Join The PLD Email List
December is here and a variation of this common statement crops up in business circles: “let’s get to that work after the holidays.”
Want to earn business away from your competition? Banish this statement from your conversations.
The last month of the year brings many different types of joyful celebrations, family time, school vacations, and yes, additional shopping time. It is an exciting, energetic time. It also produces stress for a lot of folks.
None of this, however, means you can’t be productive this month, or that it is wiser to leave the start of projects until after the year-end. In fact, using this month to tee-up projects for January will mean that the new year will be more productive as well.
Here are some steps you can take to be sure you manage your energy well during the month, and both produce well at work and enjoy the year-end celebrations.
Set your priorities for the month now. You may be taking vacation toward the last week of the year, or you may have family coming to visit that may disrupt your normal routine. Think this through ahead of time. Determine how much work time you have for the month, and the key priorities to complete.
Be intentional with your tasks and time. Once you have your task list and the anticipated time available for work, be diligent about focusing your energy and attention to the work to be completed.
Encourage your team and customers to get ahead this month. The more the merrier, so to speak. Be the voice in the room that generates excitement for getting things done. Help others imagine how much better their holidays and new-year might be if they don’t have to look forward to a huge pile of work after January first.
Inject some fun. Don’t be the person who “survives” the holiday season. Tap into the joy, wonder, and anticipation that underlie this time of year. You will be surprised at how fast genuine positivity spreads.
When you are done, be done. There comes a point where you can’t get anything further done, though what you are working on might not be finished. That is the reality of the season, and if you were intentional during this month you are probably ahead of the game anyway!
If you can keep your productivity up this month, you may just enjoy your year-end a bit more, and your January workload will be looking good!
