The Holiday season is now into full swing and it’s pretty easy to get sucked up in the excitement of the time of year. With decorations everywhere and Christmas music playing constantly, you just want to forget about work and just succumb to the holiday. This can be especially trying when you work from home. The remote workplace already offers a fair share of distractions, but when you’re home all day surrounded by your decorations and with so much holiday things to do, it can be hard to stay on track. So let us help you stay productive during this wonderful time with some tips for balancing working from home with a happy holiday.
Stick to a schedule.
When you work from home, a firm schedule is very important. While the position might give you the luxury of avoiding the 9-to-5 schedule, but building a solid structure for your work life helps keep you on track. This stays relatively the same during the holidays. You might feel the urge to front-load your work early in the week so you can enjoy an extra long weekend. But breaking up your work in such a way can throw you off your game and the quality of your work can suffer. Best deal with your Christmas plans outside regular work hours.
Makes sure people know you’re working.
One of the biggest struggles of working from home is convincing people that you’re actually working. Many people assume since you’re at home you have the time to run a few errands, prepare a meal or do some things around the house. Given the business of this season, you may get more requests than usual but it’s perfectly acceptable to let others know that you are working and teach them to respect that.
Look passed the holidays.
Setting your own schedule can be a huge advantage, but it’s also a lot of responsibility. It means that you above everyone else needs to be on top of your to-do list and aware of what needs to get down going forward. Working remotely, you can tend to lose sight of the longer goals and work in the moment. Just remember that after the holidays it will be business as usual. You’re allowed to get excited for Christmas, just don’t leave yourself hanging on the other end of the holiday break.
Get festive.
While keeping your mind focused on work is important, you don’t want to feel like you’ve missed out on the whole Christmas season. Allow yourself to get into the spirit even as you work. Decorate your workspace and listen to some Christmas music while you work if it’s not too distracting. You can even watch The Grinch Who Stole Christmas during your lunch break. Don’t neglect your work, but don’t neglect the holidays either.
Take a few days off.
I find that while working from home offers a lot of advantages, there is a sense that you’re always at work. Sometimes it’s hard to tell yourself the work day is over or it’s the weekend and the work can wait until Monday. Be sure to give yourself a proper Christmas break. Now I won’t presume to tell you how much time you’re owed off or what you can afford to miss, but if possible give yourself some time to enjoy the holiday without work getting in the way. Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day—three days isn’t a lot to ask for.