6 Strategies to Stay Productive Amidst the Holiday Rush

As 2024 draws to a close, your focus at work is likely on finalizing end-of-year reports, meeting crucial deadlines, and setting strategic goals for the upcoming year. These professional demands can be overwhelming, especially when combined with personal commitments like family events and travel plans, which can make it challenging to maintain productivity.

So, how can a high achiever navigate this busy season effectively? Here are six strategies to help you remain productive amidst the holiday rush.

1. Cultivate the Right Mindset

According to life and business coach Kirsten Franklin, Esq., prioritizing your mindset is crucial for navigating the busy holiday season. She challenges you to consider: Do you believe it’s possible to be exceptionally productive and handle everything with ease, or do you view the holidays as inherently overwhelming and stressful?

Reflect on your expectations and perceived reality. Begin by identifying what you genuinely consider achievable for yourself. Progress will be elusive if you succumb to stress from your packed schedule. Prioritizing a positive mindset is the first step toward managing your commitments effectively.

2. Empty Your Mind

Once you’ve established your mindset and what you believe is possible, it’s time to empty your mind. No, that doesn’t mean letting go of all your thoughts and finding your zen space.

Instead, it means “literally dump[ing] everything in your head out on paper,” notes Franklin. While this will take some time and attention, the effort is well worth it. At the start of the day, put everything you need to do and everything you’re concerned with on a sheet of paper — everything related to work, the holidays, your family, etc. Write it down so you can see what you’re working with and not just try to deal with it internally.

Franklin explains, “Your mind is a bit like your mobile phone. It starts with a nice-sized memory that gets eaten up over time with your dreams, desires, to-do lists, and every other random thought. Like your phone, with all the apps you have added, even when you signal it to stop the apps, they’re still running in the background and using up space, slowing your phone down and eventually causing it to glitch and not work that well.”

You must dump the apps to regain full power; in other words, you should dump your thoughts to fully attack your concerns and to-dos with all your brain power.

3. Create a Plan

To effectively prioritize tasks during the holiday rush, embrace a strategic approach to time management. Begin by listing all your tasks and identifying those with the most significant impact on your year-end goals, ensuring these high-priority items receive your immediate attention.

Use the Eisenhower Matrix to sort tasks into categories: urgent and important, important but not urgent, urgent but not important, and neither urgent nor important. This will help you decide what to focus on, schedule, delegate, or eliminate.

Allocate specific time slots for your most important tasks to prevent them from being overshadowed by less critical activities. Delegate tasks that others can handle or automate processes using technology. Break down larger tasks into smaller, manageable steps with realistic deadlines to maintain steady progress. Additionally, review and adjust your priorities to remain flexible and responsive to changes, ensuring your focus stays aligned with your goals.

4. Be Ruthless With Your Boundaries and Priorities

With a flurry of holiday invites and events, it can be difficult to stick to firm boundaries, especially if you’re a people pleaser. However, being ruthless with your priorities this season is crucial for success. As one Forbes article explains, if you’re not used to ruthless priority and boundary-setting in your professional or personal life, pretend you’re advising a friend in a similar situation. What would you tell them to do?

5. Don’t Neglect Your Health

Exercise can significantly boost both your energy and productivity. Yet, the colder weather and a jam-packed holiday calendar may keep you from working out as much as you have before.

Still, don’t fall into the trap of neglecting your physical health, no matter how full your calendar is. The Mayo Clinic recommends you fit in a short workout first thing in the morning, so it’s out of the way.

6. Embrace Positive Emotions

Lastly, practice embracing positive emotions as much as you can. This can help you stay focused and feel in control, even when drowning in year-end projects. Acknowledge the good in the season, have fun, express gratitude, and practice generosity.

The Bottom Line

By implementing the above strategies, you can maintain productivity and enjoy the festive spirit, emerging from the holiday rush not only successful but also fulfilled.

If you struggle to set the right boundaries, commit to your priorities, or accomplish your goals regardless of the time of year, an Arootah Coach can help. Schedule a complimentary introductory call today!