Enjoy the Holidays Like a Boss (who planned ahead)

You are not the only person who struggles to enjoy the holidays. Let’s be honest, your family’s divergent potential leanings and meal preferences are just the tip of your anxiousness. No matter how much you want or need a break, taking time off feels lazy and leaves you dreading the work piling up in your absence.

Wouldn’t it be great if you could enjoy the holidays like a boss, who happened to plan ahead and has a healthy appreciation for their well-being?!

Be like Santa – make a list

Not only are you staring down a long year-end to-do list for work, but you’re also racking your brain for meaningful family gifts and mentally preparing for all the events, emotions, and responsibilities starting  you in the eye. Every part of your being is on edge, waiting for one thing to go wrong.

Make the list.

Whether you’re naturally a list maker or not, impending holiday chaos beckons the basics of organization. In this case, start with a list. It works for Santa, why not try it yourself?

For a short moment, consider all you need to accomplish in the next 6 weeks. Multiple work projects must be finished before year-end. Routine tasks continue without regard to the calendar. Your family longs for your attention and participation in fun-having and memory-making.

Everything feels important; eliminating anything or disappointing anyone seems impossible.

You can get stuff done and enjoy the holidays if you build in a relief mechanism – your list. Lessen your fear of forgetfulness by writing down thoughts and tasks when they come to mind. Bring order to your days be seeing everything in one place. Scrutinize and prioritize based on your time and goals. Create realistic expectations.

One word – focus

A list alone will not save the holidays for those of us with high expectations and long to-do lists.  How you manage your list greatly influences your success.

One word – focus.

Knowing what needs to be completed, the order everything needs to be completed in, and what you’re working towards is fantastic…until your list is 2 pages long and merely looking at it starts to raise your blood pressure. Although your list is a great place for tasks and ideas to land, too much can be too much.

There is a time for seeing the big picture and being a visionary. When deadlines are tight and lists are long, the big picture can feel overwhelming.

When you find yourself buried by tasks, focus on one. Which task is the most time-sensitive? Which item is holding up someone else’s work? If completed, which task allows you to quickly finish several more.

Combat overwhelm with focus. Pick one task and complete it. Celebrate your success. Repeat.

Enjoy the holidays – like a boss

Read this and let it sink in: You are not required to earn the holidays.

If the pursuit of success in whatever form brainwashed you into believing that holidays are earned through completed to-do lists or milestones, revisit what you’re working for. Your whole life is meant to be enjoyed.

There are moments you cannot get back and do not want to miss. What are those moments for you?

As you shut down your computer or close up shop on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, or New Year’s Eve, have you given yourself permission to enjoy the life you’ve created? The status of your inbox or to-do list does not determine your ability to enjoy the holidays – you do.

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