Congratulations on surviving the holiday season. Hopefully you were able to do more than just “survive” hopefully you “thrived”!
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You may be wondering why I created a post about the holidays AFTER the holidays.
Now is the perfect time to evaluate your success over the past few months.
- What worked?
- What didn’t?
- When do you want to start next year?
- Who can you delegate to?
- Which activities did you enjoy the most?
- What do you wish you could have done that you didn’t have time for?
I encourage you to read the first 9 posts in this series and make some notes for next year – while everything is fresh in your mind!
- Stress Free Holiday Step #1 – Vision – What would you perfect holiday look like? What activities would you do? Who would you spend it with?
- Stress Free Holiday Step #2 – Reality – Now, make a list of every task, action, project, activity you plan on participating in this holiday season.
- Stress Free Holiday Step #3 – Decide – Make a decision . . . are you really going to do everything you listed in step #2? Decide which activities you really want to focus on – and stick to your decision.
- Stress Free Holiday Step #4 – Break It Down – Break each activity down into the absolute smallest task. Decide on start dates for each task. (Remember, next year will be easier – you will be able to start earlier!)
- Stress Free Holiday Step #5 – Delegate – You do NOT have to do everything yourself! Delegate some of these tasks!
- Stress Free Holiday Step #6 – Calendar – Put your start and end dates on the calendar. Now would be an excellent time to start creating your 2014 holiday calendar. If you are feeling rushed, make a note of when you would have preferred to have started for next year.
- Stress Free Holiday Step #7 – Self Care – Schedule some time for you to recharge your batteries.
- Stress Free Holiday Step #8 – Gifts – Create a gift list, a budget, and decide when you are going to wrap!
- Stress Free Holiday Step #9 – Notebook – Keep everything together in one holiday notebook.
Your turn! What was your favorite part about the holiday season last year? What do you want to differently next year? Please post below!
I think what’s really important is to create boundaries around family behavior. We all have triggers and that assists with helping reduce the amount of stress, passive aggressiveness, and codependence. Thanks for the lessons!
D.J. Paris –
Thanks for stopping by! I agree – a large part of the stress around the holidays comes from family expectations and behavior. What is one of your boundaries?
Lisa
This was the heart of my immediate family this year. We did less with the holiday season and enjoyed it more. We had just came back from our dream vacation to Panama at the beginning of December. So for use to do less was a necessity and we both loved it!
Jill –
So glad you had an enjoyable holiday. Less really is more when it comes to activities. You are less tired and less stressed and able to enjoy the time spent together more! I appreciate you stopping by!
Lisa
This year was very tough. I lost both my parents 5 weeks apart in the fall. I spent Thanksgiving with family, but needed the week off between Christmas and New Years to just rest and decompress.
Lynda –
My condolences on your loss. Kudos for your for recognizing that you needed the time off to take care of you – and then actually taking it. I appreciate your comment.
Lisa