This December has seemed more hectic than any in my recent memory. And I know it’s not just me. People are frantically trying to wrap up the year at a whirlwind pace. I see this with my clients, my colleagues, and my friends.
I’m going to share some “tips for the overwhelmed” that can help you stay sane during this second half of December.
Stop obsessing about what you haven’t done or have to do. That’s a waste of time. Instead, it’s much better to take action. Review your list of priorities (priorities, not every task that you didn’t complete this year) and rank them in importance.
Take those priorities and slot them in your calendar. If you can’t fit in everything, look at the list again and see if you can do one of the three Ds: delegate, delay, or delete.
When you delegate, assign a deadline and put a follow up note in your calendar to make sure the person is on time to complete it. If you delay this priority, make sure that it can be delayed without a future penalty. My favorite is to delete. If the project or task no longer makes sense, get rid of it! (You’ll love how that feels.)
Schedule some breathing room for yourself during these days ahead. It can be as simple as a coffee break that you take outside of the office so that you can get away for 20 minutes. Periodic breaks will give you more energy (I used to hate it when people suggested this to me, but it really does work.)
Stick to your schedule. Don’t let the many “bright, shiny objects” that appear at this time of the year distract you from accomplishing what you need to do before you take off a few days (or more) to enjoy the holidays.
And last but not least, forget about being superhuman. It’s overrated and adds too much pressure. Instead, take that time to snatch a moment or two of holiday cheer.
Have a great week!
