After a week or two of gorging ourselves on chocolate and lazing around watching TV, the first week back at work after Christmas is vital to kicking off a productive year, as Productivity Ninjas. You want to try and make the most of that first week back at work. So why not give some of our Productivity Ninja tips a go and make 2017 your most productive year yet.
Review
Spend the first couple of hours back in the office reviewing. Look back at the previous year and make a note of everything you accomplished and give yourself a pat on the back. You’ll be surprised at how much you got done!
Try to keep your inbox closed as long as possible – you’ve been gone for a week and the building’s still standing, so another hour or two won’t break it either.
Think Ahead
Cast your mind ahead to the end of 2017. What do you hope to have achieved? This can be at work and in your personal life. In fact, it should include both! Think of key projects at work you want to spend time on this year and make sure they happen!
Prioritize
You now know how much you’ve accomplished in the past year, and where you want to get to by the end of the next one. It’s now time to prioritize your goals. Are there any quick wins you can turnaround in a short amount of time? Are there any projects that should wait until the next financial year?
Set yourself up well by avoiding any potential obstacles that might stop you in your tracks.
Plan
You know what you want to achieve in the next year, so now make it happen! Make a list of all your plans and projects, write down your next actions and set yourself milestones. Commit to a good routine of reviewing your projects every week and get yourself an accountability buddy. That way there’s no excuse!
Struggling to get started on your review? Already feeling overwhelmed? Sensing your team’s already stressed out? Sounds like it might be time to get a Productivity Ninja into your office and make your life a little easier with one of our Time Management Workshops. Can’t get your entire team involved? It’s your lucky day, we also have some very exciting Public Workshops coming up.
Let us know what your goals for 2017 are and how you’re getting on with your first week back in the comments below or @thinkproductive
By Jessica Scott