How to Be More Productive in Winter

Well, hi there, and Happy New Year!

Can you believe it’s 2015 already? (Can you believe we’re all still surprised each new year, even though we saw it coming months away?)

New years are, I think, an awesome time. We’re all filled with so much positive energy, so many goals and ambitions. We’re ready to tackle the world, improve ourselves and our lives, and (if you’re anything like me) our businesses.

But then something gets in the way… and I think it’s winter.

Think about it: we start each new year with plans, but then the cold slowly seeps away our energy and we’re left huddled under as many blankets as we can find, knowing we should go do things but really just watching Netflix and wondering if it’s too early to go to bed.

But keeping your New Year energy is not impossible, even when it’s 10-below and still refusing to snow. It just requires a few tricks.

(If you’re reading this from the Southern Hemisphere or somewhere near the equator, you probably don’t have this problem. You can bookmark this for the future and come back next week. Just know that I am very jealous of you right now… but not so jealous that I won’t still give you a shiny new one-page business plan for the new year. You’re welcome.)

How to Be More Productive in Winter

Step 1: Get cozy

Whether you work in an office or at your kitchen table, being cold is uncomfortable and distracting. And if you’re uncomfortable and distracted, you probably won’t get much done.

So get cozy. Not so cozy that you’re ready to take a nap, but cozy enough that you’re not spending all your mental energy thinking about how much you hate the cold. Make yourself some tea a hot drink. Layer up. Put a heating pad on your chair. If your body is comfortable, your mind will be more able to focus.

Step 2: Make a to-do list

You’ve probably got a ton of ideas for the new year. Projects you want to start, projects from last year you want to finish, colleagues and clients you want to reach out to, everyday work that you want to do better…

Don’t let it all just sit in your mind and overwhelm you. Make a list. Figure out what your long-term goals are, and what you want to accomplish in the short term. Figure out what you need to do today, and what you can leave until tomorrow. Goals are wonderful, but you need a plan to accomplish them, so make a to-do list. Otherwise, you’ll just end up under that blanket watching Netflix again.

(Speaking of plans… download your free one-page business plan for 2015.)

Step 3: Focus on less

One of the hardest things about winter is how short the days are. You get up and get going in the dark, and before you know it the sun has set again and you’re wondering if 5pm is too early to go to bed. Days when it’s gloomy and you don’t see the sun at all are even worse.

When you’ve only got a few hours of daylight, your energy and focus is going to decrease rapidly.That’s part of our biological response to cold weather (we are mammals, after all.) So instead of fighting it and trying to tackle you’re entire New Year to-do list right away, focus on less. Pick just a few things every day that you’re going to do a great job at. Remember, a few things really well done are way better than a dozen things started and not even finished.

Step 4: Get outside

Speaking of daylight, go out and get some. Bundle up and take a walk around the block. Breathe in that cold air. Stand in a sunny patch and enjoy the little warmth that you can find. Try to get outside every day, even if it’s just for a few minutes. (I purposely schedule errands really inefficiently in the winter so that I have something to take me outside every day. Sadly, yes, it means this freelancer has to put on real pants. It’s still worth it.)

Not only will you feel more energized when you get back to work, the sunlight will also help regulate your internal clock. This will mean you sleep better at night, which in turn means you’ll wake up with more energy earlier in the morning.

Step 5: Get some exercise

Along with that sunlight, you need to get in some movement every day.

This isn’t about your new year fitness goals, or losing weight, or any of that stuff. There are other blogs for that. This is about keeping your blood moving and your energy up when the sky has been solid clouds for two weeks in a row. You don’t have to become a CrossFit nut overnight (you don’t even have to leave your home) but you do have to do something. It will get you off the computer and away from your desk, it will give you energy and help you generate new ideas. So go get some, and you’ll start feeling more productive immediately.

What other strategies do you use to stay productive in the winter?

 

P.S. – How much you need to earn this year & the secret to getting more done in a day.