Has the fog lifted? Or are you still trying to fight your way back to motivation after a weekend of turkey-induced napping, holiday shopping and family visits?

If you claim the latter, I completely understand. Job searching requires a lot of dedication and self-control, especially during the holidays when distractions are plentiful. Perhaps you are wondering: "How can I stay focused on the hunt when the holidays are whirring around me? And, if everyone is as distracted as I am, is it really a good time to look for work?"

Let's talk timing. The old myth goes something like this. "Everyone is either distracted during the holidays, busy with year-end activities, or taking their final vacation days, so ... job hunting during December is just a waste of time."

The reality is closer to this. Yes, some people are distracted, busy or on vacation during December, but that statement also holds true for April, June, August ... pick a month.

Here's the truth: As long as companies are posting jobs (and companies are always posting jobs), you need to be ready to react to those opportunities.

If you take December off, that's fine. Many job seekers will. However, if you choose this option, do so because of what's going on in your own life. Don't base your decision on a moldy old myth.

If you choose to keep searching during December (and I really think you should), the following strategies can help you stay committed to the task.

Manage your time. If you let it, time can swallow you up. That's why companies place so much emphasis on time management and productivity. But it's really not time that you need to manage, it's you and your ability to accomplish the task.

Schedules, deadlines and to-do lists can keep you focused in your job search. Every week, schedule a set amount of time for job search activities and holiday fun. For each activity, give yourself a scheduled start time and a completion deadline. Then, hold yourself accountable.

During scheduled job searching time, don't be waylaid by easy distractions, such as spending too much time:

• checking email

• networking via social media

• searching the internet

• researching companies

• chatting with friends under the pretense of networking

Before engaging in any activity, ask yourself, 'Is this activity moving my job search forward?" If the answer is "no," drop it and move on. To be truly effective, it's important to limit or eliminate non-productive activities.

Consider your space. Having a designated, quiet, well-stocked and organized work space is essential to maximum productivity. This can be especially challenging during the holidays when it seems that every inch of available space is taken over by decorations or preparations.

As hard as it may be to do, keep one designated work space just for you.

If you absolutely can't find a quiet place at home, consider temporarily moving your "office" to a local library or quiet coffee shop. This is not my favorite choice as I find the environment too limiting ("Ugh! The file I need is at home!") and often too distracting ("Oh look, there's Sarah."). However, if you can make it work, great. Just don't let your "new" location become another old excuse.

Acquire the right tools. Having the right tools makes the job easier.

In today's electronic age, your most important tool is your computer. However, as an IT guy's wife, I have to stress that really good, up-to-date virus protection is just as important.

Please, do yourself a favor and keep your virus protection up-to-date. If you don't have virus protection, buy some or go to free.avg.com and download their Anti-Virus Free Edition for 2012. Once the program is installed, check frequently for updates, which is the only way you can hope to protect your computer from the latest viruses. Out-of-date virus protection is the same as having none at all.

Also, buy a flash drive and keep all your important documents — résumés, cover letters, company research, etc. — on it. Then, if your computer crashes, you won't lose everything.

While we're on the topic of keeping tools up-to-date, don't forget to regularly refresh and review your online résumés and profiles, such as the one you have posted at monster.com. Doing so will help your résumés to rise to the top in employer-initiated searches rather than staying buried in cyberspace.

Listen to the experts. Last week, I received an email from David Strom, business channels editor at ReadWriteWeb.com. Strom was formerly the manager of St. Louis Jobs Angels, is currently a mentor with Innovate St. Louis and has taught numerous classes on social media and LinkedIn for job seekers. Here is his advice:

• Keep your Facebook privacy settings up-to-date. Periodically, Facebook updates the screens and rearranges these settings, so you shouldn't assume that what you intended is actually happening. There are approximately 36 different settings, so plan to spend some time working your way through all of them.

• Same goes for your LinkedIn settings. LinkedIn hasn't messed around with these settings as much as Facebook, but there are still some new wrinkles, and it's worth going through them to ensure that your public image appears as you intended.

• Understand that trying to segregate your work life (in LinkedIn) and private life (in Facebook) just doesn't work out. People can find you wherever you are online. So, be consistent in who you friend and follow on every service if you can.

• If you have questionable photos of activities involving alcohol, etc. posted online, now would be a good time to just remove them. We have all seen too many of these.

• Delete any posts using profanity. This includes abbreviations.

• If you have friends that like to frequently post questionable status updates or pictures, unfriend them.

• Appreciate the fact that LinkedIn recommendations are very important. Spend some time reviewing people that were significant in your work life or who played key mentoring roles and request a recommendation. Ideally, you should have at least five or more solid ones on your profile.