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December 7, 2020

It’s Time to Celebrate! How to Make the Holidays Special From Your Home Office

Whether you’re new to working from home or a veteran, the holidays can pose special considerations.  With work obligations and the focus on making the holidays magical for your family, how can you find the time and space to make the holidays fun and meaningful for you? And, what’s the best way to get into the holiday spirit without some of the office-based traditions that can make this season feel special? As a work-from-home veteran, here are my top tips for celebrating the holidays from your home office without missing a beat.

 

Create New Traditions     

 The first year I worked at home during the holidays, I missed the office holiday lunch and gift exchange. By the next year, I knew the key was to find a way to replace those traditions with new ones that made sense from my home office. Think about the office parties and activities that you cherished and how you might replace them this holiday season. For example:

  • Gather a few like-minded work-from-home moms and organize a holiday lunch at a local restaurant.
  • Organize a virtual gift swap or Secret Santa exchange with co-workers or remote team members.
  • Host an online cookie recipe swap or a Zoom cookie decorating party.
  • Invite your virtual co-workers to a Zoom-based holiday party — maybe even wearing your best ugly Christmas sweaters! Encourage everyone to enjoy hors d’oeuvres, snacks or toast with some bubbly for more festivity.
  • Choose a holiday-themed book and organize a Zoom call to discuss it or gather with your children and have someone read a children’s Christmas story.
  • Ask your virtual co-workers to join forces with you to adopt a needy child or family to shower with holiday gifts.
  • Launch a holiday scavenger hunt where co-workers or friends search for holiday-related items around their neighborhoods and share pictures. This tends to work best if you designate a specific time frame to conduct the search and host a Zoom party to share the images. Appoint one or two people to serve as judges. Provide virtual prizes ready at the end.

 

Bring the Holidays Into Your Office                           

One of the things you may miss by working from home is seeing holiday decorations around your office. Well who says you can’t decorate your home office with some fun decor, Christmas smells and music and maybe even a small tree? And wouldn’t it be fun to see how your remote teammates decorate and celebrate holidays? Here’s are some fun ideas to consider:

  • Decorate your home office space so that you can enjoy the visuals of the holidays. Even just a few lights or some greenery can change your desk enough to give you a merry holiday feeling.
  • Find a holiday-scented candle and burn it in your workspace.
  • Get a small Christmas tree for your desk or office.
  • Play carols in the background as you work.
  • Wear your holiday sweaters and clothes for Zoom calls.
  • Ask your co-workers to share pictures of their holiday decorations in a private online community or take turns on zoom to show your holiday decor and Christmas tree.

 

Schedule Time for Holiday Rituals

When you work at home, it’s easy to let work bleed into your personal time. For much of the year, that might be OK, but it’s essential to carve out time specifically to participate in holiday-related traditions at the end of the year. Planning is the solution to this dilemma.

Find a quiet moment well before the rush of holiday activities and think about the things you want to do this holiday season. Your regular roster of holiday parties and travel will likely be smaller than usual this year due to COVID. Think about how you want to spend that extra time. Make a few notes about holiday must do’s, things you’d like to squeeze in, and new ideas you want to add. Here are some items you might jot down:

  • Baking
  • Wrapping presents 
  • Completing your holiday cards
  • Watching special holiday movies
  • Making crafts with your kids

Next, grab your calendar and schedule a specific time to do the things that make the holidays feel special. When you set aside time, be generous in your time estimate. If you expect to need 90 minutes for baking, plan two or three hours, so you don’t feel rushed. When the time you designated for holiday activities rolls around, honor it. You’ll be glad you spent the time marking the holidays.

 

Make it a Merry Christmas! 

The extra time that comes from working at home is a gift that makes it easier to balance professional pursuits and family life. But, it can feel lonely during the holidays. Taking a few steps in advance can help you fill your holidays with cheer and make them memorable and meaningful.

Tell me what you do to make the holidays special from your home office.

 

 

 

 

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Written by
December 23, 2016 0 Comments

4 Tips for Holiday Break Productivity

Today begins holiday break for a lot of families, and it’s important to take the time to refresh and rejuvenate before the start of the new year.

Although most of your household will likely be home from school and work, a home based worker is never truly “away” from work.  It’s very important to take time for yourself this time of year while still completing your work.  Read along for some best practices in keeping up with productivity while enjoying the season.

Create schedules and lists

At this time of year, many of us are juggling numerous events and schedules! It can help to create short lists and schedules for work, Christmas, New Year’s, and anything else that’s taking place during this busy holiday season.

Before you go on break, take a few minutes to figure out what needs to be done and when.  There’s still time to lay everything out and prioritize based on available days.

Use spare time

When there are activities taking place that don’t involve the whole family, take this time to stay back.  Of course you don’t want to miss anything truly special or important, but simple errands can be skipped if there’s another family member who can handle them.

You can also utilize early bedtimes and nap time to get ahead with work.  Although everyone is typically home for the holidays, there can still be time when your kids are with friends or spending time with other family members.

Work ahead

As with all productivity tips, working ahead is a great way to stay on top of things.  Most of us will still have to put in some working hours over the next couple weeks, but if you work from home, you can likely work when you have the time.

Even though home based work never really goes away, we have the benefit of being able to work at any time.  Utilize this to your advantage! Spend a few nights or early mornings before holidays working ahead a bit.  This not only ensures that you’re completing the work that needs done – it allows you to come into the new year without a mad rush of work.

Enjoy the season

Work will still be there after holiday break! We all have work, family, and home obligations, but this is truly the time of year to enjoy your family.  Yes, work is still important and must be completed, but find a way to work it into your holiday schedule without missing those truly magical moments with your friends and family.

Take this time to relax, refresh, work as needed, and come into the new year with a clear head and sense of calm.

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November 28, 2016 0 Comments

4 Tips to Avoid Holiday Stress

The holidays are officially here and they will only intensify as Christmas gets closer.  The holidays are full of cheer, friends and family, but they can also bring about stress: financially, emotionally, and with work.  Especially in the work from home world, work often needs to be completed despite traditional office closings.  Since home based careers often revolve around a laptop, we still need to find time to get the work done.

Work ahead

It can be tough to work ahead for those days off, but it’s worth it to be able to truly relax with friends and family members. Create a specific to do list for the days that still need to be covered over break and go from there.  It can be helpful to color code the things that need done, are already done, and can wait until the end of the break.  While working ahead can be a bit stressful ahead of time, you’ll know that your clients and employers are set while you’re relaxing.

Avoid the last minute

Whether it’s shopping, working ahead, or planning activities with family – start now!  Don’t ignore the current holiday cheer, but in the time between holidays, begin to get things done.  If you start early enough, there won’t be a big rush at the last minute.  Staying stress-free is all about doing things over time versus waiting until you’re stressed, tired, and down to the wire.

Reign it in

Reign in the spending, amp up the thoughtfulness! This is a key phrase that will help you through the holiday season.  We often get stressed out trying to find the most extravagant, expensive gifts, but that’s truly not what matters.  Begin by focusing on the person you’re buying for, then go for experiences first and foremost.  You can still do thoughtful gifts for your loved ones, all while focusing on what matters most this time of year.

Focus on what matters

Family, friends, faith, and being together is what is truly important right now.  The gifts, business stress, and other obligations can wait.  When you’re trying to do it all this hectic time of year, pause and remember this.  With a little bit of prep and forethought, you can enjoy the holidays more than ever, all while maintaining your obligations and work schedule.

Enjoy this magical, warm time of year with all those you love!

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