Speaker 1: 0:01

Hey there and welcome to Productivity Hacks, your go-to podcast for quick hacks to help you to get things done and to do them well. I’m Jasmine, your host, productivity coach and consultant, and my mission is to help people increase their productivity so that they have time for what really matters. Each week, I’ll bring you a short episode packed with tips that you can implement right away to boost your output. So let’s dive in. Hi and welcome back to Productivity Hacks. Today we’re talking about finishing the year strong without falling into Christmas completely overdone, potentially like the turkey. But here’s the thing these tips aren’t just for the end of the year or before you take time off. They’re principles you can apply to planning any week or month to avoid overwhelm and to keep your energy steady. So, whether you’re prepping for a break or just trying to stay on top of things, this episode will help you focus on what really matters so you can stay productive without burning out. I’m going to explore some of the psychology of overload and rest. I’ll share with you practically what I have done this week and how it’s helped, and then I’m going to challenge you to do the same. It won’t take you long to apply these principles, but doing it could be the difference between you, entering the Christmas season, feeling like an overdone turkey, charred around the edges, rather tough and unpalatable, or as a perfectly rested, delicious, succulent turkey that is a blessing to everyone around. So let’s get going. So, for those of you who’ve listened to my podcast before, you’ll know that I always like to lift the lid on not just the what in terms of what can help in key areas, but for those of us who like the context, I always want to share with you the why. So let’s start there. Let’s start with the why, because understanding the psychology behind this stuff is key to changing how we plan.

Speaker 1: 2:01

There are three things that I want to touch on here Decision fatigue, the Zeigarnik effect, or Zeigarnik effect, and allostatic load. I’m not quite sure how to pronounce the second one, you tell me. So the first one is decision fatigue. Have you ever stood in the supermarket at five o’clock unable to decide what to cook for dinner? Because your brain feels fried? That’s decision fatigue. Our brains can only handle so many decisions in a day before they start to slow down, and if you overload your week with tasks or fail to plan properly, every little decision like what to tackle next becomes exhausting. I almost see it, as I have a certain amount of decisions I can make in a day, and once that bank is used up, then it is painful to crawl to a decision. Deciding what to watch on tv some evenings feels completely impossible. You may have heard the term being your future friend. I like to use it and think about any decisions that I can pre-make in advance, such as meal planning, so I don’t have to think about that on a daily basis, or even deciding my clothes the night before. Every decision that you can make in advance or in bulk saves one of those precious decisions you need on the day. This is why planning well and pre-making decisions about what your priorities are can be extremely helpful.

Speaker 1: 3:27

The second one is the Zeigarnik effect. Do you ever lie awake at night running through unfinished tasks in your head? That is the Zeigarnik effect at work, which suggests that people remember unfinished or interrupted tasks better than completed tasks. These unfinished tasks create mental clutter because your brain keeps holding on to them, like a browser on your computer with 50 tabs open. The more incomplete items on your list, the harder it is to switch off Having less tabs open in your brain by making the decisions before and actually closing some tabs. So closing projects, tasks, responsibilities. This dramatically reduces the amount of things that your brain thinks it needs to remember.

Speaker 1: 4:15

And the last one is allostatic load. Have you ever powered through a busy period at work only to feel unwell the moment that you take a break? That’s allostatic load, your body’s stress response system working overtime. When we don’t build in rest or recovery, stress accumulates and by the time we stop, such as taking a break from work, our bodies are already depleted and it makes it harder to enjoy the time off we’ve been working so hard for. I, for one, don’t want to feel run down again this Christmas. I want to really enjoy it. So these examples they’re not just frustrating, they’re actually avoidable, and the solution is to plan smarter, focus on less and protect your energy. When you take control of your workload and build in rest, you allow your brain and body to work at their best, which is what I have been attempting to do this week, and I strongly encourage you to do so as you prepare for any time off, or you can even adopt these principles every week so you can enjoy your weekends.

Speaker 1: 5:20

Okay, so what have I been doing this week? I have been putting these principles into action to avoid hitting Christmas completely wiped out. I don’t want to be sprinting as fast as I can with work, pushing myself to do all the things, as well as all the things that come with having primary school aged family, and the Christmas events that take priority but can feel like an immense burden if not managed right in the midst of everything. I don’t want to collapse over that finish line when I finish for Christmas, unable to get up and celebrate with my family and friends. I want to finish with energy to spare, knowing that the main things have been done and I can close all the work tabs in my brain and on my computer and completely switch off.

