Outside, the weather may be frightful….but you’re stuck inside an office building collating papers all day while your boss and their family jets off to sunny beaches for the week. It can be depressing, especially when you look outside and see nothing but gray skies.  This is especially true if you live in Michigan.

During the holiday season, 93 million people will travel.  Employees have been saving their vacation time to be out of the office during a traditionally slower time.  So what does that mean for those who are working during the holidays?  It means offices are quiet and there are fewer people to talk with.  This time becomes very important to try and stay motivated in an empty office building.

Here are some ways that you can stay motivated during the holiday season:

9 Ways to Stay Productive During The Holidays

1. Clean Your Office

Take some time and go through your office area, closet, filing cabinet, desk tops, email inbox, whatever and make sure what items you need or which can be discarded. Cleaning is a great distraction from everyday boredom, so find some time for your office.

2. Schedule Business Meetings During Slow Times

You can invite potential or current clients to your office during the holiday season. The business meeting can be as formal or informal as you like, but make sure you stack the place with plenty of refreshments. You can serve finger foods or have a local restaurant cater the lunch. Whatever you do, do not spike the eggnog.

3. Planning for Next Year

A lot of businesses are given a yearly budget to spend before the year is up, and leftover funds cannot be rolled over into next year, so they are lost. If you act quickly, you can build relationships with these companies and then hit them up for business. As the end of the year comes, they will have excess cash that will not be around for the New Year, so why not spend it now?

4. Review Your Marketing or Business Expansion Plan

Take a look at your goals and see which ones have been accomplished and find dates of completion for your other plans. If you have any unfinished goals, you can add them to the list for next year. The end of the year gets many people worried about next year, but this is your chance to be one step ahead.

[RELATED: Job Search During the Holiday Season in 5 Easy Steps]

5. Go to Every Networking or Holiday Event

When the holidays are in season, you can bet there will be holiday parties. But while others are busy socializing, you can be busy building relationships with people you meet at these events. Keep your eyes open because you never know when you’ll pick up a new client.

6. Stay Physically Active

Keep generating those endorphins to keep you moving mentally.  Try taking a lap around your office building to get some fresh air.  Also, watch what you eat and drink.  People bring in goodies during the holidays, and it is easy to graze at your desk.  Too much sugar will give you a “sugar high” but the crash is coming.

7. Revitalize Your Online Profile

Update your Linkedin, maybe even get a new headshot and add some new content to your Instagram or blog. Do your profiles look like someone ready to tackle the new year head on?

8. Offer Closeout Deals

If you are a small business, discount prices and packages for existing clients or even new clients is a great way to form alliances with a strategic business. Deals allow you to reach that one tough client you’ve been trying to get and at this time of the year, a lot of bosses want to look good on the bottom line.

9. Switch it Up and Do Something Different Every Day

Have coffee from somewhere new or just add two sugars instead of one. No matter what it is, just try something new. Break up the monotony.