How to manage your time effectively during the festive period

For those working in the accountancy and finance profession, December is typically a time of boosted morale, festive cheer, and a lighter workload – at least compared to the busy season that’s just around the corner. While not everyone celebrates Christmas, many still enjoy the festivities of the season and are able to enjoy time off work at the end of December due to a lot of businesses closing for the holidays.

Though the festive period may have a positive impact on your morale in the workplace, it can also mean greater distractions and disruptions to your usual routine. Here, we explore how you can manage your time effectively in the lead-up to the holidays, so you’ll be able to truly switch off and unwind during your late-December annual leave.

Don’t let distractions impact your productivity  

Office parties, lunchtime socials and Secret Santas can do wonders for workplace culture and team bonding, but it does mean that your usual routine may be somewhat disrupted. Of course, you should enjoy these activities – after all, you deserve it after all your hard work throughout the year – but be sure to plan your workday around this. If your boss is letting your team finish early or have a longer lunch break, for example, account for this by maintaining strong productivity levels throughout the rest of the day. Or, if you’re finding that the festive office atmosphere is making it difficult to concentrate while you’re trying to hit deadlines, see if you can move to a quieter space such as an empty meeting room.

Tie up any loose ends ahead of the busy season

The further through December you get, you may find it becoming increasingly tempting to think, “I’ll leave that for January,” but your future self will thank you if you get these tasks cleared off your to-do list ahead of the new year. If you’re feeling snowed under with work, write a to-do list that’s in order of most to least urgent, then use this to keep track of your priorities and structurally frame your days and weeks ahead to ensure you’re leaving yourself in the best position possible for the start of 2025. This should help you effectively manage your workload while also enjoying the festivities that this month has to offer.

Use your spare time wisely if your workload is light

If you’re on the other end of the spectrum, with a lighter workload and more time on your hands, then consider what you could be doing outside of your typical day-to-day tasks that could benefit you in the long run. Perhaps you would be able to find what you’re looking for more easily in the new year if you spent some time now organising your inbox, desktop and documents. Alternatively, this could be a great time to do some upskilling for your own career development. Is there a course that you’ve been meaning to start, or a skill you want to improve? Now is the ideal time to do so, and it needn’t be an expensive task – we have a range of free courses on our My Learning platform covering a range of topics and experience levels.

And finally, as you approach the end of your last workday before your time off for the holidays, remember to switch your out-of-office on and turn off any work notifications on your phone. This will allow you to spend your festive break truly unwinding, meaning you’ll be feeling fully refreshed and ready to hit the ground running in the new year.