Speaker 1: 6:09

So this week I have done five things. Number one I mapped out my time. I worked out how much time I actually have left this year, not just in days and weeks but in real, usable hours. This gave me a clear picture of what’s realistic. I made sure key things were in the diary for work and home, so I had that clear picture of actually what time I had. Then, number two, I did a brain dump, which basically is that dumping everything from your brain. I wrote down everything I wanted to do before Christmas from work projects to personal goals and I got it out of my head. Getting it out of your head makes it easier to see what you’ve got on and then what truly matters, which brings me on to point three set my priorities. So that’s what I did.

Speaker 1: 7:02

From that big brain dump, which was so cathartic, I chose what’s most important. I thought about what I wanted to feel like when I finished for the Christmas break and what I needed to prioritise work and home, so my kids, their Christmas events, the school things I need to remember, and I’m going away for the weekend with family, so this leaves less home time for all the home things. So what I did was I created a list of my top priorities from this brain dump and I’ve stuck that on my wall. It’s not very pretty, but it’s very functional. I also know that I probably have planned too much, so I have planned it in order so that I know the top ones are the ones that I need to do first. On this list, I’ve put my top priorities for me personally so I don’t crawl over that finish line. Things like not working in the evenings and spending more and more time to get through the work list. I know I need to go on walks, I need to move my body, and I know it’s important to spend time with my kids and my husband and also my cats.

Speaker 1: 8:08

So, on my priority list, my top two things that I want to focus on before Christmas are this podcast, because this is so key to me. I love doing it, I love sharing with you guys, and I want to write and record enough episodes to see me through to mid-January. I don’t want to worry about this podcast while I’m off work. I don’t want to feel like this thing that I love becomes a burden, so that is why it is my number one priority. My second is some consultancy work that I’m currently doing with an incredible charity, and I want to dedicate most of my time after my podcast to that. Having this list has helped me make some great decisions, because I could cancel things that are taking me away from my top two priorities. I can say no to things or not now to some things. To those new opportunities that look great, but I know I don’t have time for things. To those new opportunities that look great, but I know I don’t have time for it has made some of the decisions for me in advance and I’m clear about what I need to say yes to.

Speaker 1: 9:13

My fourth point is that I have been flexible. I also had other goals in my top priority list at first, but I’ve already had second thoughts about my capacity. For example, I wanted to completely finish my coaching qualification. Now that I’ve done all the coaching hours I need to, this has been a bit of a slog. I started working towards my ILM level 7 in executive and senior level coaching in early September 2023. I’ve committed hours and hours and hours, hundreds of hours, to this qualification, with the live training, with all my work before the training, my reflections, my notes. I’ve done a big essay already that took forever, and I’ve completed 72 hours of free coaching with senior executives, plus the reflections, the notes and the critical analysis of my work. So, as you can see, I’ve spent a lot of hours on this, hundreds and hundreds. I want to get it done and ticked off.

Speaker 1: 10:16

Finishing involves two big final assignments and I thought I’d like to get them done before Christmas. On reflection, I just don’t have the time, not with focusing on my podcast and the consultancy work, which are my priorities. So I’ve decided I want to complete the first assignment and I’m pretty much there with that, and then I’m going to aim to do the final bit in January. However, I know I need to stay flexible and I may just shelve this idea and do both in quarter one. It is my own personal deadlines that are spurring me on. There’s no other deadlines that have been set, and I had a great catch up with those on my coaching cohort on Thursday and that really helped me work out my capacity. So, if you’re listening, thank you guys.

Speaker 1: 11:02

The important thing there is keeping flexible and figuring out if I do have the time to do this or if I’m taking on too much, and actually what are my main priorities. Keeping going back to that, the other thing that I did was look at two other bigger projects that were on my original list of things that I wanted to complete, and I have realised I do not have capacity to do this. So instead of completing them, finishing them before Christmas, my new goal is just to start them, because I know that I want to have a little look at them, break them down into those smaller steps, and that means in January I can hit the ground running with them and start January with clarity rather than overwhelm in those two areas. If the next few weeks throw me some curveballs, I promise to myself that I will be flexible with my priorities and my plan. The other thing that’s helped me here is I loosely mapped out my main projects for next year and this helped in saying not now to things. So I’m not saying no to things I’m saying not now. So I’m particularly. I’m not saying no to things I’m saying not now, so I’m particularly. Looking at quarter one. It’s all very flexible because I’m in charge, but having a high level view helps me feel grounded and it means that if I’m saying no to something now, I can put in the plan for the new year.

