Time Management Through the Holidays
Written by: Ed Sherako, CFW Health Fitness Specialist
It is December and the holiday season is in full swing. In fact, if you started feeling it before Halloween, it has been swinging for a while and December becomes crunch time!
Most of us have a full schedule for the entire year and depending on an individual’s personal holiday responsibilities that mostly “full plate” can feel like it is going to hit the floor. If lessening the load is not an option, then one must streamline their schedule. Thankfully, some time ago, others have devised ways of doing this. Let us review and maybe even I might actually execute some of these ideas this year... for once.
First, we will consider a list of things that work all year round:
- Plan early and prioritize - not only getting the to-do list on paper but add items in an order.
- Carve out time - find slots on the calendar for family, self-care and renewal.
- Set expectations and communicate - people should let co-workers and family in on their priorities and goals. This can reduce others’ tendency to change or block tasks.
- Trust your process - adhere to schedule and priorities.
- Set your intention, then work toward it - everything above is subject to disruption. Do not let one set back so much time that the calendar collapses.
Now we can apply this strategy specifically to the holiday season:
- Planning and prioritizing means maybe not going to every holiday party and when volunteering to bring a dish, do not bite off more than you can chew, ha-ha!
- Carving out time is tricky. A holiday 5k with family and friends blends wellness and social activity.
- Set expectations and communicate with family.
- If the plan is balanced, trust it and neither skip nor skimp the self-care components. The benefits of exercise and relaxation improves the execution of work components.
- Work toward all of it realistically knowing that there will be a certain amount of adjustment and compromise. And gratefully acknowledge how hectic and disorganized the season would have been in the absence of an action plan.