Tips for Work-Life Balance During the Holiday Season
December is such a busy time of year. Holiday parties, people to shop for, decorating to do, and running a business! So busy. Especially if you are offering services, gift packages, or products geared for people celebrating the holidays. I know I feel overwhelmed trying to stay on top of it all. During this crazy time, it is so important to take care of yourself, get a decent amount of sleep, eat regularly, and have some quiet time. Sounds impossible, doesn’t it? Well, with the right work- life balance, it is definitely doable!
Before we get into how to achieve this balance, let’s clear up what exactly it is. We all use this term and we all want to work towards it but I know I wasn’t always clear on what it meant. Essentially, work-life balance is the effective prioritization of many aspects of a person’s life to achieve a goal. A common one is creating more time to spend with family while also managing a workload. Another one is staying on top of dishes and laundry while ensuring your schedule is maintained. It doesn’t just revolve around work, it could also be getting enough sleep, or managing time for a workout, or making time to focus on hobbies.
Why focus on creating downtime during such crazy days? There are numerous benefits:
Lowers the amount of stress.
Reducing stress reduces health risks- like less frequent headaches and lowers high blood pressure.
Lowers the chance of burn out.
Encourages a healthier lifestyle.
Improve focus and productivity.
Allows for more time to just enjoy life. We aren’t meant to work 9 to 5!
So, now that we know what we are achieving and why we want to succeed, here are some ways to manage work-life balance and enjoy the Holidays:
Be honest with yourself.
Assess your capacity for tasks and events. Only commit to what you can do- no need to plan the dinner and the party and the gifts and… all on your own. Accept your limitations and be easy with yourself.
Set a clear schedule and stick to it!
Schedule time for tasks- set an alarm or timer if it helps keep you on track. Have a dedicated time for eating, working out, downtime, etc. Schedule gift buying and wrapping.
Delegate your tasks
Hire an admin assistant, automate tasks, or ask co-workers or family for help. Decide which tasks must be done ASAP and what you can do later. Plan Holiday decorating or parties with co–workers or family.
Write it down.
List tasks and when they need to be done. Set reminders on your calendar app or phone.
Set clear boundaries.
Establish clear working hours- no responding to emails at 10 PM! Have a discussion with your team about working from home, over time, holidays. Avoid bringing personal Holiday tasks to the office, plan dinner at home!
No bringing work back home.
If you work from home, have a separate workspace from the downtime space. Limit distractions while working, this makes tasks feel longer and wastes time. Turn off non-essential apps (like social media or games) while working. Close the door or have a knocking policy (when the door is open feel free to come in, when it’s closed knock first).
I hope this helps! Do you have any tips and tricks to manage these busy days? Let me know! If you need someone to take on some of your everyday business tasks, don’t hesitate to reach out to us to schedule a discovery call or meeting!
