It’s hard enough to stay focused at work on a regular day. But as the year draws to a close, doing so is practically an uphill battle on hard mode. In fact, studies have found that most employees tend to mentally clock out of work by the time December rolls around, with 60% seeing a notable drop in productivity in the week before Christmas. Not too surprising; who’d want to deal with paperwork and reports when the holidays are basically in full swing?
An understandable thought. However, while it'd be great to hit the pause button on your responsibilities, the reality is that work isn’t going to stop just because you say so. And while it might be tempting to ignore it all for now (after all, correspondence is slow, right?), willingly letting your work pile up more is just going to make things worse for yourself in the long run.
But while you’ll still need to get things done, it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice your festive time to do so. Here’s a few ways to help you stay on track and finish strong for the year, so that you can kick back with no regrets.
1. Make some lists
It’s easy to feel swept up by the need to get everything out of the way before the end of the year. But depending on how long your to-do list is, that might not be a realistic outcome. Worse, even if you try to deal with everything all at once, it’s been scientifically proven that attempts to multi-task tend to hinder more than help your productivity.
So instead, narrow down your to-do list to a ‘must-do’ list of essential tasks, and focus on those. Ask yourself the following as you go along:
From there, you’ll be in a better position to schedule your workload and figure out when things should be done. This will not only help to reduce overwhelm, but also ensures that any crucial projects and assignments don’t get lost in the holiday rush.
2. Set some clear boundaries
This is usually the time of year where your colleagues and coworkers are likely to take off on vacation, leaving whoever’s left to hold down the fort in the meantime. While there’s nothing wrong with shouldering some of their responsibilities here and there, this is not the time to play hero and accept every extra project and assignment that comes your way, especially if they’re non-essential or are beyond your job scope.
Remember, even if you feel guilty about turning down a request for help, being a nice and considerate colleague shouldn’t come at the expense of your own work performance.
3. Prepare ahead for the new year
It can be a bit of a challenge to get back to work mode once the festivities of the new year have passed. So before you completely tune out for December, do some planning beforehand while everything’s still relatively fresh in your mind. This includes documenting your progress for projects continuing into the new year, tying up some loose ends or updating your to-do list for when you get back. This can give you a positive sense of closure and peace of mind when you finally take some time off!
4. Take care of yourself
As you do your best to wrap things up as best you can, it’s easy to neglect self-care. Yet, being productive isn’t just about getting things done at work; it’s also about ensuring that you continue to take care of your well-being.
So give yourself time to rest and recharge. Catch up on sleep, drink plenty of water and be sure to spend time with your family and loved ones. A you that’s feeling refreshed, positive and sharp will be your best asset during this final stretch.
With festivities in full swing at this point, don’t feel too bad if you’ve found your productivity dropping. Instead, what matters most is how you can make the most of this final stretch, and how you can prepare yourself for the new year. So long as you keep your priorities straight and yourself well taken care of, you’ll be able to close out December and enter January without regrets.
