Work well at ho-ho-home for the holidays

The lights are set to “full-speed twinkle”, the turkey’s on order, and Mariah Carey’s Yuletide smash ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ has made it to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 for the first time in its 25-year history. There’s no doubt about it, the holiday season is well and truly upon us – but there are still niggling last-minute emails that need answering, presentations tweaking and projects approving. Armed with a laptop, the benefits of working from home are many but life can sometimes get in the way – so what can be done about it?

Work in intervals and then reward yourself

Set an hour aside to complete a task and get it done, no matter what. We all like to take pride in our work but, at the end of the day, it’s not the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel you’re painting (and Michelangelo got help with that). So be ruthless with your time, get that task ticked off and then reward yourself with 15 minutes of something else… like seeing how many times you can stream ‘All I Want for Christmas Is You’ in a quarter of an hour. If you’re really focused, it’s probably four (with a few minutes spare to get some mulled wine on the go).

Switch off social

It may sound obvious, but this is probably one of the most useful time-management tips for work there is – especially when you’re working from home. With no one looking over your shoulder, there’s nothing to stop you from getting sucked down a rabbit hole, endlessly scrolling until you reach the depths of your Facebook newsfeed or losing yourself in Insta posts of perfect holidays you’re not going on. All of this can be a great balm on a grey day but let’s face it: knowing where that influencer’s gone for Christmas is unlikely to help with productivity, and may even induce feelings of jealousy.

Do the deadlines first, and save the rest for later

Easing into the working day with all those little things that are quick to tick off can feel like the ideal way to start – but don’t be fooled by this wolf in sheep’s clothing (the wolf’s name is Procrastination, in case you were wondering). Instead, identify where your deadlines lie and attack those bad boys first. Not only will you build a sense of momentum that carries you through from point to point and task to task but, when you realise you’ve completed all the vital stuff before lunch, the afternoon will seem like a breeze rather than a burden.

Find a cosy corner

When the TV’s blaring, the kids are declaring war and your other half can’t find his trainers (they’re where they were left last night, exactly where they were taken off), the office can suddenly seem like a refuge. So whether it’s an entire room or a desk in the dining area, identify a dedicated space that’s quiet and ready to go to get stuff done. That includes having a printer set up and a Wi-Fi connection that doesn’t need fiddling with. Make sure it’s not too cold and not too hot, and that distractions are kept to a minimum – and get going!

Go green and breathe deeply

Research by Harvard University found that those surrounded by plant life in their work-life benefit from a 26% boost in cognition and a 30% drop in sickness-related absence. Plants even help you sleep better, with a 6% rise in zzz-quality also reported. One of the lesser commented-on benefits of working remotely is that you can choose the plants you like – and avoid those deadly corporate plant pots. Did you know, for example, that the mother-in-law’s tongue purifies air by sucking up toxins through the leaves and pumping out oxygen in return? (You may want to refer to this beauty by its other name, the snake plant, depending on who’s staying for the holidays.)

Stop staring and start doing (something else)

As working from home tips go, this one’s a winner. If you’ve spent the past half an hour staring at a black screen, fingertips hovering over the keyboard, take a step back and regroup. Charles Darwin liked to have three projects on the go at once, so that if he got stuck on one he could transfer his attention to another. And he wrote one of the most important biology books ever, so he knew what he was talking about. We’re not suggesting you need to produce a work of staggering genius but there’s bound to be something else you could do in the meantime – and even if it’s going for a run, the benefit of managing your own time allows you to choose what you do and when you do it.

And finally…

You’ve worked hard all year, so take some time to relax – and happy holidays!

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