🎉 The 2020 Holiday Guide: Productivity Edition
Stay in this holiday with insightful movies to watch, self-study resources, and more productive-leisure tips.
After a quite challenging year, you deserve all the rests you can take during this 2020 holiday. This guide is here to help you elevate your leisure time at home by incorporating productivity without taking away your well-deserved relaxing time.
May you come out of the holidays with a more refreshed mind, body, and soul.
Facing the storm before the calm
Before you get to go on your long-awaited staycation, or binge-watch your favorite shows on Netflix, you probably have 1001 things to get done first. While you finish all the last bits of work, or get all the holiday gifts ready for your loved ones, make sure to stay on top of your busy schedule by:
Not overbooking yourself. It’s easy to say yes to all the (hopefully) virtual NYE invitations or pre-NYE get-togethers. Remember not to exhaust yourself mentally or physically and say ‘no’ when you need to, even to virtual meetings and catch-ups.
Scheduling a worry time. According to an American Psychological Association survey, not having enough time is the leading holiday stressor. Allocate 15-30 minutes each week to sit on your problems and free up your mind for the rest of the week.
Setting time limits. As you juggle many different tasks at once, set your focus straight by putting time limits for each task. Give stricter time limits for less critical tasks such as checking your inbox or online shopping.
Maintaining your routine. No matter how packed your schedule gets nearing the end of the year, try to stick with your daily routine. Having a set routine helps to lower stress and anxiety levels, which leads to higher productivity.
Read more ways you can take to end the year on a high note here.
Making the most of your day-offs
Leisure time is actually one of the best times for you to expand your horizons and learn new things. Especially during a pandemic like this year, passive learning through fun and interesting forms of content helps the brain become less defensive and absorb information faster and more easily. Here are some recommendations of lessons-filled content you can consume on your staycation or just at home:
Movies
Moneyball (2011). This movie about an on-budget football team’s quest for success was recommended by our speaker, Luky Primadani, in our most recent Mekari Talks. It is filled with strategies which are based on design thinking.
The Intern (2015). The plot follows a 70-year-old retiree who decided to apply for an internship at an e-commerce fashion startup. One of the skills needed for the future of work, adaptability, is heavily showcased throughout the movie.
YouTube Channels
WIRED. This American media platform publishes a lot of informative series in shorter video forms. The Technique Critique series has experts analyze the way their expertise is portrayed on film and TV. The Mythbusting series debunks common misconceptions about certain topics—from sleep to cybersecurity.
Ellen Kelley. Just like other walks of life, there is also a genre of influencers involved in all-things productivity. Ellen is one of them, posting videos on Desktop Apps (e.g. Momentum, Xmind, Taskade) to increase productivity and practical Time Management tips, among others.
Podcasts
Makna Talks. This podcast features different public figures every week to talk about life lessons they’ve learned, with discussions ranging from privileges to transformational technology.
30 Days of Lunch. With 30 episodes in each season, you can turn this podcast on at lunch every day for a month to learn more about topics like minimalism, investments, or personal ones like marriage.
Self-care in the form of self-study
On days when you feel like you need a boost of productivity to stop yourself from being too drowsy from all the relaxing, these self-study platforms are always ready to welcome you with open arms. Google Digital Garage offers free courses on Data, Digital Marketing, and Career Development. Saylor Academy allows you to pick up a subject outside of your degree at school, including Art History and Computer Science. Coursera facilitates you with video training, post-tests, and monitoring professors on courses such as Language Learning, Health, and Math and Logic.
You can find even more self-study resources on this list.
With this last Monday Mavens edition of the year, we hope to send you off to a more productive year ahead, filled with personal growth milestones.
Happy holidays from the Monday Mavens team to you and your loved ones!