Staying Productive During the Holidays!

Getting In Your Writing This Holiday Season!

Hey everyone! Today I want to talk about the hectic yet joyful winter holiday season! This is my personal favorite time of year with all of the festivities and traveling my family and I do. But along with these plans comes the lingering stress and source of guilt that I am not being productive enough.

I definitely understand that we all need and deserve rest, we all should enjoy the holidays without forcing work on our shoulders that is unnecessary. However, I also know that a lot of us like to stay productive and on top of things this time of year! It just makes us feel good!

The main idea to drill in your brain is that your productivity will likely feel and look different than during the routine efforts of a normal school or work day. Meaning, you need to tear out the matching schedule you made to a normal day and realize that your schedule is going to look very different! At least… mine does.

What I mean by this is that, for example, in college, I have the morning alone where I drink coffee, journal, do schoolwork, and work on content. However, when I am home, I like to wake up and drink coffee and chat with my family. Mornings set the day off, so acknowledging this temporary difference in routine will help you to focus on priorities and shift your timing. Instead, maybe while everyone is off doing their own thing in the middle of the day or getting ready for plans for the day, that is when you can set time aside for yourself.

When it comes to writing, I find it especially difficult to find a consistent amount of time to do so unless it is late into the night. I have some templates for scheduling and plotting stories and personal and writing schedules if you want to look at them here!

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1269899353/planning-novel-spreadsheet-act-1-act-3?click_key=3f5a8685763bdb26f381d89b39173cb7bc85490b%3A1269899353&click_sum=f4a73ad8&ref=shop_home_active_14

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1272877507/aesthetic-minimalistic-hourly-day?click_key=b0a41f452250a3b2163010a8ca2229dc7b0feada%3A1272877507&click_sum=798d1a9e&ref=shop_home_active_4

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1257218148/aesthetic-college-and-school-planner?click_key=b5dfe01557e7c804c440ac4224a1e8969ba4dd7a%3A1257218148&click_sum=f1cfeb8b&ref=shop_home_active_9

https://www.etsy.com/listing/1255936326/reading-log-printable-planner-insert?click_key=dfd57952c29614328c8671e9afc688606bfb254d%3A1255936326&click_sum=3576d9ee&ref=shop_home_active_13

Here are a few daily planner spreadsheets as well as a reading log! I am a visual person for sure, and any excuse to mark things off and jot down small tasks and accomplishments really goes a long way for me!

These are also great sheets to print and use on a day-to-day basis, especially heading into the new year.

I truly believe that if you are passionate about something, finding time for it will be in your mind as a joy rather than a chore. Here are just a few subtle reminders and ideas to tackle your side work over the holidays!

1. Wake up 30 minutes early or go to bed 30 minutes later

2. Carry a notebook to jot down ideas or a book to read during any downtime

3. Schedule posts for social media ahead of time, all platforms have that option

4. Dedicate a specific time frame in the day to make sure you can do whatever you need

5. Just rest and do not worry about time!

This is definitely not a post for a call to action that everyone needs to have no breaks, let me reassure you, but rather a quick snippet that if you are someone who likes to get work done and be productive all the time, and may find guilt in doing so over the holidays, you are not alone!

I hope this quick and to the point post helped give you that reassurance! Talk to you soon!