By Dr. Donald E. Wetmore
The holidays are a time for great joy for some, and a time
of stress and frustration for others. None of us should be
denied the joys of the holiday season and so I have put
together the following seven suggestions to help you "bust"
the holiday stress and enjoy this time more.
- Plan ahead. We know well in advance, (like a year
before), that the holidays will require a lot more of our
time for special preparations in addition to our regular
routines and responsibilities. However, many of us get
caught short, in crisis management, running around at the
"eleventh hour", trying to get the last minute stuff done,
feeling a bit (or a lot) stressed out. The solution is to
plan ahead and schedule these tasks and events with greater
care. It always seems to get done sooner or later. Why not
sooner, at your pace, without so much of the hassle?
- Delegate. There is a lot of difference between "I do it"
and "It gets done". Which is more important to you? I hope,
"It gets done". Sure it's fun to "do it all", but that may
be an impractical goal that only serves to frazzle and
stress you out. Share the shopping, cooking, cleaning, etc.
responsibilities with others. You don't have to "do it all"
yourself. It would be nice if we could, but there is only so
much time. And people generally appreciate the opportunity
to participate in the preparations. "You don't always do for
someone when you always do for someone."
- Get enough sleep. During the holidays, with all there is
to do, the parties, the preparations, the shopping, the
wrapping, and the cooking, it is easy to pay for the
additional time required with our sleep time. The problem
for many is that when they don't get enough sleep, they get
cranky and don't enjoy what they are doing as much. Not only
that, they may not exactly be a pleasure to be around! Each
of us has a different sleep level that we require to feel
rested. Especially during the busy holiday period, take the
time for adequate sleep so that you have the energy to get
into the full swing of things and enjoy it as it happens.
- Don't overindulge. Anything in moderation. The holidays
are a time when it is easy to overindulge in what we eat and
drink. The problem is, we pay for it later and sometimes
sooner. A little advanced planning might help as well. For
example, let's say you know that you always accumulate an
additional five pounds over the holidays. Make it a point to
drop five pounds before the holiday season. Many find it is
easier and less stressful to lose that additional weight
before, rather than after, the holidays.
- Set a financial budget and stick to it. We tend to want
to be generous and when shopping, it is easy to fall prey to
"impulse buying" and "go all out" with the credit cards.
Then, we experience the "post holiday blues", when the bills
arrive in January. Plan what you will spend before you go to
the stores, when you are rational, and then stick to those
budget amounts when you are in the stores, when you are more
emotional.
- Don't overload this time period. KISS. "Keep it Simple."
This is not the last holiday period you will enjoy. You can'
t do everything but you can do and enjoy the most important
things. Sure you will do more now than at other times during
the year. Have a grand time, a memorable holiday season.
Just don't try to "do it all". Save something for next year.
- Enjoy the journey, not just the destination. Don't
"dread" any part of it, the shopping, the wrapping, the
cooking, the cleaning, etc. Find happiness in all of it.
Enjoy it all. Some place all their eggs in one basket. If
all the celebration and the joy are scheduled for that one
night, perhaps Christmas Eve, what happens if it's a
disappointment? The whole season is a bust. Enjoy all the
stuff leading up to the "big night" and enhance the quality
and your level of enjoyment of the entire season.
What about the other blocks to our personal productivity?
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Dr. Donald E. Wetmore
Professional Speaker
Productivity Institute
Time Management Seminars
60 Huntington St., P.O. Box 2126
Shelton, CT 06484
(800) 969-3773
(203) 929-9902
Fax: (203) 929-8151
Email: ctsem@msn.com
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