How to Stay Motivated During the Holiday Season
The holidays are approaching fast. With all the hustle and bustle of this season, it is easy to find yourself distracted and losing motivation in your job. Daily distractions in the form of shopping, family gatherings, decorating, and gift wrapping often cause a lack of productivity or motivation throughout the work week. To help combat the winter blues, I’ve outlined a few tips that help me keep the enthusiasm high throughout the end of the year.
Set micro goals. Breaking your goals down into weekly or even daily buckets keeps you on track and accountable for getting those important items done on time. Create a plan at the beginning of the week and stick to it!
Make a to-do list and check items off. Start your day by producing a to-do list to help manage your time. The satisfaction of crossing completed items off the list helps maintain motivation throughout the day.
Set up a reward system for yourself. Rewarding yourself with small pleasures will help you push through when you are feeling defeated. For example, if your goal is to finish a presentation, plan to grab your favorite candy bar after the presentation is done. The small incentive can be effective to keep you focused to meet the deadline.
Take a break. Let’s face it – sometimes we all need to take a break. While this may seem counterproductive, taking a short mental break to step away from the task at hand can make you feel refreshed and more energized once you return to work.
Plan an outing with your co-workers. Hanging out with colleagues both outside of work can act as a sort of motivation. Spending time getting to know who you work with in an informal setting can give you the extra boost by creating new bonds that may inspire you to work harder. You can also use this time to run ideas by each other or troubleshoot issues you may be having to get meaningful feedback.
If you find yourself struggling to maintain the same level of productivity in the coming months, give the above suggestions a try. Who knows, maybe one or more will be the key to finding that extra bit of motivation before the holidays are here.