For most of us, the holiday season is one of fun, family and making memories. But it can also be a time of major stress. Between the school’s holiday play, work obligations, Christmas parties, and gift shopping, the weeks leading up to Christmas can be a very busy and stressful time. It’s easy to get overwhelmed and rush through your busy days. When you race around trying to get it all done and keep up with the Griswolds, you are going to find yourself tired, exhausted and Scrooge-like on Christmas day, because another holiday season is come and almost gone, and you’ve blown through it without stopping to enjoy what matters most.
There are a few simple, little things you can do to make sure that doesn’t happen. If you’re ready to make sure you can enjoy this holiday season, no matter how busy you are or how much pressure you’re under, keep reading.
Stop And Smell The Poinsettias
When you’re busy, or feel under pressure to get it all done, it’s hard to notice the fun little things this magical season has to offer. Challenge yourself to stop at least once a day and “smell the poinsettias”. Take a short little break to enjoy a cookie and your favorite cup of coffee or tea. Spend a few extra minutes when you’re driving home with the kids in the evening and go look at lights. Turn on Christmas tunes and sing and dance through the house. Just stop and have some Christmas fun for a few minutes. It’s a great stress buster.
Get Your Own Little Elves
Santa doesn’t do everything on his own, and neither should you. Learn to delegate both at the office and at home. Have your assistant compile the report for the boss, and get the kids to help with cleaning up after dinner. If you’re really sneaky, you can even get them to help with wrapping their siblings’ presents.
When you get help with some of the things you have to get done, you’re freeing up a little time here and there to enjoy the season. No better time than the present to get good at delegating.
Making A List And Checking It Twice
Last but not least learn to prioritize. Make a list of what you need to get done today, this week, or before Christmas. Prioritize it and then go back and check it again. Strike out anything you don’t really need to do. It’s amazing how freeing cutting tasks and things out of your life can be. There are a lot of things we do just because we’ve always done them. When you stop and challenge yourself to focus on the important stuff, it becomes much easier to cut out busy work. That in turn greatly reduces the length of our to-do list and with it both the time it takes to get everything done and the stress we’re under.
I’ll be back with more tips. In the meantime, there are more tips, tricks and stories in my Christmas e-Book, Create An Old Fashioned Christmas.
Recent Comments