Ah, the 12 Days of Christmas – but this time, without a single squawking partridge or honking goose. Because, honestly, who’s got room for all those birds in a small office? Can you imagine the desk… and the Zoom calls? Instead, let’s reimagine this classic tune with some practical business productivity tips, guaranteed to have you ready for Christmas, efficient for the new year, and, thankfully, bird-free.
“On the first day of Christmas, my VA gave to me… a clear calendar (and a nice cup of tea).”
First things first: carve out time to add in critical dates for your 2025 diary (pencilling in unconfirmed dates like ideal holiday periods, and conferences, etc. you’d like to attend). Once you’ve updated it, have a cup of tea/coffee, because you deserve it and also because this item wouldn’t rhyme without it!
“On the second day of Christmas, my VA gave to me… two client reminders.”
December is a busy time, but remember to send any invoices or project updates that are on the to-do list before people start shutting up shop for the festive break. Get them out before they’re lost in the sea of Christmas cards and tinsel!
“On the third day of Christmas, my VA gave to me… three collected receipts.”
If your expenses are scattered across various apps, drawers, and maybe under your desk, take an hour to gather, photograph, and categorise them so that you’re up to date before the Christmas break.
“On the fourth day of Christmas, my VA gave to me… four cleared-out folders.”
With an avalanche of Black Friday and Secret Santa emails already hitting your email inbox and Christmas cards cluttering your desk (and any other flat surface in the office), it could be a great time for a clear-up! Delete anything outdated in your inbox and sort what’s left into folders. It’s the same with your desk – time to file or bin anything that has been cluttering up your workspace for days/weeks/months and get it clean and tidy before your holiday starts.
“On the fifth day of Christmas, my VA gave to me… five ‘Out of Office’ replies.”
Set your Out of Office up early so you’re not thinking about it on Christmas Eve. Let clients know your return date (with maybe a buffer day, just in case, to avoid the post-holiday pile-up). If you own your own business or manage important clients who VAs or colleagues can’t support, ensure that you give them appropriate information for any emergencies that occur – and ensure they know what the term ‘emergency’ refers to, if needed!
“On the sixth day of Christmas, my VA gave to me… six strategic business goals.”
Start jotting down your goals for 2025. Think business growth, efficiency measures, outsourcing opportunities, etc. Break each one into achievable steps, so you can hit the ground running – after the last mince pie.
“On the seventh day of Christmas, my VA gave to me… seven backed-up files.”
Protect yourself from holiday tech woes by backing up essential documents. The last thing you need is a data disaster lurking under the tinsel! Make sure that your devices and folders are syncing and that everything is up to date so that you don’t return to work in 2025 without access to the essential resources that you and your clients need!
“On the eighth day of Christmas, my VA gave to me… eight moments of mindfulness.”
A busy mind is like a tangled string of Christmas lights. Christmas can be stressful and overwhelming. It doesn’t need to be Instagram perfect, as long as you, your friends, family and colleagues are happy and healthy. Take a little time to look after yourself with a moment of mindfulness – whether that’s a walk, a Christmas song on full blast, or a few minutes of quiet meditation. It’s been a long year, so look after yourself!
“On the ninth day of Christmas, my VA gave to me… nine thank-you emails.”
Spread a little festive cheer! Take a few minutes to thank clients, colleagues, or partners. Gratitude goes a long way, especially before year-end. If you are keen to save the planet (and money), you could even send a virtual Christmas card with a bespoke message to your colleague and clients – https://www.dontsendmeacard.com/ is a great tool for this, and helps you raise money for a favourite charity too.
“On the tenth day of Christmas, my VA gave to me… ten minutes’ research time.”
As well as making plans for the business, it’s great to think about some personal or professional development that could come in handy in 2025. Technology and processes and methodologies are developing at such a pace that it’s good to take some time out to update your skills or learn some new ones. Why not try an Excel course, a generative AI session, or get a formal certification or accreditation that helps to legitimise your fantastic skills? Take 10 minutes out to do some research into professional development opportunities for yourself in the new year.
“On the eleventh day of Christmas, my VA gave to me… eleven working pens.”
Tidy desk, tidy mind – isn’t that the saying? You may have polished and reshuffled your workspace, but have you double-checked that all of those pens you neatly put away actually work? I love making notes during client calls to ensure that I have all the information that I need to support them, and it’s frustrating when I grab a pen, but halfway through the call, I am simply carving shapes into the notepad with a dried-up pen. I know there are more important things in the world to worry about, but I think that a few minutes to check the stationery is a valuable use of your time!
“On the twelfth day of Christmas, my VA gave to me… twelve restful hours (at least!).”
After all the organising, remember that rest is vital. Switch off your devices, put up your feet, and prepare for a productive 2025.
And there you have it! Twelve ways to streamline, spruce up, and sail into the new year – with absolutely zero birds in sight. Unless you want one, and then I’m sure I can find you a goose from somewhere…