How to Squeeze Productivity Into Your Holiday Weekend
… and in between your food comas!
With Turkey day, right around the corner, many of us are already in route to visit our family and friends. Many traveling 100+ miles to different cities and states all together. Holidays can be a bit stressful with family and friends pulling you in all directions, and for those of us who cannot simply turn the clock off at 5PM, adding work into the mix can be very difficult! Entrepreneurs and growing companies typically work around the clock – weekends and holidays are no exception.
We asked our WorkBar community to weigh in with how they maintain a work/life balance during the holidays and what tips they have to share.
When you’re away, you’re away!
The number ONE response from each and every one of our members was first and foremost, to make family your priority, it’s essential! You have to unwind and make time for both your family and yourself – it’s the only way to achieve a true life/work balance!
You have a ‘Holiday’ schedule too
Make a ‘holiday’ to do list. Not EVERYTHING you normal do at work needs to be tended to over the holiday weekend. Weed out tasks that can wait till next week and determine what is MOST important – Be efficient and plan your time wisely. “Set milestones and deadlines. Don’t bother yourself with busy work.” Miguel Granier from Invested Development
Need a digital bumper? Separate the URGENT emails from those that can wait till Monday by turning on your auto reply with instructions to contact ‘x’ email address if the issue truly cannot wait.
Use your built in babysitters!
Need a few quiet hours to focus on work – to get away from the noise, the kids, and the rest of the distractions? The good thing about being with family is that you’ve got plenty of babysitters on hand! Grandma and Grandpa are more than happy to hang out and play with the little one’s while you sneak off to your ‘work cave.’ “The whole family is there to help out! They get to hang out with the kids and I get some time to knock out a few things on my list!” – Bill Jacobson, Partner at WorkBar
Finding your ‘Work Cave’
Whether you’re traveling far or staying local, our members came up with a few great suggestions on where to find you ‘work cave’ while away from home and the office.
- If your staying in a resort/hotel/community, these places usually have a recreation facility with a gym, lounge, wifi and if you’re lucky, a business. This is a perfect place, not only to get your mental exercise, but physical exercise too! Take advantage of both – you’ll feel great afterward!
- If you’re staying with family and are far away from home, ask family local to the area if they have office/work space available for you to use. “I used my father in law’s office – I was able to stake out a conference room and set up shop for a few hours one day.” – Allen Smith from Gadgeteer
- If you’re traveling to an unknown area, Google the local ‘hotspots’ ahead of time – Plan ahead. See when the local library is open [check holiday hours] or where the local café’s and bookstores are [provided they offer wifi.] Call ahead to double check – no one likes last minute curve balls.
Work-a-doodle-doo – Wake up with the birds!
Can’t find a spare minute in the day – sure you can! Use the MORNING HOURS [approx 6AM-8AM] to get crank out your daily to-dos. Zip through your emails and send over those TPS reports before you even hear the sizzle of those morning pancakes. You might want to make a pot of coffee too!
What tips and tricks do you have to maintain your work/life balance during the holidays? Comment below or continue the conversation on twitter @Workbar
About the Author: Evona Niewiadomska is the Events and Digital Media Manager at Workbar. As of January 2013 she is an independent Digital Media & Design Creative with a specialty for infographic design and social media strategy. Check out her website, evonawiktoria.com or contact her via email evona.wiktoria@gmail.com or twitter @evonawiktoria.
About Workbar:
Workbar operates coworking locations throughout greater Boston (Boston Back Bay, Boston South Station, Burlington, Cambridge, Arlington, Brighton, Danvers, Norwood, Salem) and several other partner locations throughout the state. Want to keep up with the world of Workbar? Subscribe to our mailing list for the most up-to-date information about our upcoming events and community news. You can also follow us on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.
