Christmas-Proofing the Office
By Jody Gabourie, Maven Solutions
Does the sight of Christmas decorations in stores leave you catching your breath? Not out of excitement but because of the feeling of “overwhelm” that grips you? For some, the holiday season represents stress, pressure, expectations, guilt, disappointment, exhaustion… and the list goes on. And it doesn’t have to be that way! Your holiday season can be as simple or as elaborate as you choose to make it, and it can be a lot of fun if you plan accordingly.
Take some time now to think about what’s most important to you as we enter the holiday season, and then do a little planning. Here are some tips to help you save time and reduce stress at the office:
• Starting in November, carry your Christmas cards, addresses, stamps and a pen with you wherever you go. When you’re waiting for your next appointment whip them out and address a few. Do you travel for business? Pack your cards in your carry-on luggage and do them on the airplane and in the airport.
• Sending out corporate cards? Send them around early and give each person two days to sign their name and add any personal note, before handing onto the next person. Attach a sticky note listing each employees’ name and a check box to tick off when they’ve finished signing the cards, and who they pass it along to next.
• If you are in an industry that luckily (or unluckily!) has a lot of Christmas parties/lunches and other celebrations, put these into your calendar well in advance, to avoid conflicting appointments. Also, jot down a note if you’re to bring a toy or something for donation – to ensure you get that before the day of the party!
• Do you receive lots of Christmas cards at the office? Designate a place or way to display ahead of time (ribbon on the wall, tucked into window blinds, etc.) so that any cards can be put there immediately after being opened. This will reduce clutter, help make the office look festive and everyone gets a chance to read the cards.
• Realize that the month of December will be providing lots of distractions and plan your work activities and deadlines realistically. It’s hard to concentrate on writing or a difficult task when the office atmosphere is festive and focused on an upcoming celebration and Christmas season. Don’t beat yourself up for pushing back deadlines – no need to add to the Christmas stress by setting unrealistic goals for yourself and other employees.
• Plan in advance for any outside help you may have to bring in – i.e. a temp to answer the phone while the company is out for a four hour Christmas lunch. Reduce frustration on your clients’ part and also ensure that all employees can join in the celebration and not be left behind to answer the phone and accept courier packages because arrangements weren’t made in advance.
• Start a holiday binder/notebook. Fill it with menus, party, gift and decorating ideas. Take this to the office so you can jot down ideas as they come to you and keep the book updated. Maybe you can grab an hour here and there to shop for items on the list – on the way to meetings or back from lunches.
• Keep a stash of emergency gifts and cards in your office – you never know when that important client may stop by! Some examples are photo frames, gift cards to restaurants/coffee shops/stores, candles with a decorative holder, a Christmas ornament, and so on.
• Reduce stress on your part and your clients/vendors/suppliers – ensure that they know your office hours and days of closure around the holiday season - so they can plan accordingly. Keep your customers happy so they don’t try to contact you with an urgent request when you’ve closed the office down for the company lunch or industry gala.
• Plan so that your corporate and personal cards go out with enough time for people to enjoy them. There’s nothing worse than having your Christmas card arrive at your customers place AFTER the holidays are over.
• If upcoming work celebrations are during the work day, be realistic about expectations of completing too much work if you are coming back to the office after. It’s hard to go from celebrating to concentrating on writing a proposal! It’s a good time to catch up on your filing (make sure it goes in the right file!) or put a plan of action together for next week’s jobs.
• Use your lunch hour to shop online. Most online stores will let you place an order for guaranteed Christmas Eve delivery by December 19th. Most of these online stores also have features that allow you to have the gift shipped directly to the recipient, already wrapped.
• Reduce stress on yourself by realizing that customers/vendors/suppliers are also celebrating the holiday season. Don’t leave important emails/phone calls to the last minute as everyone may be out of their office at the company lunch - leaving no-one to answer your enquiry!
• Make sure you have auto-office replies on your email and messages on your personal company line and general office phone line, telling people of any office closures.
The holiday season doesn’t have to include stress at the office. The most important way you can have a more enjoyable time at work is to calendar everything in your planner/calendar. Writing your tasks and engagements down for follow-up on a specific date will help you to remember to do it and will keep things from falling to the last minute.
In other words, make appointments with yourself to follow through with specific tasks by a specific time. This one action alone can drastically reduce the “overwhelm” and stress that many people experience during the holiday season. Once you have a plan, you can let go of your long to-do lists and can be more fully present in the moment - making it a memorable holiday season!
About the Author
Jody Gabourie of Maven Solutions publishes POWER ORGANIZING TIPS, a free monthly newsletter for professionals with a home or business office. If disorganization and clutter is costing you business and stopping you from reaching your success goals, sign up for her FREE newsletter and organizing Info-Pak at www.mavensolutions.biz
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