It’s that time of the year when people are getting ready for the holidays. Taking time off for the Christmas season is exciting, but it’s not a good idea to let your mind wander before you’ve clocked out.

If you don’t prepare your schedule right, you’ll find yourself with a deluge of emails, phone calls, and questions from clients and colleagues alike. How are you supposed to enjoy the time with your loved ones when your ringtone keeps playing in the background, right?

How to be efficient and finish work so you can enjoy the holidays

Being a virtual worker, it’s easy to take your work with you. That’s not advisable when you want to enjoy the festive season though. To avoid stress in the middle of your break, we’ve provided some tips on finishing work before the holidays come around.

Decide your availability

Be able to take time off without getting distracted with work. If you decide to be off the grid while on break, stand on your word. Turn off any notifications and avoid checking your emails. Prepare escalation pathways should any issues emerge while you’re away.

Finish tasks in advance

For many virtual assistants, there is no such thing as a paid leave so they choose to take their work with them. Avoid this scenario by completing many of your tasks ahead. There will still be catching up to do when you get back but at least not as much.

Consider your location

As the Philippines opens for gatherings again, you might find yourself celebrating outside your home. If you’ve decided to be available, check that your venue has internet connectivity so people may contact you. You might need a spot to work on your laptop too so consider that too.

Make a game plan

To go about finishing work before the holidays, list down all of your ongoing projects while noting the current status of each. Include a summary about each project in case somebody needs to step up in your absence. Whenever possible, plot out what you’re planning to do with each campaign.

Automate your tasks

Automation makes perfect sense for tasks that you’re unable to finish ahead of time. For instance, it’s not advised to publish everything on social media at one time. Scheduling your posts means you won’t have to be present to get your posts online but on time.

Involve your team

Talk to your team and figure out who will be covering some of your responsibilities and roles while you’re away. Having more than one person work on your tasks means you’ll be finishing work before the holidays. You’ll also give your colleagues a hand this way so they may enjoy the season.

Set communication methods

Think about when you’d like people to check in and how. For example, you may give yourself 1 hour every morning and 1 hour every evening to check emails and other messages. Doing so lets your team know when is the ideal time to contact you for concerns.

Prepare your key clients

If you’re juggling multiple projects at a time, communicate with your clients a few weeks beforehand. Provide the dates when you’ll be less available or unavailable altogether. Depending on their needs, you might need to touch base every so often but make it clear that you’re on vacation.

Tidy up your workstation

Nothing is as good for clearing your thoughts as a bit of cleaning. Tidying up allows you to take stock of what needs to be done before the holidays. Do the same for your computer by organising your folders, cleaning up the desktop, and making backup copies.

Consider sub-contracting

You might know of other virtual assistants who are doing the same work as you. Think about sub-contracting your projects to them for the meantime. This will lower your income as well as theirs, but it will help you in finishing work before the holidays.

Prepare for your return

Minimise the stress and chaos after enjoying the holidays by preparing the things you know are the most urgent. Schedule a meeting with your team the day you return or even on the same day so you’re up to speed. If the whole team was on break too, a catch-up is a must for when everyone gets back.

Capable of finishing work before the holidays?

Now that you know how to be efficient and finish work so you can enjoy the holidays, the next logical step is to get to it! Don’t have a virtual job where you may put your knowledge into practice? We at Remote Workmate are here to help you find an online placement.

We are an offshore staffing firm that specialises in connecting remote professionals like you with reputable employers around the world. We understand how much it means to be able to take a break for the Christmas season so we hope the tips we’ve provided will help you.