The holidays are upon us, and often that can create some chaos in the workplace. Whether it is because of increased workflow due to increased business demands, decreased productivity due to employee distraction, or a combination of both—here are some tips to make sure you (and your team) are staying productive and having fun during the most wonderful time of year.
Plan
We’ve all heard it before—if you fail to plan, plan to fail! While it sounds cliche, it’s an accurate statement. Depending on the industry, Q4 is the busiest time of year for many businesses. The end of the year requires all hands on deck when many employees are jumping overboard for the holidays. Planning will allow you to create systems and workflows that help everyone to work hard and play hard. Map out the remaining initiatives for 2021 and break them down into weekly and daily objectives to hit while also considering each day’s/week’s team power. Taking a step back and looking at the big picture will help make each day more doable.
Create Boundaries
Now that you have a plan of attack, it is time to create boundaries around where and when it will all get done. If you are working remotely, it can be tricky to create boundaries between work and personal hours. To enjoy the holidays and those around you, make sure you are setting boundaries around when the day will begin and end—so that you can focus when you need to, and then enjoy your time once the workday ends. The last few weeks of the year are also a good time to assess the meetings in your calendar. With shorter weeks—it’s important to squeeze as much productivity out of each day. That might mean a weekly touch base or brainstorm session isn’t as necessary during go-time.
Assess Workloads
Now that you have a plan and boundaries in place, it might be necessary to assess your workload. If you feel like you can barely keep your head above water, let your supervisor know—there might be someone else on the team who can help pick up some of the load during the holidays. If you have a team, take some time to see how full your team’s plates are so that you can help lighten the load before they find themselves drowning.
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While it is important to show up each day and give your best, remember to have fun along the way. The holidays are for love and laughter, not stress and anger. Having intention behind your actions and the proper communication with your team, you’re sure to achieve success.
“Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves.” –Dale Carnegie