For many, the New Year brings fresh motivation, ambitious goals, and plenty of energy. But as the initial buzz fades and Blue Monday looms, it’s easy to slip back into old habits. Sound familiar? Fear not – we’ve asked our plate-spinning accounts team for their top tips to stay productive in 2025.
The power of a list!
For the Ultimate team, one thing is certain – nothing beats a list! As Account Manager Beth agrees: “I swear by a good old list. There’s something about ticking something off that just feels so satisfying.”
Our CM Senior Exec Nat chips in: “it has to be a handwritten list for me – physically crossing something off with a pen scratches my brain just right.”
Top tips:
- If you’re struggling to get your day started, adding a couple of quick and easy tasks (eg. ‘look over my calendar for the week’, or even just ‘make my morning coffee’) and crossing them off can really help get your brain into ‘reward mode’.
- Keep the momentum going by building yourself up from smaller to bigger tasks throughout the day. The more difficult the task, the more rewarding that ‘tick!’ will feel!
Calendar blocking
When trying to focus on deep work, the last thing your brain wants is to be pulled away and distracted by requests or messages.
As Nat says: “I find it really helpful to block out my calendar for tasks that require dedicated time and brainpower. It means everyone on the team can see that I’m not available during this slot, preventing distractions and allowing me to really get into a focused mindset.”
Of course, requests can still poke their way through, but Nat continues with a great tip to make sure you catch the reminder without falling off-task: “I have a hand-drawn chart on my desk divided into urgent, end of today, and this can wait.’ When new requests come in, I delegate and jot them down accordingly. Keeps me on top of things without losing focus.”
Blocks in your calendar can also be a great way to visualise milestones for bigger projects. As Senior Digital Project Manager Mollie explains: “when a go-live date, or big review checkpoint comes round, you know you have the time set aside already to give it your full attention.”
Top tips:
- Blocking out consistent times of the week for deep work (eg. Monday and Thursday afternoons, or every hour after lunch breaks) can help your team to predict and work around your schedule.
- Consider setting a timer on your phone or laptop during deep work sessions – having a visual reference of how long you have left can help you to stay on track. As Beth says: “It doesn’t pressure me to finish but helps me maintain focus.”
Working from home
Here at Ultimate, we champion flexibility and remote working, but we also recognise the importance of setting mental boundaries between our work and personal lives when working from home.
Many people find the best way to do this is to have a dedicated ‘desk’ or working spot. As Nat says: “I try my best to always work in my office chair, at my desk in the dining room. The room largely goes unused in our day-to-day lives, so it’s great to have a space where I can ‘arrive to’ and ‘clock off from’ work accordingly, with the rest of my home designated for recreation.”
However, Beth takes a different approach – assigning areas of her home to different work modes. “My home office is for deep-focus work, while I find the kitchen table is perfect for client or internal calls. Dividing my space by task really helps me switch gears mentally.”
Top tips:
- If you can, assigning a room or area of your home for work helps to create a mental boundary between your professional and personal life.
- Don’t slip on your morning routine! Waking up at the same time daily, and getting dressed and ready like you would on office days can be significant in setting your brain up to “head to work” – leading to more energy, focus, and productivity.
- It’s common to pop out on your lunch break when working in an office, so it’s important to make sure you’re getting that fresh air when working from home, too – taking us nicely to our next section!
Wellbeing and breaks
You may think the secret to productivity is non-stop work, but quite the opposite is true! Taking breaks are not only helpful, but necessary, to replenish your energy and focus.
As our Creative Director Amy tells us: “getting out for a walk over lunch is absolutely key when I really need to focus. When you’re stuck on something, or find your energy is depleting, a blast of fresh air can do wonders.”
Account Manager Beth agrees: “getting out for a walk and some fresh air also helps me clear my head if I’m just having one of those days.”
Top tips:
- It’s important to remember that your focus is never going to be 100% all of the time. Instead of treading over the same problem without progress, why not take a quick break for some fresh air – you’ll often find the answer comes to you a lot quicker!
- If you and your partner or housemate both work from home, a quick chat at the kettle or coffee machine can feed your social batteries, giving your brain a healthy break.
Final advice from our team!
As Blue Monday creeps, we hope our top tips for productivity will help you maintain your momentum in 2025! Here’s some sign-off tips to send you on your way to success.
- “If there’s something I mustn’t forget in the future (e.g. following up on a task in a few weeks’ time), I’ll often schedule an email to myself to arrive with a quick reminder just before the deadline! Thanks, past self.” – Nat
- “For speedy task switching, I keep my most-used tabs pinned (e.g. client hubs, reports, project timelines). If you use Chrome, grouping your tabs by client or project is fantastic, too!” – Mollie
- “I find I have most of my energy in the mornings, so I schedule my toughest tasks to be tackled before lunch. Everyone is different so work to your schedule!” – Nat
Need some help from our talented project team? Why not get in touch to discuss your next brand, web, or digital project.
