5 Tips to Handle the Hectic Holiday Season at Work and Home

What happened to the December slowdown?

Not-so-distant Decembers seemed to be a time of shorter days, fewer meetings, and fewer deadlines. Now, however, December is full speed ahead at work along with countless parties, school performances, and holiday preparation at home.

To help keep stress at bay and make the most of holiday family time, here are some all-time favorite #holidayhacks:

Gift Giving Spreadsheet

This is my salvation and has been for years. I keep a spreadsheet for all of the gifts I need to purchase and include fields like purchased, wrapped, shipped, and more to give myself a big picture of the remaining tasks and stick to my list when shopping. Click here for a great article on why you should use a gift spreadsheet (and a free template).

Be Present

At work, maintain check-ins with work teams.  I typically eliminate some of the larger meetings, especially when people start to take vacations, and instead, center communication on quick “stand-up” meetings to get status updates and make sure the team is on course. At home, schedule downtime. I love to gather all of my favorite holiday movies and schedule nights to stay in, drink hot cocoa and enjoy time with the kids.

Say No

Skip some events. Do not feel obligated to attend every single party. Limit the number of events during the week AND on the weekend. I only attend two holiday events per week and one during the weekend. Feeling obligated to attend client and social events? Remember that overbooking often leads to increased stress (and waistline)! Learning to say no is so important, even the health experts at WebMD weighed in with this column on the subject.

Stay Healthy

There is nothing worse than getting sick in the busiest time of the year. One year I ran myself into the ground trying to “do it all.” Instead, I ended up doing nothing for about 4 days. Try and fend off illness with preventive tactics like good nutrition, enough sleep, supplements and cleanliness.

Don’t Worry about Keeping up with the Joneses

In the face of everyone’s “perfect” social media exteriors, don’t be afraid to keep it real. I often have to buy store-prepared items for the potluck and keep a backup supply of gift cards in my purse for the inevitable present “fail.” Real Simple agrees – check out their article on how comparing lives on Facebook can take a toll on your state of mind.

ACI President Erin Krehbiel is a regular contributor to Employee Benefit News. See Krehbiel’s recent article below, originally published on Employee Benefit News.