I help project professionals get more done with less stress. Having been a project manager for over 20 year, I share tried-and-tested tips that work in the real world, every Tuesday.
How to balance work and holidays
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Hello Reader While some projects might have an end of year deadline, in my experience, most projects finish when they finish. So there’s every chance that your projects, like mine, will run through the holiday period. We do need to recharge, rest and reset, and so do the people on the team. So how do you balance the pressures of work and leadership’s desire to keep hitting those milestones, over the festive season? Plan your timeTime feels more limited over the holiday season in the run up to year end because the days are shorter (for us in the Northern hemisphere at least). There’s also:
Plus, I simply want to end the year knowing I’m in a good place work-wise. So we have to be smart with how we use our time. Struggling? Read this:Time management tips for when everything is a priority Review your scheduleWill your schedule stay true over the holiday period? That’s when IT implements change freezes, colleagues are off and suppliers close their offices. Review your project plans and double check that your dates are achievable. Plan extra time if you need it. Set boundariesOnly two evenings out a week? No more than 6 guests round at a time? Whatever your personal red lines that will help you avoid overwhelm and stress, make them. For me, it’s writing all the Christmas cards on the first available day of December as then that’s a chore that’s done. Stop asking people to travelWith our November, December, and January weather, the less time you spend on the roads or standing on station platforms, the better. Remember, they’ll want to fit in personal activities as well, and it’s hard to make it to the kids’ end-of-year show or do some holiday shopping if you’ve got to travel back from a job site miles away. Delegate and outsourceDelegate and outsource: this goes for personal tasks as well as work tasks! Focus on team moraleNot everyone is a holiday person, but it’s nice to organize virtual or in-person events for the team. It’s a way of recognizing and appreciating the team’s efforts throughout the year, and it’s a bit of a workplace tradition in many places. Balancing work and the festive season as a project manager requires careful planning, prioritization, and a strong focus on both personal and team well-being. But isn’t that the job all year round? These ideas have come from this longer article on keeping all the balls in the air while working over the holidays, so have a look through the other ideas and see what you can do to make it easier on everyone. Have a great week! Elizabeth Check these out:
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Calling all Rebel Project Managers!
I help project professionals get more done with less stress. Having been a project manager for over 20 year, I share tried-and-tested tips that work in the real world, every Tuesday.
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