Keep a Successful Business During the Holidays!
The holidays are right around the corner, and I'm so excited!
Get ready, as we talk about self care and how to set yourself up for success at home and in business during the holiday season.
In this post:
How to Plan Ahead for the Holiday Season
Create Structure & Have a Plan
Delegate Tasks to Family & Friends
Focus on Self Care During the Holidays
Create Simple & Meaningful Traditions
Dealing with Loss During the Holidays
Running Your Business During the Holiday Season
How to Plan Ahead for the Holiday Season
This year in particular, I'm over the moon and so excited for the holidays! After COVID, our holiday traditions have changed completely. My girls are also older - and they're in love - so now we have new families involved in our dynamics, and the traditions my daughters and I have always held onto will be changing.
Create Structure & Have a Plan
Personally, I love structure and creating lists; I'm already planning our Christmas meal. My daughters laughed at me for strategizing so early, but the truth is that it's never too early to start planning for the holidays.
In fact, I think planning in advance can help take pressure off you. I may love to cook and entertain, but I also know that sometimes I can overdo it and get exhausted.
I've already started preparing for Christmas by:
Practicing some recipes
Making some soups
Freezer prepping
A little planning will make time with family so much more enjoyable instead of having to get up every day at the crack of dawn.
Delegate Tasks to Family & Friends
It's helpful to let go of some tasks and to allow your family and friends to help. After all, you are trying to spend time together during the holiday season.
This year, I'll be asking my girls and their partners to step into that helping role a little more. I think it will be really beneficial for them to learn how to host, cook, and plan.
I would encourage you to strategize for your holiday and consider:
What is the best way for you to plan?
How do you want to bring joy to the season?
What kind of memories do you want to make?
What boundaries do you want to set with your family & friends?
How do want to balance your work/business?
Focus on Self Care During the Holidays
I think it would be lovely if we all focused more on self care during the holidays. For me, self care can look like:
Enjoying a massage or facial
Taking a day or two off and going up to the mountains
Relaxing at home with a good book or a glass of champagne
Taking my dog outside for a walk
My self care often looks like getting some alone time, but however YOUR self care looks, I hope that you take some time for yourself. I think you'll really see how much of a difference it makes for you and those around you.
Create Simple & Meaningful Traditions
As a mom, do you feel like you have to knock it out of the park every time the holidays come around? The holiday season really kicks off with Halloween, and then Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas Eve, Christmas, and New Year's.
It's a very busy time of year; so much is happening in a short amount of time. The pressure can be a lot. Be sure to make time for memory making and enjoy those around you this season!
What would happen if we didn't do all this stuff? Honestly, think about it: what's the worst that would happen?
I really look up to my mom in this regard. My mom is Swedish, and we had lots of fun. She had special Swedish traditions like Lucia Day and all the traditional sweets. We loved all the goodies and parties growing up. My mom didn't go over the top with her celebrations but made each tradition fun, and they are the best memories.
For years, I used to be so ramped up. I'd stay awake til 2 a.m. wrapping presents, baking cookies, reindeer snacks, all the crazy things. I wasn't focusing on relaxing and enjoying family time; I was too focused on all of the tasks. I had to relearn how to simply enjoy my holidays.
It's made a big difference, and my girls will tell you how much more relaxed I am!
Now, I focus more on creating a space where everyone can come hang out. We'll make cookies together, cook, play games, watch movies, and celebrate in different ways.
No matter what, decide as a family what you want your traditions to look like. It's incredibly important. I promise your kids won't be damaged if they don't have an Elf on the Shelf.
Dealing with Loss During the Holidays
It's unfortunate, but sometimes it takes significant events happening to us before we can reset and relearn what matters most to us.
For me, one of those big events was when my dad passed away in December 2009, just a couple of weeks before Christmas. My dad was an amazing man and a huge Christmas guy; he was Santa Claus every year.
It was really difficult to have a fun, festive Christmas that year. It just didn't feel like a time of celebration. But that loss also really helped me focus and recognize what matters most: time with my kids and family.
Looking at the amount of stress that I'd been through...none of it was worth it. I wasn't able to show up as a good mom, partner, daughter because I was so wiped out all the time. After December 2009, I've done a much better job of relaxing and creating special moments for my girls and my family.
If you've experienced a loss during or near the holidays, I would encourage you take a moment to recenter and reflect on what you want the season to mean for you and your family.
Running Your Business During the Holiday Season
Managing my business during the holiday season can be a challenge. This typically begins right after Halloween, and it's hard to stay engaged at work or focused on goals. It's easy to check out early with so many "fun activities" on the schedule.
Here are a few things I usually do to help myself and the team get to the finish line without checking out:
Throw a little coffee party or lunch
Create opportunities for people to come together
Ask your team to start planning for next year
As a leader, it's my job to cast a vision for the team and get excited. Now is our time! The activities we do today are setting us up for success in the New Year.
After a busy year, and so much change in our industry, everyone is ready for time off. Sticking to the the sprint-rest cycle we've talked about before is an effective tool to maintain momentum and finish the year strong.
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I hope you enjoyed this post and managed to get a few helpful tips yourself during the holiday season. I'd love to hear from you and learn more about the ideas you're implementing this holiday season, what you've done in the past, or how you're letting go of the chaos and showing up as a more present mom during the holidays.
Stay tuned as we continue to interview more badass business women!