How to Stay Productive During Holiday Work Weeks

It's still two days until Turkey Day, but mentally you're on vacation already. The office is probably quieter than usual, what with some folks having left early to visit relatives, and the major projects have either been wrapped up or postponed until after the holiday. So, how can you take advantage of this slow-paced work week? Some suggestions:

• Catch up on e-mail. This is the perfect time to clean out your inbox so it's nice and neat come Monday morning.
• Clean your desk. Speaking of neat, nothing beats the feeling of a clean, empty desk -- especially if it's messy most other days. File what needs filing, toss what needs tossing, and maybe do a little rearranging to mix up the cubicle decor.
• Upgrade your gear. Because there's nothing mission-critical going on this week, you can finally migrate to that new PC. The process usually takes at least a few hours; check here if you need help getting started.
• Make plans. Things are so hectic during normal work weeks, you probably never have a chance to brainstorm new business ideas, plan new projects, and so on. Take advantage of these hours of downtime to do just that.
• Make a backup. No more excuses. Plug in a flash/hard drive and back up your critical data. Research backup software and services. Sign up for Mozy and configure your system for automated online backups. In other words, start doing now what you should have been doing all along. Before disaster strikes.