holiday_work_stress

7 Tips to Managing Holiday and Work Stress

If you are like me, you are getting caught up in the holiday season plus a long list of To-Do items at work and home. I imagine you are starting to feel a little stressed and you are racing against the clock—December 25.

Here are my tips:

  1. Breathe! Seriously. Stop whatever you are doing and take a few deep breaths. You can use this tip anytime you feel your mind or body racing.
  2. Make two lists. Entitle one of them “Personal” and the other list “Professional.” Do a mind dump. This is when you jot down everything you are thinking about that has to get done. Do not analyze or question it, just dump everything from your brain. (I love doing mind dumps.)
  3. Next, go through each list and mark every item either M (must do) or N (nice to do).
  4. Go back through the items you marked with M and categorize them as A, B, or C. Be sure to break each category down to A1, A2, A3, etc.
  5. Then start taking action on your A items. Do not do a B or C even though they might be more fun or take less time. Stay focused on the A items until they are done. As new tasks come in, sort them into M or N and prioritize.
  6. Schedule you time. This is non-negotiable in my mind. You must make time for yourself or you will crash and burn. Then you will be no good to anyone. So, if you really care about your family and leader, take care of YOU! During the holiday season, you should take at least one hour per week for yourself (if not more).
  7. Enjoy family and friends. We get so caught up in schedules, running errands, shopping, or the “must-do” at family gatherings that we don’t really enjoy them. As you gather with your family or friends, detach from your devices and be in the moment.

I also did a Facebook Live video on this topic if you’d like to watch it.

Wishing you a happy holiday season!

Joan Burge

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