so there’s no point putting energy into things that are going to drain your cup.
3. Avoid distractions
We know, it’s hard to ignore the holiday drinks being served in the kitchen or the carollers set up in the street below your office window — but it’s not impossible. Avoid distractions by scheduling deep work in your calendar and putting on your headphones to get it done. (No one is saying you can’t listen to your holiday playlist when you do.) Turn off your notifications, and give yourself a finite amount of time to finish a task.
Pro tip: Find a desk that doesn’t look out on a busy street. There’s lots of light, movement, and noise during the holidays, and it’s easy to fall into people watching rather than working.
4. Take days away from work
A large chunk of the corporate world stops during the holiday season — and you should too. It’s unlikely that your customers or partners will be online, so take days off when you can. And, if you’re a decision maker at the company, consider taking a company break where no one has to work during the holidays. That way, everyone will get to come back in the new year where they left off, and no one will have to catch up.
Pro tip: Just because you’re not physically at work, doesn’t mean you should take your work home. Keep your work laptop closed during your time off and focus on time with family.
5. Take time to plan for next year
If you’re having a hard time concentrating this time of year, then it might be a good time to focus on something exciting, like planning for the next year. You have big visions for your business, and so does your team, so take the time to have a planning session where you all share your ideas and put them on a roadmap. That way, when you come back in the new year, you can immediately put that plan into action.
Pro tip: At iQ Offices, we have plenty of rooms at each of our locations that are ideally suited for planning sessions. Let us know if we can help you book one.
Staying focused at this time of year is hard, but we hope that with these five recommendations, it’ll be a bit easier this year.
