Use Effective Strategies to get Motivated After the Holidays for Optimal Productivity
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A brand new year brings with it the possibilities of attaining new heights when it comes to your career, except, that coming into the new year, people tend to get into a slump of sorts. According to Redbooth, a project management software company, January is the least productive month of the year, with workers completing only 7.2% of their tasks. A Harvard Business Review study also found that January is the least productive time of the year. A lot of this has to do with the two major Holidays (Christmas and New Years) hitting back-to-back. The long stretch of time off tends to get some individuals to stop practicing their daily work routine. So what can be done to get back one’s workspace productivity?
The Post Holiday Blues is Real
First and foremost, let’s acknowledge that the post holiday blues is a real issue that a lot of people go through. According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, 64 % of people report going through a holiday depression. A lot of that comes with the shift that the holidays bring – the huge interruption of our regular schedule in order to meet the demands of the holidays. Also, the cost, physical, mentally and monetary. If you had to travel in order to celebrate with loved ones, it can take a lot out of you. Airfare or even driving to your destination costs money, not to mention packing for the trip, the process it takes to board an airplane or drive, and doing the same thing all over again when returning home. If you had to host the holidays, preparing the event space so that everything is just right can take a lot of work. Even the activities planned during your holiday time off, all come at a cost, which can all add up into making you feel tired, frustrated or even depressed. So how can one garner post-holiday motivation?
Utilizing Your Workspace
To maximize workspace productivity, creating an environment you can utilize as well as be inspired by makes the difference in getting you back into the swing of things. Whether that’s through changing your workspace physically, such as rearranging furniture, or adding new elements to your workspace, such a house plant or painting, making slight changes can really make the difference in changing your mood. Adding something to your office environment that reflects who you are, such as something you made, such as pottery, a picture you took that can be framed, or even something like a childhood toy, goes a long way in jump-starting your productivity, as long as they don’t become distractions.
If, however, changing things up in the same office doesn’t seem to do it, sometimes a new working environment does the trick. Getting out of usual and taking advantage of new and different locations helps. Whether working in an office or working from home, or utilizing businesses such as a shared workspace does wonders. Sometimes a new perspective is all you need to get the motivation going.
Setting Achievable goals
A new year can symbolize starting over, starting fresh and achieving something new. Of course, like the old adage goes, “Rome wasn’t built in a day”, and so just starting something with the intent of accomplishing something that might have seemed unachievable can have lasting positive effects on overall motivation and work ethic. Of course, you have to start somewhere. Starting small by setting achievable goals is the key.
Say you want to start your own business, due to wanting to grow something that you can call you own. What would be the first steps to doing this? The first would be coming up with a business plan, the next step would be how would you fund your new venture. These tasks sound daunting on their own, so maybe before you tackle those larger goals, consider smaller ones. Start with figuring out what sort of business you want to be in. Next, think about what you see yourself doing for the next couple of years in order to be successful in that business. Maybe think of a name for your business and how you would market yourself under that branding. Even small things like, asking yourself whether working from home or renting an office will make sense, these help in getting you toward the bigger goal.
The point being that smaller, achievable goals add up into the bigger accomplishments, which turn what seemed impossible into something tangible. Any accomplishment, including the small ones can have positive effects on one’s outlook. This works with any project in general as well. If you’re not feeling motivated to start big, just getting started in the first place by starting small and developing along the way is a strategy that never fails. Start small. It may not seem like you’re achieving much at first, but you’ll be surprised what one can do.
Developing a Routine to Stay Motivated
Once you figure out where you’re going, developing a routine to keep you going should be your next step. A routine can not only develop post-holiday motivation, but is a great motivation technique overall. Familiarity can provide comfort and stability in general. Predictability is known to reduce stress because you’ll know what to expect, rather than be surprised by uncertainty. It is also known to improve focus, enhance productivity, and contribute to better mental and physical health They can also help in developing healthy habits, such as self control and the ability to follow through on tasks. Knowing what to expect also helps in planning your day, which will make you more productive – that productivity will keep you motivated into doing more.
Just like setting achievable goals, starting small and simple is key. At the beginning, you can start a check list of goals that need to be done throughout the day, starting with the easier ones. For example, checking your daily schedule, or making sure to go through your email, and then moving up to the more challenging ones as your day progresses, before going back to simpler tasks in order to not cause burn out. Soon, after committing and following through your routine on a daily basis, it will become second nature. You’ll have developed habits that will not only make you more efficient, but will keep you motivated to do more in the long run.
Don’t Forget to Take Breaks
Speaking of burn out, knowing when to take breaks is just an important as getting the work done. People tend to get sloppy when they lack adequate rest. Taking a break when you need it is important, especially when it comes to getting back to a normal work routine. Overdoing it at the beginning will make you less productive in the long run. Pacing yourself to do the job correctly rather than forcing the work will only lead to making mistakes. Take the break if needed. Catch up with a coworker by having a conversation about how their holiday went. Or take a small walk. Make sure you’re hydrated by going over to the water cooler. Grab a snack. All these will help in staying productive.
This also means getting enough sleep as well. The tasks will still be there when you’re well rested. Getting the work done correctly in a timely manner is better than rushing through it and being sloppy.
Technology Can Help
There are apps that can help establish all the strategies we mentioned- a few include ClickUp, which can help you set specific objectives and daily tasks, Todoist, an automated to-do list app that turns your goals into action items. Coach.me, a goal tracking app that helps you recognize your good and bad habits. There are many more out there – our recommendation is to try a few of them and decide which ones are the right for the goals you are trying to accomplish. Even simple technology like pen and paper can help you get back on track. Creating that to-do list on an actual page, something you can actually touch can be enough motivation to get that list done.
Collaboration
Sometimes collaborating with someone else can inject you with the much needed enthusiasm needed to get over post-holiday blues. By collaborating with someone, any task can be accomplished twice as fast, but the accountability of not wanting to disappoint a coworker or partner is a great motivator to accomplish those goals as well. Just remember that understanding each other and communicating that understanding is also part of collaboration. Let your coworker know your limits and understand their limits, especially if one or both of you are feeling slower paced than usual. A good collaborator will understand. You both want the same thing.
The most important thing is to recognize that it’s okay to feel lethargic after a long holiday break. Recognizing and then wanting to do something about it is a great first step into getting you back into the groove needed in order to accomplish your goals for the upcoming new year.
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