How to Stay Productive Over Christmas

Christmas season is upon us, which means that everyone in the office will be preparing in advance for the holidays. However, whilst it’s the most wonderful time of year for many, you may already be noticing that it’s not necessarily the most productive. Colder weather, darker mornings, and the impending thought of Christmas on the horizon can be a distracting scenario for many office workers (even those amongst us working for home). Christmas spirit is contagious, particularly after the troubling year. But lest we forget about the end-of-year work we have scheduled to complete before the 31st. 

In order to help you stay motivated during this turbulent and hectic time of year, we have devised a list of 4 golden rules in order to maintain concentration during the dreaded December period.

1. Get as much done as you can before Christmas 

We’re all guilty of some form of procrastination. It can happen in work on a regular basis, with some “Friday tasks” trickling into next Monday’s work calendar. 

Indeed, it’s tempting to wind things down at the end of the year, with the holidays on the horizon and family time / celebrating in touching distance. But you should be careful not to fall into the “i’ll do it when I’m back mindset”. While it may seem attractive to do this during the holidays, think of the excessive workload you will have when you come back to the office. 

The best advice would be to get everything you need done before the Christmas break, so that you can unwind and relax on your time off instead of thinking about the impending work load mounting up when you come back in the new year. Whilst you still have some motivation within you, our best advice would be to get the least appetising tasks out of the way first before gliding into the most manageable stuff later on (when concentration levels start wavering that bit more). 

1. Manage your time effectively

Managing your time and workload is essential for any successful outcomes. Typically, Christmas increases everyone’s workload and it can be easy to get overwhelmed and exhausted by the amount of tasks that you have to complete before Christmas day. 

If you’re a manager, you’re probably in the midst of consolidating end-of-year appraisals and prepping meetings with your staff to discuss their yearly performance. It is therefore advisable that you allocate your time between work and time for others. This could include giving feedback, re-allocating workload, and fuelling the team with drive and positivity.

Something to remember is: Always being available means never being fully available. Divide your time and centralise your focus, you’ll be amazed at how much more productive the office becomes with a strong, fully involved leader. 

With ‘home working’ the new normal, much of this organisation will be different to usual, so make sure you are aware of this. This will mean scheduling zoom calls with colleagues and / or staff at a time that is suitable for both parties. Get your time management polished so that you have time to deal with your own life admin such as christmas present shopping, secret santa or prepping Christmas meals. We would encourage writing to-do lists as a way of keeping on top of everything in time for the 25th. 

1. Avoid Distractions

If you’re an established home worker then you probably already have a comfortable and ergonomic working setup that enables you to get everything done without wrecking your posture; if you’ve suddenly had working from home thrust upon you, you might not be so lucky. And while working on the sofa with your laptop on a coffee table may be an acceptable short-term solution, sooner or later you’re going to feel the effects.

Accordingly, taking refuge in a private place within your home is a great way to improve productivity, particularly over the christmas period. You don’t even need to have copious amounts of space to do so, you can set up shop in a small section of your living room or bedroom. However, the most fundamental rule is to have an ergonomic workstation encompassing a comfy chair and desk. By investing in a comfortable chair, you can help improve your work environment. With a quality chair, it means that you won’t quarrel with your team as they will rarely miss deadlines. Ergonomic chairs have the ability to boost comfort levels and support your muscles to prevent pain and discomfort when working for prolonged periods in a stationary position. Indeed, when working, you often find yourself lost in the work that you forget your posture. By failing to sit in the correct posture, you add tension on the back muscles and ligaments. The incorrect posture can then cause severe back pains. Luckily, comfortable chairs offer the needed back support, and you will no longer have to worry about your back’s position. Another thing is that most quality office chairs can be adjusted to match your specific size and body type. For example, our lumbar support ergonomic chair comes with contoured cushions which will support your body and will help you stay productive over the hectic Christmas period…

1. Manage Expectations 

It can be tempting to take work home to stay away from the office, but this should only be done if it is essential. Importantly, if you are already working from home, then it can be even more difficult to switch off over the Christmas period. However, all work and no play can be more dangerous than you think, eventually burning out employers and causing their workflow to deplete. ’

Although, Christmas is a time to spend with families, so try and savour those special moments over the 25th. 

1. Have fun 

Christmas is about having fun, so enjoy the festive period. While you may still be working, you’ll most likely find people are in high spirits as they prepare for the big day. 2020 has been pretty terrible, so having something good to look forward to is comforting this year. 

We hope you all have a merry christmas here at Comfy Seating and a happy new year!