Juggling demanding year-end deadlines and your Christmas shopping list? 5 Productivity Ninja tips to finish the year strong and avoid pre-holiday overload.
The Pre-Holiday Crunch
It’s December! Only three more weeks until Christmas. And exactly the time for the annual pre-holiday crunch when we’re seemingly trying to square the circle by
- working against various year-end deadlines
- squeezing in feedback conversations
- juggling almost infinite Christmas shopping lists
- making the rounds at holiday parties further squeezing our tight calendars.
Is it any wonder that we’re barely keeping our head above water?
5 Productivity Ninja Tips
It doesn’t have to be this way! Here are 5 Productivity Ninja tips to finish the year strong and avoid pre-holiday overload.
- Tip 1: Get in boss mode
- Tip 2: Give a holiday heads-up
- Tip 3: Buffer your autoresponder
- Tip 4: Clear the deck
- Tip 5: Finish with a mental download
Tip 1: Get in Boss Mode
Stop. Breathe. Get into boss mode. Remember your most precious resource isn’t time – it’s attention. So sit down and carefully consider which pre-holiday tasks really make an impact. Prioritize and plan the high-impact ones.
As our Australian colleagues Julie and Matt say: Stop the frazzle! Get into boss mode!
Tip 2: Give a holiday heads-up
To avoid last-minute requests and overload, give your colleagues and clients a heads-up with plenty of notice. Let people know the remaining dates you’ll be available before the holidays.
This way, you can space out the crunch. Our Ninja Grace swears by sending out a brief message: “I’m away from the 18th to January 5th, but I’m around all this week if you want to discuss…”
Tip 3: Buffer your autoresponder
Set your autoresponder with a pre- and post-holiday buffer. I love to do this. It gives me two email-less days to clear the deck (see below) and an additional day to catch up when I’ll return.
Tip 4: Clear the deck
Go through all the small tasks and to-dos you still deem worthwhile to finish. Get your inputs down, tidy up loose ends, and organize your receipts and desktop, for example. And get your inbox to zero – but think carefully about which emails to send out!
Tip 5: Finish with a mental download
Do a final mental download on a piece of paper or a post-it on your last day in the office. Leave it on your desk so you know it’s still there when you return. Our Dutch colleague Ekki swears by this:
“It allows me to fully disconnect without any ‘disturbing’ work thoughts. What a relief to know that everything is captured until you get back!”
From Boss Mode to Chill Mode
Having overcome the pre-holiday crunch, there remains only one more thing to do. And we couldn’t say it better than our client and friend Marc Holger Uhlmann:
“Go from boss mode to chill mode: We all deserve a break!”
In that spirit: Happy holidays and happy new year! Our offices will be closed from 16.12.2024 to 06.01.2025. In case of emergencies, you can reach us via WhatsApp: +971585808306.