5 Expert Tips to Stay Focused at Work During the Holiday Season
There’s a reason why everyone takes their vacation days in December. There are so many fun things to do during this time of year — decorating your apartment with festive swag, sipping on a cheeky Starbucks holiday drink, getting ready for the annual office ugly sweater party — that work tends to get a little deprioritized.
1. Plan ahead by creating strategies for when the holiday procrastination sets in. With so many festive ideas swirling in your head, procrastinating is definitely a given. Founder of Zest Business Consulting Jennifer Martin suggests putting a plan into motion before the holidays roll around (AKA now!). “If you know that the holiday season brings up frustrations of challenging emotions that aren’t helpful for your health or your productivity, then take the time to plan what you can do to change your state of being before the need arises,” Martin counsels. Whether it’s delegating, giving yourself time to recharge or writing down important tasks (with cute holiday office supplies), finding the right tools that work for you is half the battle.
2. Keep your holiday mind organized. Just because we’re still going to work doesn’t mean we don’t need to shop for gifts, decorate our apartment and find a holiday-saving turkey recipe. Life Coach and female entrepreneur success expert Vanessa Kromer suggests keeping a detailed log of all the gifts on your to-buy list (at home) so that you don’t stress out about it at work.
3. Lists are your holiday BFF. The #BossinHeels herself Heather Monahan advises “writing out your work priorities, whatever they are, but preferably in order of importance.” This will help you allocate the appropriate time to spend on each project and keep your mind in check when the stress starts to set in.
4. Tune out the distractions with some jams. “If you work in an open floor plan and find there’s too much noise that is distracting you from getting your work done, put on your headphones, put on a Spotify holiday playlist and focus on what needs to be accomplished,” recommends CEO of MyCorporation.com Deborah Sweeney. Drowning out any annoying coworkers with Christmas songs? Consider us sold!
5. Take care of outstanding tasks while everyone’s on vacay. One of the perks of working through the holidays is that many of your co-workers will be taking time off (although suppressing our jealousy is a different story). “With many people out of the office between Thanksgiving and the new year, including your boss, you have fewer distractions and fewer issues randomizing you. Use that time to take care of all those outstanding tasks that have fallen by the wayside throughout the year,” says founder of Chief of Staff Expert Tyler Parris. Having a clear task list and fewer office distractions will keep your mind focused until it’s your turn to take your own holiday vacay.
How are you staying focused at work during the holidays? Tweet us by mentioning @BritandCo.
(Photos via Getty)
