How to maintain productivity at work during Christmas

Today we are going to give you some tips to help you maintain productivity at work during Christmas and avoid distractions and unjustified delays.

Christmas is a much-anticipated time for everyone: holidays, catching up with family you haven’t seen in a while, dinners with friends or colleagues, family gatherings, and so on.

On the one hand, it is a time of joy and celebration, but on the other it has been proven that it can lead to a fall in productivity at work. What is the reason for this? Mainly three factors:

• Increased distractions due to days off (there are more holidays);
• As a consequence, the intermittent periods of going back and forth to work cause delays;
• Increased absences due to holidays.

This ultimately translates into a distracted environment, last-minute problems that must be relegated due to absences, and as a result, delays can become very uncomfortable once the Christmas season is over.

What can we do about it? Actually many things, here we list five tips:

Organise your work very well

If you don’t have a planner, it’s time to get one. Write down all your pending tasks and the time it would take to complete each one. If you prefer, you can also use the Pomodoro method to be even more precise. Once you do that, take the calendar and plan all the days you can that month, leaving some gaps for unforeseen events and breaks.

This will help you have an overall pattern of what to expect during the entire Christmas season and you will feel at ease knowing everything you have to do and the time you can count on during this period.

Talk to your colleagues to agree on holiday days

We all have the right to a holiday, especially at such significant times of the year. However, it is important to be proactive and reach a consensus regarding each person's available days and when they would like to be absent from work.

Related to the previous point, it’s very helpful to know when your colleagues are on holiday. because this way you can determine which tasks should be prioritised before their departure and which tasks can be resolved later without hurry.

It seems obvious, but it wouldn't be the first time that a lack of consensus has caused long-term problems due to delays or lack of coordination. Be cautious, and you will thank yourself later.

Review your checklist daily

Before you start working, and with that planner we recommended earlier, sit down and reflect on the daily tasks you need to complete. This task shouldn’t take much time, as you will have already noted in the calendar what you need to do that day.

However, this task will help you stay focused and not feel overwhelmed. It is normal that people around you may be more stressed than usual or more irritable due to things they don’t have time to do. Don’t succumb, organising your tasks throughout the day will help you stay focused on what you need to do. You’ll find that, in time, you’ll be the envy of everyone for being more productive than the rest.

If you can request remote work, do it

Although we know that remote work is here to stay in the world of employment, the truth is that it cannot be applied everywhere.

Even so, if you can request it, you will optimise your time much better while being in the comfort of your home and you will better balance your professional and personal life if you work from home. Get yourself a good office chair and a good spacious desk and if you can, request remote work at least a few days a week during this period. You won’t be disturbed by the environment, and your productivity will improve substantially.

Acknowledge the work of your colleagues

Now more than ever, collaboration is essential. Many times we are so focused on what is done wrong that we rarely recognise what is done well.

During this time it is especially important to acknowledge the achievements made throughout the year and congratulate each other for it. You will motivate your colleagues much more and give them a boost of energy that will be very beneficial for facing new challenges before the end of the year. And of course. If you are considerate towards them, they will be considerate in return and acknowledge your achievements as well.

Motivate each other as a team, and you will strengthen bonds and alliances that will help you navigate this period in a more productive and manageable way.

Have our tips been useful for increasing your productivity at work during Christmas? At Officechair365 we have various tools to improve your productivity in your environment, with office accessories, ergonomic chairs, and desks suitable for comfortable and effective work.

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