Are You Ready For Your Christmas Break?

2. Christmas Party

So have you planned out how you'll celebrate all the small and big wins you've achieved in 2023, does everyone know about it and can they attend?

Time should be taken to express your gratitude to the people who've helped and supported you all through 2023.

If you're stuck for ideas, then check out my Ditch Secret Santa blog for 11 Gift Ideas which will truly Make A Difference this Christmas.

4. Must Do and Bonus List

So now's the time to relook at everyone's To Do List and decide what realistically can be achieved between now and your office closure date.

And once you've made this decision, move everything after number 3 to your BONUS list because everything takes longer than you think, expected things will always come up and people are already limping to the finish line.

Let your team feel good about finishing their last 3 tasks for the year (and by reducing the expectation, you'll probably get a few bonus tasks done as well); rather than increasing stress and tension unnecessarily and staff leaving for Christmas feeling frustrated and overwhelmed.

I would also write a Merry Christmas email to send out to your customers on the Monday before you close – again telling them the dates and what will happen to emails, phonecalls etc over the break – and thanking them for supporting your team and business.

I always include in my Christmas email that instead of sending cards, I donate to St Vincent de Paul's Christmas Appeal at my church.

6. January Planning Days Blocked Out

Most people including myself get to December a bit fried as they busily finish those last minute tasks, and so business planning for the next year remains a task on the To Do List. And then people come back in January and start busily with tasks, and the Annual Business Plan never gets done.

So block out 2 days now of uninterrupted time to do this early in January when you feel refreshed and can objectively reflect on what worked and what didn't in 2023 and what needs to change in 2024.

And if anyone would like help with this, please book in a time to chat with me NOW about how I can help you get this job off the To Do List once and for all.

7. Accounts Cut Off Date

Please ensure you chat with your administration/finance staff before you set this date to ensure it is achievable and doesn't add any undue stress.

Make sure you also know your supplier's cut off dates so you maintain your 'good client' reputation.

So block out days and times to not only shred and clean up the physical files lying around desks and the workplace AND the electronic files; but also the emails which includes the inbox and sent mail.

This strategy lets everyone come back to a clean desk, inbox, file directory and office space in January rather than feeling overwhelmed as they sort through 2023 emails, files and folders; and set up the new files and folders for 2024.

9. Out Of Office Message

The final essential is to ensure everyone has switched on their out of office message on their emails, and the recording on the answering machine (if you still have one) tells customers what will happen over the break and when they will be contacted.