Staying Productive During the Holiday Break

One of the most frustrating things to me is when I’m trying to get work done over the holidays and get nothing but away messages. It seems like everyone in the world takes a few weeks off, even when they are in the office. And if you rely on others to help you work by way of getting information to complete the job, it can be really challenging.

So if you can’t get to the things you want to do right now, you can still stay productive while the rest of the world seems to be at a standstill. Here are some tips to help you stay productive during the holiday lull.

Focus on solo work. Just because a contact you need to get in touch with is out of the office for the holidays, you may still be able to get work done. See if you can work on other parts of a project. Or focus on a project where you do not need anyone else’s assistance. You can still be earning money during the holiday lull this way. I find that I have several ongoing projects (like blogging) and can catch up on these sorts of tasks during the holiday break. There are no sharp deadlines and it’s quite enjoyable to work quietly during this time of year.

Clean up 2009. One of the things that I do this time of year before the excitement of opening up my new planner is getting things from the current year in order. This means that I am making a quarterly tax payment, getting receipts together to prepare for taxes and trying to get last-minute stragglers to pay up so I can close out my accounting for the year. It may seem tedious but it’s a great idea to get to these tasks now. When things do pick up again, you don’t want to have to turn down work in order to keep your business in order.

Plan for 2010. This can be the exciting part! It goes beyond setting and writing down any goals you have for the new year. Each year I set up the same files by year so in 2010 I’ll set up files for my bills and other personal stuff, and clean out my work files. Instead of having a 2010 file for every client, I keep one file per client. I clean out what I don’t need and keep the rest. I may need to look back at previous work and I want to have everything in one place.

Remember marketing? Oh friends, it’s a great time to work on your marketing and catch up on networking during this lull. Send out a promotional mailer or email newsletter. Attend a networking event or simply catch up on all your LinkedIn friend requests. Keeping your business presence up is vital and oftentimes, freelancers cannot do this (or neglect to do it) when work is plentiful. So if you’ve thought about a new promotional strategy for the new year, it’s a great time to get to work on it.

Give your office a makeover. Go beyond cleaning out files–give your office a facelift. Sure, it’s not paying work but the benefits can totally pay off! And without any pressing deadlines you are free to work at your own pace and will probably find that this is an ideal time to slap on a fresh coat of paint, clean up your desk or create a new art installation. Be sure to look at ways to make your office visually appealing and also functional. This year I bought a magnetic strip to hang over my desk. I can always change the art on it to keep things fresh. You can do something like this to keep track of project notes, too! (This is kind of a fun one, so be sure that other necessary tasks are completed before you tackle it. Otherwise, it’s not just a fun undertaking because it can really help to inspire creativity!)

Give yourself a rest. If it all bottoms out and you’re out of work for a few days or weeks, that’s okay. Many freelancers report that this is a slow time of year and you are not alone. If you are burned out or simply do not feel like working on other things right now, it is an ideal time to take a break. Watch the snow fall like everyone else, spend time with family and friends, or work on another hobby that you rarely get to devote time to. We all need a vacation at some point and I have found that taking one at this time of year is smart because the rest of the world is usually on a holiday, too.

ThinkGeek Giveaway: Survival Kit in a Sardine Can

The one certainty of freelancing is freelancing’s uncertainty. You never know where you could end up on your way to meet a client; broken down in the middle of nowhere, or running away into the forest from a client who is chasing you with an axe. Today’s giveaway is this Survival Kit in a Sardine Can from ThinkGeek:

“Sardines come packed in metal tins and even though they are a good source of omega 3 fatty acids, they are still oily and kind of funky smelling. No offense to any fans out there but we feel the metal tins could be put to much better use.

Here we have a genuine air-tight, waterproof, crushproof sardine can packed full of 25 survival items. Go fish with the hook and line, find your way home with the compass, boil water in the can for your tea and sugar, use the first aid supplies to survive the wilderness. Since being well prepared is half the challenge, you’ll have a good head start with this kit. Put one in your car, boat, motorcycle, fishing vest, backpack, bike, emergency kit, etc.”

Today’s contest is another Twitter contest–simply follow FreelanceSwitch, and tweet about the competition including a link to this page. Ensure you use your real email address when you leave your comment so we can contact you if you win. Nobody other than Envato staff will see it. See this post for terms and conditions.