Holiday Survival Checklist

9 Steps to Take Time for Yourself

I know I’ve said this a lot, but this last year has gone by so fast. In some ways, it went by even more quickly than ever in lockdown. One of the things I’m focusing on during this holiday season is slowing down and really planning to spend time with my family. I want to appreciate that time together and focus on self-care and good times. And to do that confidently, I need to set my business up to thrive throughout the remainder of the year.  

Let’s take some time to focus on thriving in business this holiday season. 

The Holiday Season

The holidays should be a time to unwind, relax, and visit with family. But all too often for business owners, it means catching up on work. Let’s be honest, you’re probably just as guilty as I am of sneaking away during dinner to check on a project or write an email. You’re using your “time off” to check off looming to-do's. 

It doesn’t have to be that way.

The secret to having a stress-free holiday is to plan ahead. Take time to sit down and run through all of the things you need to get done between now and the end of the year. This should include both personal and professional items. Make sure you include all those holiday parties and shopping, too! When you get all of the things written out on paper, you’re better able to see where your focus needs to be when you are in your office. It also allows you to look and see what you can delegate. This will allow you to actually plan time off for yourself to enjoy the holiday season. 

Keep in mind for your team, employees, and contractors that they may want different days off than you do. Be sure that you have that mapped out in your holiday plans as well. 

Take the Time off!

One important thing I’m going to do this year is set aside at least one day for myself (hopefully more like two or three). As entrepreneurs, it’s easy to focus so much of your time on your clients’ and all of the family stuff going on, that you forget to enjoy the holidays yourself. And let’s face it, sometimes the things that are supposed to be fun are clouded by stress and anxiety. 

I am personally giving myself time to decompress and do things I enjoy with our without other people involved. 

Give yourself this gift, even if it’s just one day where you can enjoy the holidays and enjoy the time to yourself. Don’t ask for opinions from your kids or spouse. Do exactly what you want. If you want to be Christmassy or make a snow angel, go for it! If you want to get a massage, do it! Take one day that’s all about you and celebrate your hard work and success in this past year.

I can already hear some of you saying, “Yeah right! How will that happen!” Here’s how I’m planning to make it happen!

Nine steps to take time for yourself this holiday season:

• Review your calendar or project management tool. Then you can see exactly what is coming up and what will require your attention.
• Decide on the days you’d like to take off. 
• Check for any imperative deadlines and due dates over these days you’d like to take off (and just before them.) If possible, move those deadlines up, if not, move them back. Just make sure you have the time on those days completely open.
• Delegate tasks to your team as needed. If you don’t have a team yet, maybe it’s time to look into that. See if hiring might help you move your business forward.
• Move non-essential tasks to after those days off. Or complete them before you leave.
• Schedule your time off.
• Inform your clients about a month before (or as early as you can) if they will be affected by your time off. Let them know when you’ll be off, if you’ll be available at all, and how to reach you if you are.
• Turn on an email auto-responder. If someone emails you over the holidays they are likely not expecting a speedy response. Include some details about the time you are taking off in your auto-response, like how long you will be away and what they can do if they need an immediate response.
• Pre-schedule and automate as much as possible ahead of time. If you don’t have automations in place already, now is the time to get that set up! Pre-schedule social media posts, so you don’t have to worry about that while you’re off. This allows you to take a step back and be present during your time off. 

Take time to focus on your friends, family, and yourself! I hope that you will plan ahead and really allow yourself some time off to enjoy yourself.

If you’re ready to scale your business, contact me today! For more about holiday survival, listen to the latest episode of the Marketing Matchmaker Podcast! And, if you want to grow and scale your business to 6-7 figures, take the Profitable Scaling Quiz today to make a difference in your tomorrow!