How to Stay Productive During the Holidays: 7 Ways to Keep Your Balance
Learn how to stay productive during the holidays despite the stress and excitement of Christmas.
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December is that weird time of the year when nobody seems to be at work because they’re running around doing Christmas-related errands. And yet, deadlines still need to be met. And work goes on. So, if you’re looking for info on how to stay productive during the holidays, you’ve come to the right place.
Angela Ash is an expert content writer and editor, and she works with Flow SEO. She writes on a multitude of topics but places a special importance on SEO, productivity, motivation, time management and wellness.
Holidays are coming and even if the situation may be a bit specific this year, they are no less festive for that. Namely, the chief productivity issues remain the same and now that most of us spend days on end at home, we may be somewhat more prone to procrastination than usual.
However, there are ways and ways to rise above the challenge and remain productive while still enjoying your well deserved time off. Let’s consider some tips on how to do exactly that.
Turn Off Email Notifications
There seems to be no end to advice on how incoming emails tend to interrupt pretty much every possible activity, but this time seriously – turn off your email notifications. It’s the holidays we’re talking about, after all.
In addition, try allocating a slot or two for checking incoming messages, optimally once in the morning and once in the evening. In this way, you won’t feel restless because you’re not checking incoming emails every five minutes.
Instead, use the time saved in this way to treat yourself to an activity you enjoy but normally don’t have enough time for it. It can be anything really, as long as it’s meaningful to you.
Just don’t give in to the temptation to binge-watch every Netflix show with the excuse that you don’t have enough time to do it every day. That still counts as wasting time. Rather, enjoy an episode or two at designated time slots.
Use Your Mornings Well
For most people, mornings are reserved for work. Not so during the holidays. In fact, you can observe mornings as the extra time to spend on any meaningful activity you see fit. Again, if this becomes an act of procrastination, turn to a time management system.
Time management systems are a great idea especially during the holidays because it’s easier to waste time when you have the feeling that everything can be done later. In the end, all postponed tasks will accumulate, and you’ll be overwhelmed.
Make Reminders
November and December traditionally come with a massive to-do list. From sending holiday cards to completing online courses, there is always something pushed to the back of our brains.
Keeping reminders is a great way to relax and be sure not to forget any single thing. This will, in turn, alleviate the stress that naturally builds up as the holidays approach, so it is definitely a good solution.
Set Time Limits
Similarly to your email schedule, make an attempt to set time limits for your activities. Obviously, not all activities count, but those that require additional willpower on your end certainly do.
People traditionally tend to reflect and revisit their successes and failures as the year nears its end. Others lose themselves in unrealistic expectations for the forthcoming year. Well, we’re just human, so it’s not to be wondered at, but don’t overdo it.
This weird year has been testing many of our limits, beliefs and misconceptions, so use the lessons learned to think about how you will improve yourself in the coming year. We may still be coping with the changes, but this situation won’t last forever.
That’s why, when you think about your future tasks, be realistic and set time limits for each of them. Opt for quality rather than quantity. But even before that, decide how much time you actually want to allocate. If the task takes more time than you choose to allocate for it, maybe it’s not the task you want to perform after all.
Read and Exercise, But Only if You Feel Like It
Daily workouts are a great habit, but even if you skip for a couple of days, the world won’t come down. Exercise – “if” you feel like it.
The same goes for reading. The holidays are a perfect time to spend some quality time with your favourite books, but if you’d rather be doing something else, that’s great, too. Not everyone is a bookworm, and not everyone is an athlete.
As long as you enjoy your holidays doing meaningful things that matter to you, it’s just as it should be.
Don’t Forget Assignments to Come
While unwinding goes without saying during holidays, don’t forget that time flies when we’re having fun. Remember our tip from the beginning how the tasks you’ve postponed will come crashing down once the holidays are over?
They always do when we’re not careful, so make certain to plan ahead. Coupled with this potential issue is another thing: learn to say no. Seriously, give yourself some credit. Not every task needs to be addressed by you immediately over the holidays.
This holds particularly true for freelancers and execs. Pick your projects carefully and do delegate. Be realistic and reasonable and keep track of your schedule. That’s the winning formula to staying on top of things during and after the holidays.
Keep Things in Perspective
To-do lists and New Year’s resolutions are as traditional as Thanksgiving dinner, but in reality, a couple of years into the future, you won’t even remember them. The same applies to little anxieties accompanying the holidays. What dress you’ll wear may seem important today, but next year you won’t even remember it, so don’t stress over it.
Don’t lose sight of the bigger picture. Priorities are priorities no matter the time of the year. That’s why you should focus on enjoying the holidays without stressing over insignificant things.
Eat as much as you like, wear whatever is comfortable and be happy!
Final Tips on How to Stay Productive During the Holidays
The holidays are for merrymaking and quality time spent with people you hold dear. This hasn’t changed. We may be forced to moderate our habits, but the change is temporary, and we’ll all be wiser for the experience.
Eat, drink, read, watch, plan your tasks… each activity has it’s time and place. It’s all about planning ahead.
