You Can Enjoy the Holidays and Get Ready for the New Year Ahead
The holidays are quickly descending upon us. Everyone wants to feel as though they have time to relax, enjoy some time with friends and family, and recharge, even if for only a day or two. For most retailers and leaders within the business, these are some of the busiest and most stressful weeks of the year. Then layer on top of that the new year ahead. That can be both exciting (clean start), and challenging (new goals, expectations, budgets, etc.). There is no shortage of things to do to support the business and be ready for the new year. How can you possibly enjoy the season?
Whether it is the holiday season or the first workday of the new year, it is easy to feel like you’re behind and trying to catch up to start the new year. That is a horrible feeling. Imagine beginning January second already feeling like you’ve fallen behind. It doesn’t have to be that way.
A starting place
The best place to start may be to define what you want to feel like on that first day of the new year. What would make you feel as though you are ‘caught up’ and ready to begin a fresh new year? I recently wrote, You Don't Finish the Work, You Finish the Day, and this can apply to the beginning of a year as well. Just because the calendar flips doesn’t mean everything changes. Projects continue. Challenges remain. There is continually work to do. But you can define the finishing place for the last day of December, and where you want to be on the first workday of January. You can even do this for any time you’re taking off for Christmas or Hanukkah. Define your end points and starting points to manage the emotional elements of ‘feeling behind’.
Start your list now
Do you have a list of everything you need to do to land where you want from the above question? What will it take to make those feelings of ‘ready’ be true? Building that list can help to remove the stress of trying to keep track of it all. Write it down, then review, and prioritize. Don’t forget this challenging reality: you won’t get everything done in a few days that really would have taken the year to accomplish. Be kind to yourself, and be realistic.
Get templates set up
If there are repeating items, or just a few things that are similar, using a template may be helpful to save yourself some time and effort. For the year ahead, having templates for calendar planning, project planning, or known recurring tasks is a great way to feel like you’re setting yourself up for success. Plus, these will be the gift that keeps on giving. You can use things like project templates or goal templates throughout the year to help you stay on track, and a lot of the work is already done ahead of time.
Build a simple project plan
Translate your list into a simple project plan. What are the biggest items? What are the smaller chunks you can work on along the way? Breaking the bigger things into smaller, more manageable tasks goes a long way in feeling like you are making progress, and that the big project is achievable. Define the dates when the smaller pieces will get done, and you’re on your way to a workable plan.
If you do not want to even call it a project plan, use a basic reminders list to help you keep track of everything you want to need to get done ahead of the holidays and the new year. Apple’s Reminders app is perfect for this. You can then assign days and times if it works for you, or just keep a simple list to work from.
Plan your delegation
This is an important one — you do not have to do this all alone. If you are leading a team, you have resources to help you accomplish what needs to get done. I promise they will be enthusiastic to assist (as long as it is reasonable) to be able to enjoy the holiday and ready for the new year. Define which roles can do which task items and set that up now. Often, having specific activities with defined time frames can be helpful to keep everyone focused on what needs to be done, even in a busy season. It can be easy to get absorbed into only the business, especially at a peak, and lose track of what else can be getting done. Everyone’s future self will appreciate this step.
It can seem daunting to face the busiest days of the year, and the idea of a fresh set of calendar days ahead. But with some thinking, planning, and sharing, you can make your holidays more enjoyable and be ready for a bright new year on the horizon.
How can you use this planning approach to ensure you have an enjoyable holiday and still feel ready for the new year?
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Photo by Toa Heftiba on Unsplash