The holidays bring great joy and happiness that carry us through to the next year. But, they also bring a lot of stress and anxiety along with them. From family planning to business planning to schedule changes to budgeting for extra food and gifts. One minute you’re excited about seeing loved ones, and the next, you’re worried if you have enough food to feed them all.
It’s time to take a step back and do what we do best – plan. Together, let’s create a Holiday plan that makes your holidays merry instead of scary!
Make Your Holiday Timeline
Your loved ones are probably already starting to think about whose house to gather at this year and what activities will be enjoyed. Don’t just try to remember. The best thing you can do right now is to create a timeline starting in November into the New Year to keep track of all the things you have planned or are likely to be planned.
Map out your holidays, your activities, whether you’re hosting, and even deadlines to buy food or gifts. This is a great starting point, especially if plans are not concrete. Giving yourself a general idea will make planning much easier once it’s time to get into the thick of it.
Create Lists to Prioritize
Lists are your best friend, and that’s no different come holiday time. In fact, if they aren’t already, busy holiday seasons can make lists your new best friend. Here are some holiday lists that will save you come crunch time:
- Event Hosting List: Include to-dos, decorations, food, and activities.
- Event Attending List: Include to-dos, what to bring, travel details and costs, all event details.
- Gift Shopping List: Includes gift recipients, gift ideas, budget, whether the gift has been purchased/arrived/wrapped/etc.
Don’t forget to create lists and prioritize your everyday responsibilities. Life doesn’t stop because it’s the season! If you’re planning time off from work, you can create lists to help you prioritize your projects around your availability. If you’re a business owner, you should be thinking about or implementing your holiday business plan. Are you working more or less? Running a holiday special? Do you need extra help around this time? It’s time to start thinking about these things.
Take Care of Yourself
As always, we’re not just going to talk about planning and taking action. Planners know how important self-care is when you’re trying to reach certain goals, even if that goal is to have a good Christmas. Ensure that you’re taking care of yourself during these possibly chaotic times.
There are ways you can get things done without overwhelming yourself. We mentioned getting help for your business, but you can get help in all aspects of your life. Planning a family gathering? Elicit the help of your family to shop, cook, or cross things off your to-do list. Don’t try to pour from an empty cup; find some trusted cup fillers to keep you balanced.
Create a Plan with a Goal Accountability Coach
Planning for the holidays can certainly feel like a task within itself, especially if you feel like you’re going at it alone. But, you don’t have to plan anything alone when you have a goal accountability coach on your side!
As a goal accountability coach, it’s my job to help you not only create your plans but to keep you accountable, as well. Whether you get stuck or overwhelmed or need someone to help you pivot, I’m in your corner. If this is something that would benefit you during the holidays, set up a complimentary call, and let’s chat!
