Have a Productive Holiday Season

Thanksgiving has come and gone — at least for our U.S. readers — and Chrismukkah is fast approaching. Regardless of your winter holiday of choice (or lack thereof), this time of year always seems to bring big jams in productivity.

Family obligations abound, and people you need to get in touch with are busy or on vacation. What’s a productivity-minded person to do? I’ve gathered some of my favorite holiday productivity tips from around the web, and I’m re-gifting them to you here at Task Blog:

If You’re Going Shopping, Have a Plan

Haphazardly browsing for gifts during the most crowded time of the season will only take up a ton of your valuable time and unnecessarily raise your stress level. Plan out some thoughtful gifts, figure out the best way to get them — maybe you can buy online? Maybe you can make something at home and avoid the crowds? — and then go out, armed with a list.

If You’re Off the Grid, Do Some Planning

Maybe you’re planning a family vacation this holiday season, and it’s going to take you away from your computer or off the grid entirely. Family comes first, of course, but there’s nothing wrong with using some of your quiet time to make a plan for the next couple of months. It might even be a more sane and reasonable plan, since
you’re away from the stresses of work.

Front-load Your Work Schedule

If you can get a little extra work done now, you might be able to relax a bit or even take some time off just before the holidays. I might be a little bit biased toward this approach as a freelancer, because I get to choose my days off to some extent. Even if you’re stuck at work either way, getting something finished ahead of time might make those last few days before vacation more bearable.

Stop Freaking Out About Productivity

You have my official permission (as an uncertified and possibly crackpot productivity blogger) to stop fretting about squeezing every last bit of work out of your day and start spending some more time with the people who really matter to you. That’s why saving time is cool in the first place, right?

Have a productive, warm and enjoyable holiday season, everyone!

Jay is a freelance writer based in Seattle, WA. He writes about software for Download Squad and contributes interviews to Geek Monthly magazine, among others. You can also follow him on Twitter and at his blog.

Photo Credit  — greencolander

Tagged as: holidays, productivity, stress, vacation