3 Ways You Can Have a Strong Work Drive During the Holidays

By their very name, the “holidays” suggest a break, some time off. Of course, shopping, family pressures, and the general stress of the season undermine any sense of relaxation. Still, pressures ease for about six weeks at the end of the year and work tends to slow down.

 

Even so, it’s important to maintain your focus at work. The normal corporate hubbub might quiet down a bit during the holiday season. For instance, one study shows that activity levels in North America drop by 52% during Christmas. But an easing of activity doesn’t mean you should check out entirely. On the contrary, it actually signals a chance to switch gears and refocus your priorities. You finally have breathing room to make progress on longer-term plans. How do you keep up your energy during this traditionally slow part of the year? How can you maintain your focus on work with so many other distractions demanding your attention? Here are three ways to keep your strong work drive during the holidays.

 

Concentrate on Achievable Goals

 

The holiday season is different from the rest of the year. You can’t expect to accomplish every conceivable objective, the way you might during other times. Coworkers and customers go on vacation, putting some projects on hold. Meanwhile, weather and other factors force other priorities on hold. Given these restraints, you should select your goals accordingly. You might not be able to make progress on all fronts. As a result, you should spend your time on projects that will see the least disruption from the holiday season.

 

Make a Plan

 

It’s worth repeating: the holiday season is different. The vacation atmosphere will likely disrupt your normal routine. What’s more, those disruptions come in relatively predictable ways. After all, the holidays come every year. As such, don’t wait to have your schedule unsettled and then complain about it when it happens. Instead, anticipate the issues that might hamper your productivity and plan around them. Sketch out a timeline for the holiday season. Pinpoint the days when you can still reach your maximum productivity. At the same time, identify those stretches when normal work will be difficult. The holiday days themselves will obviously fall into this second category, but also look out for things like parties, year-end reviews, and other office functions. Once you’ve gathered this information, coordinate with your colleagues. Find out who has vacations scheduled for what days, so you can plan your work around those absences. Armed with this data, you can maximize your output by scheduling activities for times when you can get the most done.

 

Look to the New Year

 

The holiday season comes with a natural finish line. At the end of all the celebrations, we turn the calendar to the next year. Use this endpoint as a further way to organize your activities over the last six weeks of the year. While you might not get to finish much during the holiday torpor, you can get a jump on the new year. You can organize projects, conduct research, sketch out plans – complete all the preliminary steps possible to hit the ground running once normal work rhythms resume. You might not feel the impact of these efforts until January. But at least you won’t have wasted the final weeks of the year.

 


Stay Inspired with the Help of Qualified Staffing

 

Staying inspired during the holidays takes focus and foresight. It also takes a certain dedication to the organization you work for. You feel more energized when you love your job and are committed to achieving your best work.

 

Partnering with a strong recruiting firm, like Qualified Staffing, makes this possible. You find the perfect situation for your talents and background. Contact Qualified Staffing today to discover the ideal placement for you.

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