with Britt Reints
Forget the 9 to 5; Full Time, All the Time is a blog about the mobile working life - when you have the freedom to work from anywhere and the responsibility of always having your smartphone turned on. Britt Reints works as a freelance writer while traveling fulltime in an RV with her husband and two kids. She explores balancing real-life bills with an unconventional work life, and finding time to maintain relationships with family and friends.
You can also find Britt at InPursuitOfHappiness.net.
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It begins with the short work week right before Thanksgiving.
I head out of the office on Wednesday and don’t return until four days later. By that time, Black Friday shopping and holiday decorating have sufficiently cemented me into seasonal work mode. The rapid succession of extended weekends will keep me there until New Years if I let it.
I’m distracted. I’m counting down the days until the next weekend or vacation. I’m worrying more about Christmas lists and holiday meals than I am about monthly sales goals and marketing campaigns.
Unfortunately, businesses - including the one that employs me - do not shut down for the month of December. And they tend to take things like customer service and earning a profit just as seriously as they did for the first 11 months of the year.
This is when I find productivity tips, like the ones below, the most helpful.
5 Ways To Be More Productive During The Holidays
Have a busy morning - get up on time (or early if possible), eat breakfast, start dinner, sort the mail. Beginning your day with accomplishments will make you more productive the rest of the day.
Stop multi-tasking - while conventional wisdom suggests that you get more done if you do multiple things at once, multi-tasking is the kiss of death when you’re already prone to distraction. Focus on one job at a time, do it well, and move on to the next item on your list.
Make lists - keep your objectives in front of you and mark your progress during the day.
Eliminate distractions - turn off the internet, close your email program, turn off your background noise makers (TV, radio, co-workers) and let yourself completely focus on the task at hand.
Schedule time for holiday activities - whether it’s shopping or wrapping gifts, setting aside time early in the season to attend to all your holiday chores will ensure that everything gets done without taking away from your productivity at work.
Times like these, I wish I still had a job. Let me say, though, it can be just as frustrating for stay at home moms too. It would be nice to have somewhere to escape to during the day!
Blondefabulous | December 3rd, 2008 at 11:02 am
If only I could turn off the damned internet!
Sheila (Charm School Reject) | December 3rd, 2008 at 11:04 am
Thank you for the “no multi-tasking” tip! I hate when people tell me to do nine things at a time. We’re not built that way — focus on one thing and do it well.
Finn | December 3rd, 2008 at 11:09 am
Getting up a little earlier helps me. I get more done in the morning when I’m fresh, and then i can work on “fun” chores like gift wrapping later in the day.
Well, there’s always coffee…
Daisy | December 3rd, 2008 at 9:32 pm
Great Tips here, its hard around this time of year unfortunatly to put a set time aside for family and even yourself, nevermind other things. These are some great words of advice and will try them out this year, see how they work
Happy Holidays!
Marney Lewis | December 3rd, 2008 at 10:45 pm