Can you stay productive at work over the holidays?
The song says: “Oh, the weather outside is terrible…”. I don’t know what the weather is like where you are, but it doesn’t look good for a white Christmas in Michigan. No matter what the weather is outside, you’re stuck inside an office building collecting documents all day while your boss and his family head off to the sunny beaches for the week. It can be depressing, especially when you look outside and see nothing but gray skies. With so many people using their vacation time over the holidays, it can result in an empty office. So, can you stay motivated to work when you’re one of the few left behind?
Try some of these tips to end 2017 strong.
clean your office
Take some time and go through your office area, closet, filing cabinet, desks, email inbox, you name it and make sure which items you need or can throw away. Cleaning is a great distraction from daily boredom, so find some time for your office.
Take and schedule meetings during slow times
You can invite potential or current clients to your office during the holiday season. Your business meeting can be as formal or informal as you like, but be sure to fill the venue with plenty of refreshments. You can serve snacks or have a local restaurant cater for lunch. Do what you do, don’t spike the eggnog.
Start filling your 2018 calendar
Many businesses are given an annual budget to spend before the year is out, and any leftover funds cannot be carried over to the next year, so they are lost. If you act quickly, you can build relationships with these companies and then do business with them by the end of the year, they will have excess cash that won’t be available for the New Year, so why not spend it now?
Take a look at your marketing plans
Take a look at your goals and see which ones have been accomplished and find completion dates for your other plans. If you have pending goals, you can add them to the list for next year. The end of the year makes many people worry about the coming year, but this is your chance to stay one step ahead.
Party!!! Go to ALL networking events or holidays
When the holidays are in season, you can bet there will be Christmas parties. But while others are busy socializing, you can be busy building relationships with the people you meet at these events. Keep your eyes open because you never know when you’re going to get a new client.
Announce year-end closing deals
If you are a small business, discount prices and packages for existing customers, or even new customers, as a great way to form alliances with a strategic business. Offerings allow you to reach that difficult client you’ve been trying to land, and at this time of year, many bosses want to look good on the bottom line.
Get out of your same old routine
Have coffee from somewhere new or just add two sugars instead of one. It doesn’t matter what it is, just try something new. Break the monotony.