5 ways to stay productive until Christmas

By Dani Davies
Social Media and Marketing Co-ordinator 

Let's face it, 2016 has been a pretty lousy year and if you're anything like me, you've secretly been playing the Michael Buble Christmas album in your car since the 1st of November. However, Christmas is still 3 weeks away, which means that's 3 weeks that can be well-spent if you're in the right mindset. This might sound tricky if your head is already filled with Christmas music and the thought of mulled wine and minced pies, but if you read up on these tips, you may find the next few weeks can be jolly and productive. 

1. Make Time Count 
This will obviously depend on your current work and home situation, but in the run up to Christmas every minute counts. For example, if you're working in a B2B focussed company you may expect things to be a little quieter, so now would be a great time to take care of all the admin that you didn't have time for before. Sort out your emails, folders and odd bits of paperwork so that when you come into the office in January amisdt the alcohol and food daze you'll be ready to start afresh.
On the other hand, if you're rushed off your feet, make sure the most important tasks are put at the top of your to-do list and leave the odd-jobs for when you return. 

2. Take care of yourself 
It's easy to get caught up in the Christmas rush; making sure you have all your presents sorted, organising who's sleeping where when they stay over on Christmas Eve and getting your boss in Secret Santa, plus keeping up with work deadlines can really take it out of you. Make sure you take the time to look after yourself! Take vitamin C and D tablets every day and get at least 7 hours of sleep every night, but most importantly remember to take things slowly!

3. Make a plan for the New Year 
Although this time of year should be for celebrating (or comiserating) the year thus far, it won't hurt to plan out your first few months of the New Year. Set aside a few minutes to plan your work calendar. Keep a note of key dates in business next year and arrange meetings or lunches now. You will thank yourself for it in 2017! 

4. Create a daily routine
During the working day, being a creature of habit will help you massively. Before you go home every night, create a to-do list for the next day - ticking those points off will be so satisfying, trust me. Be realistic with how much you want to achieve every day and make sure you stick to your list! Spontaneity is fun, but has no place in the work environment. Having a to-do list will help you stick to one task at a time without any distractions. 
Build the to-do list around your day. For example, give yourself half an hour to an hour first thing dedicated to answering emails, then build your day up from there. You'd be surpised how much this will give you the kick start you need to a productive day.

5. Relax, you can't control everything!
Probably the most important one on this list - stay calm. This time of year is supposed to be happy and exciting, so don't panic if someone waltzes into work one morning announcing they've bought and wrapped all of their Christmas presents (these people, by the way, are the worst). Go with the flow and keep doing what you need to do. You can't control everything that happens, so if you can, minimize distractions around you, keep your head down and go with it! 

Even if you only adopt one of these tips, you'll find yourself feeling rather smug this Christmas! So throw on that Christmas jumper, blast out the festive tunes and enjoy your time relaxing at home knowing that everything has been taken care of in the office. Enjoy those mince pies! And try not to be that guy at your office Christmas party...