Not to scare you, but this Friday we will run the page on our agendas and we will start the last two months of the year (or holiday season, as I call it)!
With so many coming to us – events, parties, activities and more – I wanted to be proactive this week and share the 4 most common mistakes that I see making of working mothers during the holidays.
My hope is to know what to look out for, you will save so much time, energy and even some disappointment along the way.
So if you want to mark this message to visit it again in the coming months or to note a few notes on a post-it to stay close to your agenda, continue and do that now.
Because believe me, when things get busy and you try to do a dozen things at the same time, it is easy to forget and agree to your old manners. Avoiding these mistakes is about doing things differently this season, so that you can be more relaxed and calm in the midst of the chaos.
Here are the mistakes to prevent:
#1 – respond without first pause
Pause before you respond, give the space and the chance to consider or:
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This fits in with your schedule
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You have the time and energy
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You have sufficient information to make a decision
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You even want to do this
If you do not pause to consider, you will eventually respond to what your standard reaction is. If you tend to say yes, you will probably say yes. If you tend to say no, you will probably say no. Maybe that’s the correct answer in this situation, but maybe not.
And what usually happens is that you will not even realize what you actually wanted until you do it or don’t do it. Wouldn’t it feel so much better to check in and heard your true choice before you continue with a standard reaction?
That is the power of the break. It works throughout the year, but especially at this time of the year when the decision of the decision is real!
#2 – have no intention for the season
To know whether or not you should say yes to that invitation or project or dedication, you must know what you want.
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What kind of season do you want for yourself, with your partner and with your family?
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What memories do you try to create?
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How do you want the season to feel?
Your intention is your litmus test. Without that you will just guess about what you should “do”.
This is the first thing we do in the Stress less this holiday Workshop. Your intention is your North Star that helps you to ask what you want, plan what align and refuse what is not.
#3 – Relevel the wheel
Everything you do this season does not have to be new and exciting. Save yourself time and energy by creating a process or a template for the things that work, so that you do not reinvent the wheel over everything.
With every holidays I get better and better at knowing what works. Just as I am better at the survival of Maycember than I was a year ago and I am a better parent today than last month.
The trick is to repeat what works. So for the holidays that can mean:
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Celebrate with one side of the family every year on the same weekend. Or
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Volbouses with the same types of items every year (chocolate, chapstick, a few socks and a toothbrush!)
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Giving teachers a gift voucher and a handwritten note
With a repeatable process in place, you can just do the thing that works and free up capacity, in your schedule and your mind, for the fun things you want to change or try new!
#4 – Releasing your healthy habits
Your healthy habits are your minimal basic device that helps you to have the energy and to feel good to do all the things you have to do.
As your plate comes full, and even overloaded, this time of year, the first thing you have to do, all those little things we say we don’t do, but really make the difference.
For me these next two months it will be more important than ever that I go to sleep in a reasonable time and not stay up to take care of tasks or reading. I need a lot of water, fresh fruit and vegetables, proteins, my supplements (hello, vitamin D), my daily walks and time with my friends and my husband.
When you release your healthy habits, you still not only do all these extra things at this time of the year, you do it out of a shortage. You work with a battery that no longer has a juice! And everything feels harder of that place.
So, while you make your plan for the holidays, how can you ensure that those healthy habits are a priority besides the things you want to do to make this season magical or fun or happy or relaxed?