I don’t know about you, but to me, every day in December feels like a countdown to the holidays. Jelly donuts and latkes for Hanukkah. Ham and egg nog for Christmas. No doubt, food is at the center of the holidays at my house. (That’s me! Ida.)
But before we get to the actual holiday(s), we only have so much time to wrap things up at work, and at home, to prepare for the craziness. Gifts, travel plans, family coordination: it can seem impossible to address everything in time. A few weeks ago, the team at Spark! got together and shared some of our favorite time management strategies to help us get through the busy time, and we want to share them with you.
- Stick to a schedule
Routine is your friend. When you give yourself 8 freewheelin’ hours in a day to accomplish several tasks, you might be lucky to get 1 or 2 big things done. At least that’s my experience! Instead, spend 10 minutes at the start of your day organizing your tasks and blocking specific times to accomplish each.
- Try the Pomodoro technique
This technique is simple! Pick a task, set a 25-minute timer, and work until the clock reads 00:00! Don’t look at anything else besides your work during that window of time. Next, take a 5-minute break, and look at whatever you want! (within reason) Then, repeat the 25-minute timer, and 5-minute break routine until you’ve completed four rounds. As a reward, take 15-30 minutes for a break this time.
- Avoid barriers to productivity
Working from home can be great sometimes, but for some, it can lead to the temptation to distraction. Try to avoid distractions while working (i.e. social media, binge-watching TV shows, chores, and video games). While distractions can provide easy entertainment, you lose precious time.
- Chunking
Dozens of seemingly random tasks can feel overwhelming to address. Instead, combine similar tasks into chunks and use the momentum of one to lead into another, or two!
- Accountability buddy
Partner with one of your colleagues to be each other’s accountability buddy! Check in with each other once a day to see progress, and hold each other accountable.
- Take some time for yourself
Don’t forget to take care of yourself. Whether you’re filing reports or wrapping gifts, you can’t do any of this without YOU. Taking time to make sure you’re well-rested and all of your needs are met will help you to be the best version of yourself you can be.
Do you have any time management tips to share? Let us know, we’re always looking for more ways to hack our productivity. Until then, we hope when the time comes we’ll be ready to turn off our phones and turn on the fireplace.
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