Speaker 1: 12:19

And number five I am trying to build in rest. So when setting my priorities I made sure to include rest, like things like not working on an evening, having times when I can switch off, prioritising rest at home rather than doing more and more and more activities. I made the decision to read more fiction and non-fiction and rather than staring at the tv or scrolling my phone. I’ll do this, as I know this makes me feel so much more rested. So since doing these five things, I feel calmer, I’m not panicking about the time I have left and all the things that I have to do. I am clear on my priorities. I have closed down the tabs in my brain. I need to, or, when they pop up again, closing them down until the time is right. I have pre-made decisions to save that decision fatigue and I’m making steps to ensure that I don’t build the stress in the next three weeks and then collapse into Christmas and end up feeling unwell. So I’ve got five tips for you, linked to what I’ve done to help you finish that year strong If you’re feeling overloaded as this year ends. Here they are so.

Speaker 1: 13:31

Number one plan out your time. Work out how much time you’ve got left and block it out realistically. Remember the extra things that come up with Christmas and take those into account when looking at your capacity. Number two do a brain dump. Write down everything you want to do, the things that you feel you have to do. Write down every open tab in your brain for work, home, life, christmas, family. Dump everything down on the page and it will make you feel so much better already. Number three is prioritise ruthlessly. Think about the top things that you really do want to get done for work and life. Focus on less, because less really is more. I created my list and then I slashed it in half and it is likely that I’m going to need to slash it more.

Speaker 1: 14:21

When you have your priorities, don’t be afraid to postpone meetings until the new year to say no or not now to things offered, and ensure you really are only focusing on the main things that you have decided to focus on. Number four stay flexible. Life happens, so give yourself permission to shift plans if needed. If you decide that something else is a priority to do, then you need to stop doing something else so that you don’t fall into the trap of just taking on more and more and more. A key thing is remembering that if you say yes to something, then you are actually saying no to something else. So check that you are saying no to something and not just saying yes to more and upping your load, and also check that the thing that you need to say no to is the best decision for you to make.

Speaker 1: 15:10

And number five is prioritise rest Time off is about recovery. Is prioritise rest Time off is about recovery, not cramming everything in, and rest in the lead up to that is productive. You want to start the Christmas period or your time off, feeling ready for everything that it brings. These aren’t just end of year strategies. As well, you can apply them every week or month to stay focused and avoid burnout. So use those principles of number one plenty of time. Two, do a brain dump. Three prioritise ruthlessly. Four, stay flexible. And five building rest as you plan your weeks or you plan your months. It honestly really really helps. By using these principles regularly, you’ll stay ahead of the overwhelm and you’ll feel more in control, whether it’s an ordinary week or a lead up to a big event or time off.

Speaker 1: 16:00

So here’s your challenge this week, as you prepare for your next break, or even next week, try this Number one map out all your time that’s really available to you and be truthful to yourself. Map out all your time that’s really available to you and be truthful to yourself. Number two do a brain dump of all the things, all the tabs that are in your brain. Number three prioritize ruthlessly. Decide on what really matters in order. Have a number one priority. And number two and number three make sure they really matter. Promise to yourself that you will keep flexible if needs be, and remember that flexibility doesn’t mean just taking on more and more, but if you decide to change and prioritise something else, that you actually stop doing something and not just do more. And number five protect your energy and building rest. And number five protect your energy and building rest. A key question to ask yourself is what can wait? What will help me recharge? This will really help you in deciding what your priorities are in the next few weeks.

Speaker 1: 17:09

So that’s it for today. Whether you’re finishing the year or just planning your week, remember this Productivity isn’t about doing everything. It’s not about doing all the things, no matter the cost. It’s about doing what matters most to you in a sustainable way that works for you. I’d love to hear how you’re using these strategies, so do drop me a message and share your tips.

Speaker 1: 17:33

Please share this podcast with a friend or colleague and if these episodes are helping you, I’d love it if you took a minute to rate and review the show so that others can find me. Next week, I’ll be talking to you about having a word for the year and how it can be a great anchor for focus and long-term productivity. But until then, here’s to finishing strong with focus, energy and maybe even a little bit of zest. Take care, and I’ll see you next week. That’s it for today. Thank you for tuning into the Productivity Hacks podcast with me, jasmine. What is your action point today? Write it down and make time to do it. If you like what you’ve heard, follow this podcast to get notifications of the weekly episodes and please, please, share it with your friends.