The holiday season tends to mean lots of quality time with family and friends, but it is also a time of high stress for most entrepreneurs and business owners.
It can be difficult to balance all of your commitments between work and your personal life, especially when you’re used to having your foot heavy on the gas pedal. A lot of people feel guilty stepping on the breaks during this time of the year.
It doesn’t have to feel this way. You can find a balance between the craziness of the holiday season and keep your professional life afloat. Here are a few tips to help you get some peace, enjoy the time you spend with your loved ones, and maybe even get a little rest.
1. PLAN AHEAD.
The last thing you want to do to yourself during this hectic time of the year is not have a plan, because you’ll get stuck doing everything last minute. This is a guaranteed way to unnecessarily stress yourself out. Take a few minutes this week and set aside specific days for shopping, gift wrapping, cooking, or annual holiday traditions.
2. SCHEDULE TIME OFF WORK — NOW.
Get ahead of the game and keep your colleagues informed by notifying everyone of your time off now. Strategically select a few days when you will be out of the office. What we mean by strategically is that there are some dates during the holiday season — like between Christmas and New Year’s — when even if you were to be working, you wouldn’t be able to get much done because everyone else you need to collaborate with would be out of the office themselves. If you can’t beat them, join them!
Plus, taking some time to reset before the start of 2023 allows you to come back stronger, with more positive and productive energy.
3. DON’T OVEREXTEND YOURSELF.
During the holiday season, there are more than enough gatherings that will be requesting your attendance. While it’s tempting to say yes to every single one of them, keeping a few days for yourself to recharge is good practice. If you’re having a hard time deciding which ones to attend, try to eliminate “duplicate” events where you would see the same people at each. Prioritize events where you will see people that you rarely get to connect with.
You don’t want to be booking yourself up every weekend only to feel even more drained once the holiday season is over — that’s no way to kick off 2023.
4. LEARN TO SAY NO.
Learning how to kindly say no is one of the all-time most important life skills. Determine where your boundaries stand this holiday season and stick to them. Saying yes to too many things — even if it’s fun gatherings with your family and friends — can make you feel resentful and exhausted. The last thing you want to do is have these negative feelings towards your loved ones during this time of the year.
If someone asks you to attend or do something that is outside of your boundaries, you can politely respond by saying “Unfortunately I won’t be able to attend this year — I wish I could. Let’s catch up in January!” You don’t need to give an excuse or a reason. Most people will understand and even be grateful for your directness and boundary-setting.
5. DON’T ABANDON YOUR HEALTHY HABITS.
It’s easy to get lost in the holiday madness, which results in your healthy routines taking a temporary backseat to everything else that is going on. But you already know that exercising and eating healthy makes you feel your best, you shouldn’t be abandoning these habits. Keep them up! This goes for other healthy rituals like meditation, waking up early, journaling, and resting.
6. BE KIND.
Remember, the holidays are difficult for many people. Try to empathize with those around you who may be acting rude or out of character. They are most likely going through something and doing their best to cope. In tense moments, take some deep breaths and respond with kindness. It will do them and yourself some good.
Having a work-life balance is only half the battle. Over the next couple months, we challenge you to separate the two on a mental level — so that when you’re with your family, you aren’t thinking about the meeting you have in two weeks or the deal that has been put on pause over the holidays. Take this time to live in the present, enjoy time with your loved ones, and get some rest. Work will be there when you come back.