Holiday shopping. Parties. Kids’ activities. Gift exchanges. Family gatherings. Travel… and the list goes on. It’s a busy time of year, and whether the thought of all the activity makes you stressed, or excited, it can be very distracting!

Of course there are a lot of variables. Like, your personality, your strengths and weaknesses, and your environment. And here at The Wineinger Company, we have tools help you find answers to those questions and how to navigate stress, circumstances and define your career path. But let’s cut to the chase. What are some things you can do to help you stay focused at work no matter what your circumstances or personality.

  • Stay well rested. The first step to staying clear headed, it so stay well rested! you might think it’s impossible with the amount of things you have to do, but it’s really a matter of priorities and managing your time. Make time for rest and relaxation. Staying so busy that you can’t keep up, wears you down an ultimately makes you less efficient and less effective.
  • Manage your time. In tandem with the aforementioned “stay well rested”, managing your time is important for not only maintaining down time, but to make sure you don’t waste valuable time doing things that aren’t as important or that can be done in a more efficient way. For example, when you plan ahead, you can more efficiently plan your outings or errands, meetings, work flow, and you can better delegate and prepare.
  • Create boundaries. It’s so easy to overextend ourselves this time of year. Don’t be afraid to say no. You can’t do everything. Part of managing your time and planning ahead is creating boundaries. That means maintaining your priorities (which includes downtime!). Plan your work projects and be reasonable about what can really get done.
  • Communicate. Now that your boundaries are in place, be sure to communicate what those boundaries are. Communicate to your coworkers, friends, employees, associates, kids, etc.
  • Take some time off. If you’ve got personal tasks stacking up and it’s distracting you at work, then take a few days off. Especially just before the holiday. That way you can get all kinds of things accomplished and enjoy the actual holiday without the rush of last minute preparations.
  • Delegate. If there are things you can delegate, then do it. It’s that simple. Some of us tend to be control freaks, but guess what, other people probably CAN do it just as well as you, so if you have people that are willing to help you out, take them up on it! Whether it’s work related or personal, accepting a little help can go a long way in keeping you focused on the things that really need to get done.
  • Self-evaluate. Take some time to think about busy or stressful times in your past. What were the biggest challenges, what choices did you make that were helpful? What are some things you can put in place that might help your current situation?
  • Set Goals. It’s always easier to get things done when you’re working towards a clearly defined goal. When you’re setting goals, make sure to set the bar at a reasonable height. Ambition is great, but not at the cost of your health or your loved ones. Make sure to keep your priorities in mind when setting goals.
  • Reward yourself. If you have a daunting amount of work ahead, and activities every night of the week, but you’ve carefully prioritized, planned, and set goals, then be sure to reward yourself for a job well done! Especially if there are tasks that are difficult or that you’re dreading. Be sure to give yourself a little perk that you can enjoy!
  • Remember the reason. It’s so easy to get caught up in the business. Remember the reason we celebrate the holidays… and enjoy the simple things!