December is a busy month...

It's easy to feel overwhelmed by the number of tasks we have to complete and crazy year end deadlines rushing towards us at the speed of light.

At times like this we need to stay calm, retain a sense of perspective and prioritise what needs to be done now and what can wait until January.

Here are some tips, collected from across our company, to help you navigate these situations, enabling you to prioritise your work and manage your time so you can stay in control and maintain a positive work / life balance.

1. Step back from the details and get a wider ‘helicopter view’ of your priorities.
2. Understand how your tasks impact other people’s ability to do their work. Something that’s low priority for you might be high priority for others. Or vice versa.
3. Create a ‘to do’ list of tasks. It doesn’t have to be high tech. You can simply write your tasks on a piece of paper.
4. Give yourself time to think about your work and how to plan to get things done.
5. Keep your calendar up to date. Block times when you need to work without interruptions.
6. Resolve tasks during meetings to reduce the amount of follow up work.
7. Break down big tasks into smaller actions. It will make your ‘to do’ list appear longer but then it’s easier to cross things off the list.
8. Send notes to yourself as reminders of what needs to be done.
9. Take a break. Go for a walk, get some fresh air, exercise or simply relax.
10. When problem solving allocate a set amount of time to find a solution. If you can’t find one within your time limit – ask someone for help.
11. Find your most productive work time and do your urgent tasks during these hours.
12. Always ask for help if you feel overloaded.

We hope you find these useful. Let us know your tips for prioritising and managing your workload!