Thanksgiving is Thursday in the U.S., followed by the official “kickoff” to the holiday shopping season – Black Friday! Yes, things are about to get crazy(er). Let’s take a quick look at some ways to save our sanity by managing our time this holiday season.
1. Checklist your priority items. You can begin each day with random thoughts of everything that needs to be accomplished by the time your head hits the pillow, but then life’s distractions get in the way. Take the time to write those to-dos on a list or in a smartphone app. For each of these items, prioritize them based on how they fit in your day and the time each will take to complete. Putting to-dos in their proper perspective will help you get more done each day, and will help you avoid forgetting pressing tasks.
2. Focus on one task at a time. Multitasking can create huge gaps in unproductivity as we make drastic turns from one task to another. Decide which priority is most pressing and tackle it from beginning to end.
3. Don’t overpack your schedule. While you may want to cram as much as you can into your suitcase for your holiday vacation to avoid extra airline charges, your schedule should not be as crammed full. You may think you have enough time to accomplish your aggressive agenda, but many of those to-dos will take longer than you think. Rather than having to shift your schedule to accommodate the extra time, plan on spending more time than you think you’ll need on each.
4. Say No! But be nice about it. During the holidays, it may seem like everyone wants a piece of you like you’re pumpkin pie with whipped cream on top. In the spirit of the season, you may be tempted to say Yes to everyone, but remember that if you are overwhelmed already, you’ll end up doing a poor job for your friend or family member and drive yourself crazy trying to juggle time. Be polite and honest by saying while you’d love to help them, you just aren’t able to at this time.
5. Don’t forget to “make time for me.” No, not ME, you! Yes, you! When planning parties and buying gifts, it can be super easy to devote so much time to everyone else that you don’t leave any time in the schedule for you to do the things YOU like to do.
We at OfficeTime wish you and your loved ones a wonderfully happy and successful holiday season!