Staying Productive During the Winter Months

Staying Productive During the Winter Months https://stocksnap.io/photo/A4MD0OAEJ0Winters are long. Too long in the Western Hemisphere!!And with winter comes shorter days, darker days, colder days and a loss in motivation. As a result productivity declines for most of us. I have felt this first hand over the past week. I already feel groggy,tired and unmotivated.I don’t think I need to give you tons of scientific evidence to prove to you that it is harder to stay focused and work on during the winter. You know how it feels!!evalI will be sharing some ideas on how you can stay productive during the winter months.a) RELAXI know this totally sounds counter-productive.If you are like most professionals- the last few weeks of December provides you with some downtime.Most of your colleagues clients are usually away or have already shut down for the year. So, don’t try to climb an uphill battle. Instead, take advantage of the downtime.Use this time to catch up with past clients. Meet up with colleagues and friends. Use the holida y spirit to boost up your spirits. A word of caution don’t go overboard with the celebrations. Too much drinking and eating during the winter months is detrimental. So exercise caution here.Take some time to smell the roses. Reflect on the past 11 months. Review your successes, trials, tribulations,lessons,failures,etc. This will help you set the groundwork for the months aheadb) SET GOALSevalMost people get too caught up in the Holiday celebrations. Carve out a day or so during this time to pause reflect. Don’t wait till January 1st to start making resolutions and goals. Start Planning on your goals right away.Infact, if possible start right away. For instance, if your goal is to lose weight. Don’t gorge until Jan 1st, gain 10 lbs to regret it later. It is impossible not to give into the temptations of the holidays. Realizing that in advance will help you to be smart about your choices.The same goes with career goals. If your goal is to have a stellar 2016 â€" start making p lans now. Decide what you would like to accomplish, what action steps you will take to make it a reality. And most importantly start today. Take small action steps, so when 2016 comes you are riding the momentum.c) STAY ACTIVEevalYou know that you will be eating a lot during the holidays. Trust me- it is hard not to.To counter that â€" add more physical activity to your schedule. Use exercise as an excuse for you to indulge in the sweets delicacies that come during the holidays. If you start the habit of exercising now â€" there is a good chance that you will continue the habit as the days get more colder.Your exercise schedule does not have to be crazy â€" even if you manage to spend few minutes a day with some cardio, push-ups,squats,etc. That small habit will build momentum as the weeks progress.d) LEARN SOMETHING NEWYou might not be excited about heading outdoors during the winter. That is great!! You can use this opportunity to grab same hot chocolate and catch up on some read ing.I use the winter months to read a lot. Also take advantage of online courses through Lynda or Udemy. Maybe you want to learn a new language. Now is the time to do it. In the summer months you will be too busy, and you will not get a chance to do much learning. Take advantage of the downtime in the winter.e) BE SMART WITH YOUR MONEYIt is hard not to indulge in over-spending during the holidays. Parties, events, family events and before you know â€" you have burnt a huge hole in your bank account. And thanks to credit cards we feel invincible with our spending So avoid the predicament in advance by being smart about your money starting now.I might have missed one or two other ideas. Tell me what are some other ideas you will use to stay more productive during the winter months.