The holiday season is a time of year when we’re all enjoying parties, gift exchanges, travelling and shopping. It can be difficult to stay focused at work until your holiday vacation actually begins. It’s very easy to get overloaded in your personal & professional life. In fact, a study done by Ladders found that 50% of U.S. employees start losing focus at work in mid-December. Here are some tips on things you can do to combat that FOMO at work during the holidays so you can finish your professional year out strong.
1. Get your day started with a workout: This might be our number one. There’s nothing like that energized feeling you get after your morning workout. It’s a great mood booster. If you find yourself having a hard time getting started with this one, lay your clothes out the night before and only commit to doing 2 minutes to start. Chances are you’ll do more than 2 once you get going.
2. Minimize distractions & don’t multitask: Break your time into blocks for focused attention on one task at a time. If you try to do too many things at once your work quality will suffer. You may think that you’re getting more done but studies have shown that multitasking actually reduces your productivity by 40%, according to Psychology Today. Also, it’s important to reduce distractions when you’re trying to focus your attention on one task. Put your phone where you can’t see it. Don’t think about personal life obligations while you’re working.
3. Make lists: We love lists! We have a To Do list, a holiday gift list, a wish list, a social media list. Every time we have an idea we right down immediately on one of those lists located in our Notes on our iPhone. When it comes to work, prioritize your tasks and see which ones can wait until the New Year.
4. Know your holiday schedule and communicate it: Most of us have a lot of commitments during the holidays. It’s important to know your schedule and communicate it to your co-workers and superiors in order to get the time you need without getting bogged down with unexpected work tasks at the wrong time. Also, let your boss know that you can’t work overtime during the season and take early days when you can. Most employers are understanding as long as you communicate with them your expectations in advance.
5. Take some time off: If you have some time left to take at the end of the year, take it! Go spend some time with friends and family doing something fun and festive. This will help you stay motivated in the office if you’re feeling refreshed from a few days of festivities here and there.
6. Get end of year projects done early: Be aware of the end of year projects so you can get a head start on them. Try to get them done early so that when it comes time to take those days off you’re not stressed out and panicking to get everything done at the office. Aside from this, start your personal tasks earlier as well. Bake those cookies early. Get the shopping started in advance. This way you’re also not feeling a sense of overwhelming anxiety at work spilling over from your to do list in your personal life!
It’s important to remember what the holidays are all about. It’s about a time of joy spent with loved ones. It’s a time to do kinder things for those who may be in need. Once we leave the office we leave our work there so we can fully enjoy this time of year and the nostalgia that it can bring. That being said, as we wind down the year, we always find this is a good time to reflect on the past year behind us. What went well this year? What didn’t go well? What can we do better? But, once we leave the office, we leave our business there so we can fully enjoy the season.
