Do the holidays have your office, your team, or even you distracted? Has your post-Thanksgiving “hangover” morphed into a full-blown malaise as you enter the stretch run for what remains of 2017?
It’s easy, quite common, and completely understandable for you and/or your team to fall off the work bandwagon for a time around the winter holidays. Between parties and shopping and various other festivities and formalities, it’s easy to find your attention divided and your stress level creeping ever higher as the clock ticks off what remains of the year.
- Have you accomplished all you set out to do this year?
- With about a month to go, what priorities can you focus on amidst all the shiny lights, shopping, and holiday cheer to make the most difference to your bottom line or, if you’re in a service profession like Barrel O’Monkeyz, to the bottom line of your clients?
Here are some top tips from this King Monkey designed to help you keep your and your team’s nose to the business grindstone while you still have FUN this holiday season:
- Acknowledge that now is NOT the time to drop the ball on what could be that final push that moves the needle from the red into the black for you and your business this calendar year. Now is the time to keep those legs churning as you power on into the end zone that’s marks the end of 2017.
- Foster a “We’re all in this together” team mentality. People like to feel part of a greater whole, and it’s a truism that more hands make lighter work. When people commit to a common goal AND to each other and are willing and able to have each other’s backs, more gets done . . . and often with better results.
- Stick to your regular weekly business schedule as much as possible. If you have staff meetings every Monday morning, stick with them. Just because one person happens to be out on a little holiday R&R doesn’t mean the rest of the team can’t keep carrying the ball. Adhering to what’s worked for you the other 11 months of the year helps you persevere through December.
- While you want to get things done and stick to your regular routines as much as possible, don’t be a task master. For many, the late November/December holidays are much more than an observance of religious traditions—they’re also a chance to for many to reconnect with family and friends, and to re-energize and renew their commitments to various personal and professional pursuits. So make time in the day or the work week so that you and your team can enjoy the holidays and not feel guilty about it. You might be surprised to find that what feels like “lost time” actually leads to improved productivity and greater employee engagement. Happy minds and spirits equal happy employees!
- Throw a party. Yes, that’s right. Amidst all the other distractions, hold an office party or get-together. Think of it as scratching an itch that needs scratching. Not only will you and your team get to relax and unwind a bit, but with a party/get together behind you, you’ll be more apt to focus on the various work tasks at hand.
- With time winding down on the calendar year, focus on the priorities or tasks that will give you the most bang for the buck. Don’t expect to get everything that’s left on your to-do list accomplished in the last 30 days if you haven’t been able to do so in the preceding 11 months. So rather than trying to do it all, pick those things that will make the most difference for you and your clients.
- Have fun. While this is a year-round Monkeyz motto, it’s never truer than this time of year. Sure, we get stressed as the finish line approaches and deadlines loom, but you can’t lose sight of having fun in the process. Fun makes work more rewarding and more satisfying, and just between you and me, it’s always lots of “fun” to check things off your year’s to-do list.
Don’t Try this at Home . . . or the Office!
How do you keep the focus during the holidays? Share your tips here with other Monkeyz readers.
Happy Holidays!
Paul June is King Monkey of BARREL O’MONKEYZ, a San Diego-based strategic marketing agency specializing in Sports and Active Lifestyle markets. We serve as a seasoned, outsourced marketing team for companies looking to ramp up sales and launch new products. Our barrel is full of talent and creative arms ready to prove we don’t just monkey around!
