Christmas, Easter, Salah, National Days, no matter the one, the holiday season can be challenging for freelancers who need to stay productive while the world takes a break. If you are a newbie freelancer experiencing the holiday season for the first time, it can all be overwhelming.
While some established freelancers might have the luxury or freedom to take days off during the holidays, others might not. Imagine having to deal with tasks on Christmas Eve while your family is two rooms away laughing over Home Alone 2 (that is a Christmas classic; no one should be missing that!).
So how do you, as a remote worker, stay motivated during these festive periods, complete tasks, and still manage to celebrate? This article bares all the tricks to escape “vacation mode.”
First Things First, Should I Be Working During Holidays?
The holiday period allows remote workers to spend more time with family, travel, or focus on that hobby they’ve been ignoring all year. Most freelancers make enough to turn down jobs during this busy time of the year.
However, people new to their respective niches or industries might not have that luxury. The holiday period presents an opportunity for some to earn extra cash heading into the new year.
Remember that flexibility is one of the reasons people work remotely. People who work from home can go grocery shopping in between checking off tasks from their holiday jobs. But this has big implications.
It sometimes encroaches on the work-life balance, and if your client is in a different time zone or simply impatient, you might have a harder time than most. But it is perfectly normal to work during the holidays if you can manage to do so and still keep up with the festivities.
Six Ways To Self-Motivate During the Holidays
For the most part, the holiday spirit and desire to lay in bed all day sets in. You stare at blank screens where codes should be. In the worst-case scenario, instead of feeling the Christmas spirit, you get Christmas blues. How can you stay on top of your goals and complete your tasks?
1. Redecorate Your Workspace
Holiday decorations add to the feel of the season and the celebration. Most of the time, they kindle joy and happiness for the spirited. Imagine the dopamine rush you could get just by staring at that winter wonderland snow globe. If candles, lights, and paper ornaments are more your style, please use them around your office or directly on your desk. The goal is to add elements of the holiday season that trigger happy thoughts and feelings, keeping you enthusiastic in your home office.
2. Set Up Holiday Schedule
Tis the season of good cheer, but ’tis also the season of busy schedules and, sometimes, marketing budget cuts. If you seek career or business growth during the holidays or are new to remote work, you desperately need a holiday schedule. While this might seem out of character for the traditional nature of what freelance workers are used to, it will do you a world of good. For one, it will help you find that work-life balance and avoid “desk-rotting.” Here are a few tips to set up that EOTY holiday schedule:
- Prioritize tasks
- Organize according to deadlines and difficulty
- Take meal breaks, chore breaks, and family time
- Use panner tools
3. Reward Your Milestones and Progress
The concept of self-reward might seem a little difficult for most people but it is a great way to stay highly motivated during the holidays. You are never going to run short of distractions during festive seasons. Even if you live alone, you still need to make visits, jump on personal calls, receive visitors, or make a snack.
You could factor in walks, snacky treats, half an hour of leisure, or a warm bath as rewards for progress recorded on your tasks. This not only motivates you to do so much more, it also helps you to complete it in record time. You look forward to the next tasks and earn the reward it brings.
4. Open Communication With Clients
It’s easy to get sidetracked and lost in the festivities, and you forget how serious certain projects on your desk are. Keeping an open communication allows for effective two-way conversations during this season concerning assigned tasks. But it makes sense first to communicate the extent of your availability and how frequently they can reach out. This helps all parties involved set and understand clear boundaries but remain flexible.
5. Don’t Ignore Sleep
You cannot expect to maintain high levels of motivation if you are not well-rested. What better time of the year to do so than on the holidays? Sleep is a form of self-care, but it does more than eliminate fatigue. It clears the mind and resets your stress levels. If you don’t get enough sleep during the day because of your work schedule, then night’s rest must be unnegotiable.
If you are struggling with committing to hours of needed rest, remember that in the long run, this could affect your productivity and concentration. While your busy schedule might not allow you to sleep over long hours, you can keep a regular sleeping and waking schedule. Most freelancers say they make out time for afternoon siestas if they stare at the screen too much.
6. Give Yourself Much-needed Breaks
All work and no play certainly makes Jack a dull freelancer. And all the endless notifications, emails, and irregular distractions can hamper your motivation and productivity. This is why you must give yourself breaks between tasks when you run out of creative juices.
If you require technology-free timeouts, go for fresh air, meditate a little, or read a few chapters of your current reading list. Taking several short breaks over the day aims to boost your creativity levels and clear your clogged mind.
Conclusion
We are all about surviving these busy schedules while remaining adaptable and flexible. But you need your motivation levels to beat the top and your well-being. With these few tricks and tips, you can stay ahead of your schedules and tasks as you look forward to the new year. Got any more tips for how you are staying motivated these holidays? Share them below!
If you are feeling demotivated this holiday season, join our community at Techrity, where tech and dev professionals work from home and share their experiences.
