‘Tis the season to add another layer of to-dos to your already long list. From festive parties to gift shopping to decorating to baking to everything else in-between, the holiday season is as hectic as it is holly jolly. Take a deep breath. First, and perhaps most importantly, know this: you don’t need to accept overwhelm as a holiday tradition.
On both the professional and personal fronts, you’re allowed to set boundaries on your time, limits on your budget, and hold fast to things that fill you, not drain you. As a leader, set an example for your team by gifting yourself (and them!) the intangible gifts that bring peace and grace.
In some ways, December in the office can slow down, while other aspects of your professional life get turned up to a frenetic pace. There are tasks that get pushed to the “next year’s problem” box, while others are dropped in the box labeled “we’ve got 3 weeks left to get this in before year’s end!” The reality is, neither of those responses is productive.
On the one hand, you’re just setting up January to be an overwhelming list of tasks that have sat and festered for a month. On the other hand, you’re trying to hit goals without the proper timeline and resources to successfully complete them. Step back, take a deep breath, and assess what’s in front of you.
What really needs to be done? What is a priority project that can fit into the timeline you have left and be managed (without overwhelm) by the team around the added obligations and opportunities the season brings? What is no longer a realistic goal for this current fiscal year (or any year)? Those things that can wait, can wait. Those things that can be amended and modified should be modified. Those things that must be done as soon as possible should get the attention they need. Don’t try to do it all.
It’s a good bet that most of you reading this have some measure of PTO allocated for this year’s use still available to you at this very moment. Some of you (and your team) are planning on using that time before December 31. If you’re not one of those people, you should be. Yes, you’ve got a lot to get done, but let’s be honest here, you always do.
We like to think that we are too busy for downtime, but we’re not. In truth, keeping your nose to the grindstone nonstop slows you down. It can lead to stress, fatigue, and a negative outlook; none of which is good for you or your productivity. (You can read more about that here Who Has Time for Vacation and here Really Take Time Off)
Give yourself the gift of time to enjoy the holiday season without having to balance work with it. Take a day off to enjoy a production of the Nutcracker with your kids. Carve out time for lunch and shopping with your friends. Hit the spa with your partner for a couple’s massage. Whatever it is, gift yourself your break (and use your PTO!).
Picture this: you’ve identified your priority projects to close out the year. You’ve developed a timeline to complete them around available team hours (factoring in the PTO you’re all taking, remember!). You were feeling pretty good about it, too, except now you seem to have misplaced a document you need and the stress is mounting. It was here somewhere. Right? You think it was. Maybe it was something you jotted in your notebook, if only you could find that notebook. Or was it in the red folder…no the folder was blue. Was it?
Your desk is a pile of papers and folders and technology on top of more papers and folders and technology. Sound familiar? Listen, disorganization can amplify our stress. If you want to improve your ability to hit your targets on your timeline without overwhelm, you’re going to have to get your space (online and physical) organized first. File the things you don’t need. Toss the stuff you’re done with that doesn’t need to be archived. Gift yourself some organization – from functional spaces to easy to scan calendaring and to-do lists, getting organized is a gift you will come to cherish.
The best gift you can give yourself and your team is flexibility. This isn’t just exclusive to the holiday season. This is one of those things you should wake up and give yourself (and others) 365 days of the year. No matter how well we plan, how organized we are, and how much we prioritize, sometimes life tosses us a curveball. It might be something as simple as your train being delayed on your morning commute to your child waking up with a raging ear infection and you’re both taking an unexpected sick day to a power outage that puts all your work just out of reach for the day.
Being able to adjust and meet those unplanned shifts is an incredible gift. This is our wish for you as you head into this season (and beyond): may the road rise to meet you and support you on your journey around the things you have planned and the unplanned things you encounter. May you roll with the road and be encouraged through all the ups and downs and twists and turns like an excited five-year-old loving their rollercoaster experience.
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