5 Tips for Holiday Balance for Entrepreneurs and Founders
5 Tips for Holiday Balance for Entrepreneurs and Founders
With the holidays fast approaching, it can be hard to stay balanced while juggling all the demands of running a business, managing your personal life and prepping for the festivities. We’ve got your back! These are five things we like to remember and practice to remain in harmonic balance, not only during the holidays, but also in everyday life. Using even just a few of these tips can change the game for your productivity, harmonic balance and mental wellness.
1. Make a plan and stick to it
Having a set schedule can keep you on track, help you avoid missing important details and can ensure you have time to take care of your needs. Ways to do this:
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Brainstorm a list of everything that needs to get done regarding your business and holiday plans, while making time for important activities including self care so you have space in your calendar for self harmonization.
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Prioritize things based on what is time sensitive/most important and what you are able to realistically accomplish
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Make a daily schedule by planning when you are getting up, when you are going to bed, what you want to get done, and when.
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Be intentional! Insert specific time for you to take time for self care and relaxation. Even if its a few minutes here and a few minutes there, it is very important for mental wellbeing to give yourself some downtown.
2. Keep Expectations Manageable
As you go through the holiday season you interact with lots of family, friends and business partners while jumbling lots of plans and activities. You may not hit every mark with your interactions or plans, and that is ok - remember to put things into perspective and focus on the positive.
You may experience:
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Your energies around the holiday season may not be on the same level as others
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Other people may allow their stress to effect how they handle things with you
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Delays and disruptions may occur which impede or hinder plans and events on your schedule
It is important to set aside some extra time for emergencies, delays and disruptions. It is equally important to be mindful of how you are feeling and where your energy levels are at by assessing how things are going, and how they could go, thereby allowing you to better prepare for each outcome. You’ll be glad to have mentally prepared ahead both strategically and emotionally.
3. Prioritize Self-Care
We’ve already mentioned the importance of scheduling time off for your mental health and well being, but this is a key part to maintaining harmonic balance and productivity. You can’t put your best self forward if you are drained and on the verge of burnout. If this happens, your ideas and motivation can dry up, it can have negative impacts on your relationships and your health (both mental and physical). This can be especially true around the holidays with all the business and personal demands.
Ways to prioritize self care:
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Wind down earlier. While this can be difficult with the business of the holidays, getting a quality rest is essential for mental relaxation and productivity. Try starting your bedtime routine a bit earlier to prepare yourself for sleep.
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Centre yourself. The way we start the day is extremely important and sets the tone for productivity and mental wellbeing for the day. Even if its just 5-10 minutes, take some time for mindful meditation, journaling, a short workout, listening to mindful music or whatever it is that gets you in a good mood and gets you in your best head space to face the day and any challenges that may arise.
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Be protective of your off time. With all the demands and unexpected things that can happen during the holiday season it can be tempting to give up the time you’ve set aside, sometimes its unavoidable. However, do everything in your power to keep and protect the time that you have set aside for yourself and your wellbeing. It is ok to say ‘no’ to people, even if it feels uncomfortable - it is essential in maintaining your balance.
4. Spend time with supportive people.
One of the key components to a healthy life and mind is surrounding yourself with people that support, uplift and care about you, especially in your personal life. In your business life, it is important to know your worth and maintain healthy boundaries. In both areas of life, you don’t have to tolerate people that hurt you and don’t appreciate your value. By keeping your company supportive, kind and respectful, you’ll be able to enjoy yourself, avoid stress and prioritize productivity and those people who love you most. This holiday season, and every other day, you can make sure you’re spending time with people who see and accept you for who you truly are. With business partners and colleagues, maintain respectful relationships and business practices.
5. Enjoy and forgive yourself!
While it is important to make sure things get done, you have to take time to have fun and enjoy the festivities during this time of year. While with family and friends, let go of all the stress of work and planning, be present and enjoy your time with them to make wonderful memories you will cherish a lifetime. Remember that mistakes happen and you are only human. Make sure to forgive yourself for things that may fall through the cracks, take any mistakes you make and turn them into fodder and drive for the new year.