I can’t speak for everyone, but for me personally, it’s the holiday season, I am two weeks away from traveling back home to be with my family. This year, my family, my 3-year-old niece, my boyfriend and I will be in India for Christmas and I am just eagerly awaiting Christmas cake, Christmas movies, and all the presents I’m going to get.

However, as I sit in my office day in and out and blast Pentatonix’s funky Christmas playlist counting down the days till I fly home, I really begin to look for the motivation to work. Where is it? Because it seems to have gone out the window the minute December began. 

It doesn’t help that it’s officially ‘Let’s circle back in Jan’ season, and the minute you send an email to someone, you’re very likely to be met with an Out-of-Office, reminding you that everyone is out there, already starting their vacation early while you’re stuck at your job, crunching in numbers and clocking in the hours. 

So we’ve prepared a (hopefully) handy guide to maintaining your energy at work when all you want to do is go on leave and not work during the holidays. Because let’s face it, your boss and your deadlines will not accept the excuse that you’re too ‘in the festive spirit to work’, sad fact thought it is. 

1.Set your countdown 

Make sure you’re marking your calendar every day if you have your annual leave upcoming, and count down the days until you have your leave. That will help you try to focus during your work hours, knowing you have something to look forward to. 

2. Make your office as festive as you can 

If you work from an office but are feeling blue about the fact that you’re having to work during the holidays when everyone else is already on leave, try to spruce up your office by putting up a Christmas tree, decorating your desk with Christmas decor and making yourself a little happier by seeing what you have to look forward to. 

If you can’t take annual leave during the holidays, at least a decorated office gives you something to make your office a bit more homey and Christmassy.

3. Take this quiet time to work on honing your skills or strategizing for the next year

When it’s a less busy season with work, take this time to read more, learn new skills, and develop your existing knowledge a bit more. Not only would that help you pass the time at work, but it would also be a productive use of time. 

You can also take the time to strategize, look at new ideas for the coming year, and be prepared to pitch new things to your team.

4. Make your daily to-do lists, and take the rest of your free time to do as you please

This may not be the best advice, but personally, I kind of enjoy working in December. As a Marketing professional, there isn’t a lot of marketing to do, considering most products won’t sell, and events are less corporate and more festive. I like to take this time to do the bare minimum, accomplish my tasks, and then spend the rest of my time working on things I like, whether it’s simply reading the news, writing an article for the Daily Deck, or planning my wedding..whatever it is, I just do what I need to do, and leave the rest up to my own leisure. It helps me to stay sane, as well as do the things that I enjoy, so that I’m not spending 8 hours grinding away at my job like I usually do. 

So there you have it. A few tips on staying sane, getting your work done, and getting some minor distractions from the major FOMO you’re facing when everyone else is already decked up and enjoying the holidays. Hope this helps you out, comment down below your tips for staying motivated during the Holidays! 

A Merry Christmas in advance from one un-merry overworked employee to another.