If you're lucky enough to be enjoying a week, if not two, off work this year, thanks to the Christmas holidays, we're encouraging you to use them to recharge and plan for the year ahead...
Whether you're an MD or employee - at any level - at least some of these tips are going to be relevant to you. Keep focused - there's only a few days left then follow our advice!
Our guide to keeping your Christmas break well-spent and batteries fully-charged...
1. Sleep in!
Use the two-week break for what it's good for - R & R! Fill your mornings with lazy lie-ins and enjoy splurging on questionable daytime TV and Christmas films. After all, those 6am starts all year have earned you this time to concentrate on yourself and your family.
2. Clean and organise!
Sometimes work gets in the way of things we'd like to do. Clear out your wardrobe and redecorate your living space, if necessary. Use the time to tidy up your office too and clear out old papers / files.
3. Shop!
Enjoy the sales! Shop for new work outfits, briefcase, computer software etc. Take time to update your home, closet or car and enjoy them as chilly January quickly comes around. Treat the family - enjoy meals out and cinema trips!
4. Holidays!
Plan your calendar to fit birthdays, major personal and global events and squeeze in holidays too. Clarify them with your boss upon return by filling in your holiday forms. Daydream and plan for summer holidays - they will come around quicker than you know. Budget for holidays during the year and other expenses. Sort finances before they start flying out of your bank account.
5. Commute
Is there are better way to get to work, in terms of physical assertion or financial gain? Improve your life by cleaning the car out, checking public transport costs and ensuring that your way is still the best way.
6. January
When you return to work there is going to be two weeks of emails in your inbox. Make a defined plan for what will capture your attention first and what is less important. Start the year off with a strategy of who to contact, what to do and when.
7. Year Goals
What is the company goal for the year ahead? If not the company, what is your personal goal for the year? Are you seeking promotion or a new opportunity in the company or elsewhere. Strategise for such goals and work out an achievable time frame and plan of action.
Most of all, we know what it can be like to feel a little burnt out, so use this time to recuperate and rejuvenate the parts of your life that have been slightly abandoned of late.
