If you own your own business, you know that working over holidays is a fact of life. No work, no revenue. Unless of course you’ve planned ahead. If that’s you – way to go!! You can close this post and get back to friends and family. If, like me, you’re going to do your best to be productive over the holidays, read on. Try these tips to stay productive over the holidays when you work from home…
Make a plan
Sit down and think through your holiday season. Figure out where there might be gaps in activities that you can use to get some work done. Be realistic – better to exceed your plan if you can rather than feel defeated because you can’t keep up.
Don’t be a slave to this plan, though. Staying flexible will save your sanity.
Get iT out of your head
There is so much going on at this time of year, don’t add to the stress. Do a brain dump and get all those deadlines, dinners, dates, and parties out of your head and onto paper or screen.
You know trying to remember everything does not work. Been there, done that, right?
Be proactive – write it all down or add it to a list or calendar. Your brain will thank you.
Break it down
Make a list of the business tasks you’d like to get done over the holidays then break them down in to baby steps. The more you break things down now, the less you have to stop and plan when you have a few minutes to focus on work.
When you find a random chunk of time – no matter how small – focus on one little task. Got more time? Finish more steps!
Even if you don’t complete an entire task, you can at least make progress on it.
Be prepared
Go over your list of tasks and make sure everything you need is handy. Having to dig through your home office turned guest bedroom for those notes on that website update is not a good use of your time.
Create a space for charging your electronics. Won’t it be nice to avoid the frustration of sitting down to work and finding your computer battery has 10% power?
If you have everything you need in a convenient place and you’re all charged up, you can make the most of any bits of time you can find for those business tasks.
Stretch your day
Get up early or go to bed late. Not an option for everyone – I get that. It’s a busy time of year and sleep is often hard to come by. But maybe you can manage it 2 or 3 times over the season? The bonus is that it’s usually quiet during these times so they’re great for productivity.
Turn off the noise
When you have time to devote to your business, take full advantage. Put your phone on silent and turn it face down. Open only the apps you need to help you stay focused. Turn off the television or go to a room without one.
Music? Sometimes it works to drown out the holiday noise around you or keeps your inner child occupied. It’s your call. Headphones might help…
Sneak away
Coffee shops are crazy during the holidays but why not check out the local library? Remember how quiet they were when you were a kid? Those nice long study tables or noise-reducing, padded cubicles? A lot of libraries even offer free wifi now. What a great way to get time to focus and to enjoy some quiet time to yourself! You might even find a book to borrow.
Do you have a friend who’s having a quiet Christmas? Maybe you can arrange to work at their kitchen table. Bring coffee and treats for a warm welcome!
Distract the kids
Are your kids home from school for the holidays? It can be tough to find time to get things done when they need something every 7 minutes.
Settle them at a table with crayons and colouring books or in a comfy chair with a book to read. Set the timer and give them strict instructions that, until that timer goes off, they are to focus on their activity. Better yet, make a game of it – see who can last until the timer goes off. The older the kids, the longer the timer can run. A “prize” at the end – a cup of hot chocolate with marshmallows, play time outside, a board game – might help, too.
Are there older kids in the group? Can they be “hired” to look after the younger ones? If you’re in the same room, they could practice their babysitting skills.
Do your kids like crafts? Sit them down with coloured paper, stamps, scissors (safety ones if they’re young…), markers, and other supplies. You can sit at the table with them and work on your list. Maybe they can make Christmas cards for Grandma and Grandpa!
And last but not least, there’s always “movie time”. Make a big bowl of popcorn, throw pillows on the floor, grab blankets, and put on a favourite holiday movie.
Ask for help
Do you have relatives visiting for the holidays? If they’re willing and able, why not ask them to take the kids to the park or to a movie. The kids will love being the centre of attention and you get to focus on business for an hour or more!
Do other family members have extra time off for Christmas and New Year’s? If you ask nicely, they may look after the kids for a bit or pitch in to help around the house to give you time to get some work done.
Maybe there’s another family in the neighbourhood you can trade time with. Their kids can join yours for an afternoon and another day yours can visit over there. You might get a nice chunk of productive time out of this one!
Take care of you
While you’re looking after everyone else and making sure the holidays are done right, don’t forget about you. Make sure to get your sleep and eat well (in between holiday treats, of course).
Get out for a walk – sunshine and nature are natural stress relievers. Too cold out? A cup of tea in front of a bright window might work. Find some time alone – even if you have to sit in the bathroom with a book – to just breathe.
The better you take care of yourself, the better prepared you are for the challenge of the holidays.
I hope these tips help make the holiday season for you as a business owner a little more peaceful and productive.
Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
So, after all that, things didn’t go as planned over the holidays? The time you had that could have been used for those business tasks was spent in front of the television watching sappy Christmas movies? You’re not ready for the New Year? It’s okay. A lot of us make big plans… then life gets in the way. Take that list you made at the start of the holiday season, dust it off, and use it to get off to a great start in the New Year!
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