Hands up - who’s feeling frazzled by the whole idea of December, never mind the festive season? But you’re telling yourself that if you can just get to 24th December, you can take a breather?
As we head into this final month of the year, this post is designed to share ideas to help get some sort of balance as we head for 2022 and avoid being part of that ‘busy, busy’ festive frenzy.
Image: Jamie Davies, Unsplash
Get practical. How many working days are left in December? How much more can you actually fit in to your diary in addition to what’s already there? Any chance you can reprioritise a project deadline and carry it over to the New Year instead? Is there anyone you can ask for support, guidance or just to share what’s going on - everyone is in a similar same boat at this time of year.
Stop and breathe. Back-to-back meetings can magically start to appear in diaries as people try to finish their own projects before the year end (see point 1.). Block out time in your diary and ring-fence it for a breather – even if it’s only for 10 minutes. Don’t forget to put yourself as ‘busy’ on Teams too.
Say no to meetings when you can. Sometimes, meetings aren’t the best way to get something done – they’re very often a default method we use, rather than us taking a few minutes to work out the best way to collaboratively solve a problem. This article includes several invaluable questions to ask of yourself and others before you get involved in a meeting.
Stand up, walk away, get outside. I’ve talked a lot this year about the Pomodoro technique – splitting work into time sprints (ideally around 25 minutes) punctuated with breaks. Use those breaks to get away from your work, your screen or your phone. Find daylight and ideally grab a 5-minute stroll outside. Get some fresh air and look up at the sky. It’s a game-changer.
Celebrate and be grateful. Can you find just two minutes every day to both celebrate and be grateful what you’ve achieved in that day? In case you think this is a bit woo woo, the benefits of gratitude practice have been scientifically proven.
If you worry about FOMO, forget it. If you’d prefer to spend an evening with one friend putting the world to rights, then do that. Get comfortable with doing what it is that brings you joy and being in that moment – not necessarily trying to meet everyone else’s expectations.
How can you give yourself a bit of a breather this festive season to help you glide into 2022, rather than crashing and burning into the New Year? In next week’s ‘Change for the Better’, newsletter I’ll share some ideas on the subject of rest which might help you as you navigate the holiday season.
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Let me know what works for you – I’d love to find out!