Peak season planning: 4 top tips
In the world of business, the peak season of Q3 and Q4 isn’t for the faint-hearted.
As businesses come back alive after the summer holidays, it’s all hands on deck.
And the race to end another year with a big bang can take its toll on employees’ mental health. So if you’ve bitten off more than you can chew, here’s what to do.
1. Create an uncrackable calendar
During busy seasons, you don’t have mental energy to waste.
If you fancy yourself a multitasker, maybe save this for quieter times of the year.
According to the American Psychological Association, multitasking can hurt your productivity by a staggering 40%. It can also lead to unnecessary mistakes.
Instead…
Upload your whole life onto your calendar to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.
This includes meetings, personal appointments, and focus time.
If you’ve got in-person meetings booked, don’t forget to schedule in travel time too.
And if you’re managing a project, keep it real and schedule in some wiggle room.
It’s also worth spending a few minutes figuring out your calendar’s notification settings.
If you want to stay on the very top of your game, schedule in reminder notifications days or hours in advance, so you can keep calm and carry on.
2. Write it down (or it didn’t happen)
As invincible as your third coffee might make you feel, mistakes happen.
You don’t want them to, especially during high-pressure periods like Q3 and Q4.
Skipping basic efficiencies ends up being more inefficient in the long run.
If you don’t write important things down, you may forget them. In turn, this could snowball into letting your stakeholders down – your client, your manager, your team.
The damage doesn’t end there. This can also weigh down on your mental health.
While you’re probably a task whiz – appreciate that this can be a challenging time, and be compassionate with yourself by putting systems in place.
Plus, consider the very real dopamine surge after crossing something off your to-do list (thank you, completion bias).
End your workday on a feel-good note by keeping a written list, and marvelling at everything you achieved that day.
3. Use your words
Teamwork is all about communication, communication, communication.
Are regular updates not your team’s strong suit? Talk about it.
Have the goal posts changed and the deadline now can’t be met? Flag it.
Has your manager been slow to respond when time is of the essence? Raise it.
Be careful because this can swing too far in the other direction.
You don’t want to flood yourself and your team with too many updates.
According to McKinsey, 80% of executives are considering or rolling out changes to how meetings are held in response to how people worked during lockdown.
So take a mindful approach with how updates are managed – is it one meeting every two days?
Or a group chat where everyone shares a succinct status update?
4. You don’t have to do everything
AI tools can be a game-changer, especially during peak seasons.
If there are simple tasks you’re pouring precious energy into, take note from the 4 Ds of Effective Time Management and delegate what you can to AI.
For example, if you’re struggling with task initiation (starting a task), get your brain juices flowing with a thought-provoking conversation about it with Chat GPT.
You might walk away with actionable insights, or thought starters to get you going.
If you’re not the most confident (or diplomatic) writer, but you’re struggling with internal communication over email, lean on tools like Grammarly for support.
In the fast-paced environment of Q3 and Q4, proper organisation and prioritisation are key. By using smart strategies like managing your calendar, writing things down, communicating effectively, and leveraging AI, you’ll be better equipped to handle the busiest seasons with calm and clarity, without sacrificing your mental health.