Over the years Girlawhirl's picked up a couple of tricks and tools to keep herself engaged at the office through the holiday season. Her number one rule: take breaks! If she wants to be at all productive during the second half of the day, she must take a real lunch break. She's also learned that means actually getting up and walking away from her computer – maybe even running an errand. Girlawhirl returns to her desk after lunch refreshed and rejuvenated, ready to tackle her workload once again.

Girlawhirl is also a regular list maker. Every morning she comes in and jots down what she'd like to accomplish that day. She finds these lists go from “helpful” to “necessary” during the busy holiday season when her mind isn't only stuffed with business facts and figures, but also with holiday plans, gift ideas, errands and of course personal party outfit purchasing. From the minuscule details to a double underlined “MUST DOs,” her To Do^® List is indispensable this time of year. Plus it helps her outline what she needs to accomplish before the year's out.

And if she's headed out to a holiday party after work, a quick re-assessment of what needs to be finished before she can put on her party shoes and leave the office is in order. Girlawhirl checks her list and shifts priorities early in the afternoon, maybe even calling in a colleague to take over a portion of the project to make sure she's not feeling the pressure as the clock ticks towards party-hour

She also knows how tempting all the sales and deals that flood her inbox are. Just a quick glance is OK? Right? The next thing she knows 15 minutes have passed and her shopping cart is full. To avoid this scenario repeating itself multiple times a day, Girlawhirl makes a special folder in her inbox and only saves the really extraordinary deals. Then she can go through them later at her leisure, usually at home, kicked back on the couch with a cup of hot cocoa.

But her best trick to beat the holiday work blues is to show up each morning refreshed from a solid night's sleep. She also likes to incorporate holiday fun into her work day, instead of denying it. She tunes in carols on low, changes her work screensaver to a holiday theme and embraces this special season for what it is. The upcoming vacation time is just a bonus.