The holiday season can be such a fun, wonderful time full of making memories with the ones you love most.
It can also be crazy, stressful, and unfocused when it comes to work. It can be hard to stay motivated and keep up with deadlines when your in-laws are visiting, you have plans to decorate gingerbread houses, you’re busy online shopping for gifts, or you can’t stop thinking about those holiday parties.
So I thought I’d send you something a little different today: 5 quick tips to improve your productivity, focus, and motivation during the happiest time of the year…so you can get the most out of your workday and spend the rest of your time really enjoying the holiday, not thinking about all the things you didn’t get done!
- Don’t sacrifice sleep. Yes, there are so many exciting things happening this month that you might not want to sleep (or you might feel like you don’t have time— late night gift wrapping, anyone?). But this is probably the most important thing you can do to stay on top of things. Try to get at least seven hours of sleep every night. I promise, your productivity will skyrocket the next day! Have trouble sleeping? I recommend making your bedroom (and the hour before bed) a tech-free zone.
- Prepare for the big tasks. Diving in right away can be overwhelming. Take the time to survey beforehand what’s needed, and break the project into smaller, more manageable parts. Bonus points for delegating some of those parts!
- Use technology to help you. It’s 2017. That means that there are tons of apps and plugins out there to help you focus and boost your productivity. Try SelfControl to block yourself from mindless midday Facebook scrolling, Noisli to reduce stress and get in the work zone, Trello to organize your to-dos, and Google Mail Checker to easily manage multiple email accounts.
- Break up your day into blocks of time dedicated to different tasks. According to The New York Times’ Daniel J. Levitin, if you want to be more productive and creative and to have more energy, science shows that you should partition your day into project periods. Your social networking (and email) should be done during a designated time, not as constant interruptions to your day.
- Write your “why.” Stick with me here. Why do you go to work everyday? What are your work goals? What are your life goals? Who are you working for and what are you working towards? Write your why on a card, piece of paper, or post-it note and place it somewhere you’ll see everyday at work. Motivation and energy go hand in hand, so when you’re feeling sluggish and unmotivated, take a look at the card to remember why you do what you do. My guess? You’ll feel inspired to get back to it!
If one of the things on your to-do list is “move,” hit reply and let’s talk about how I can help you find your dream home in the Austin area.
Wishing you a happy & focused holiday season,
Crystal