Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! And here we are. The year 2020 is here. While you might still be reminiscing about the festivities, parties, and vacation you just came back from, there’s a lot of work waiting for you.
While getting over this jetlag of celebrations and heading back to work might be a tough task, doing some great work to begin 2020 isn’t. All you need is a little planning, discipline, and commitment, and you could be making rapid strides at work this new year. So how to get back to doing some productive work?
Here are a few tips that are sure to help.
Plan a great start
The secret to getting ahead is getting started.
Mark Twain
Twain’s thoughts on productivity and task-planning led to Brian Tracy coming up with the popular ‘eat the frog’ technique. The ‘frog’ over here refers to the most crucial task on your list, which you might end up procrastinating over. So, it’s advised to undertake such a task first thing in your workday and complete it. If you have multiple tasks to begin with, Tracy advises to pick up the most challenging one first.
This sense of discipline and focus is a good habit to foster when you are returning to work after a long festive break. Before you step into your office after the Christmas and New Year break, make a note of the toughest tasks that lie in wait. On day 1 of your return, pick up the most challenging of those tasks and wrap it up. Here’s to a great productive start to 2020!
Manage your inbox
Getting back to work after a holiday means coming back to a barrage of emails. You can’t make your way through all of them and reach zero mails in your inbox. Instead, start by sorting all your new mail. Label them into three sections: ‘Needs an answer now’, ‘Needs an answer this week’, and ‘Can be deleted.’ Then begin the day with all the emails in the first label.
Once you manage your inbox, planning the day or week ahead is sure to get much easier.
Prioritize your meetings
With a list of tasks lined up and you ready to complete them, the last thing you need is to be pulled into long meetings. You might be called into multiple meetings once the workday begins.
Ponder over your list of meetings and the potential ones that might be organized. Think if that same discussion could be had over an email or call or if a few of them could be rescheduled or planned later, and then attend the important conversations that need your attention over a meeting.
Eliminate digital distractions
On average, urban Indians spend close to 1 hour 30 minutes every day online. While browsing through your social feed, news and updates online have become a norm for us, when it comes to doing some productive work, it can be a major hindrance.
After the holidays, once you are back at work do remember to set a limit on your time spent on digital platforms. Plan focused stretches of work while being offline and then occasionally reward yourself with online time.
Delegate, plan & be productive
You can’t achieve every task on your own. Learn how to assign and delegate tasks with your team accordingly and plan it ahead. Delegation of tasks will also help you gauge the amount of work that your team is working on and assign relevant timelines for them.
Remember, behind every business innovation is a team that united and worked in unison to achieve it.
And last but certainly not least,
Take breaks
Productivity is not measured by the hours you spend on your work desk. It’s about working smart and ensuring that there’s ample work-life balance.
Sitting constantly for 8-9 hours at your work desk may make you less productive. So, make sure that you keep taking short breaks after every hour of focused work. Relax, destress, grab a coffee, network with a colleague or just unwind for a while, find your time to refresh and rejuvenate.
We can’t judge every person and their tricks of the trade with the same yardstick. Thus there’s no one set pattern1 to re-ignite productivity for all. But one thing is for sure, the holiday season would have surely refreshed your mind and body. And the best method to return to your work is to channel all that energy and inspiration into your vision to make a great start to the year.
Take the little steps you need to get back to working; settle in, enjoy the tasks in-hand and the possibilities it holds, and begin the year at your creative best. Wish you a productive 2020!
