Between looking forward to the much-needed days off, shopping for gifts, and preparing for family – it can be really hard to remain productive at work during the holidays! Especially when the fourth quarter is wrapping up, and you hit that end-of-the-year rush where it seems like you have a million and one things to do but don’t know where to start. So, how do you stay calm and make your end-of-the-year productive?
1. Don’t Beat Yourself Up
There’s a lot going on during this season. Make sure to prioritize your mental and physical wellness, plus give yourself (and others) a little grace. It’s easy to lose sight of that end goal, but staying calm and positive can go a long way in helping you succeed.
2. Organize Your Workspace
It may feel like you flat out don’t have the time, but taking a few hours to organize and clean your workspace will help get you in the right mindset. Even if you work from home, having a newly cleaned and organized desk will feel great, eliminate distractions, and help you focus on more important tasks.
Plus, organization doesn’t have to be just physical – it can be digital too! Organize your desktop, clean up old downloads, and make sure your files are tidy.
If you’ve got lots of business cards, notes, or extra contacts hanging around – you can quickly throw them into your SAGE CRM Module! That will keep your space clean and while you’re at it, set some reminders to help you drum up business in the new year.
3. Prioritize Your Tasks
Using a project management tool, like the Project Management Module in SAGE, you can easily identify high-priority tasks, see where everything is at, and what’s good to go so you don’t have to stress about that end-of-the-year checklist you probably just threw away during your office clean-up. Plus, if you’re a SAGE Total Access subscriber, you already have access, just add your projects, and go!
4. Plan for the Next Year
Start your plan for the new year early by setting your long-term goals and strategies. This will give you a sense of direction, purpose, and a goal to work toward. And it might even help boost your sales right out of the gate.
5. Stay Flexible
Being adaptable to change, unforeseen challenges, or things that are just plain out of your control (aka your in-laws showing up early), helps you navigate those unexpected situations more easily. What’s the ultimate key to staying flexible? Know that your plan might change, and have a backup… or two.
How do you stay productive in December? Let me know in the comments below! If you need help with ideas, get in touch with your SAGE Account Advisor to learn more about streamlining your processes and better utilizing your SAGE products in the New Year!
Editors Note: This post was originally published in December 2015 and has been revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.
If you could prepare a blog like this one in the end of 2023, it would be awesome! Thank you for a cool article, by the way.