The 7 Best Ways to Avoid Overload During The Holidays

The next few weeks hold such promise for personal renewal and nurturing the most important relationships in our lives. Except for extended vacations, the days leading up to Christmas and New Year's Day have become the one time many of us in the United States will allow ourselves to take more than a day or two off from our work.

At the same time it's also a season ripe with potential for all types of overload, including:

• Trying to keep up with an over-packed calendar that now includes more scheduled work and personal activities

• Maintaining an acceptable level of productivity in an environment of increased distractions and differing expectations

• Wanting to squeeze every second of joy and/or rest out of the season

To me, the biggest danger of overload is that it takes you out of the present moment. I've missed too many opportunities to be fully present with my wife, children, or friends during the holidays because I was worrying about a work project, a "too long" task list, or lacked the energy to be engaged in the conversation or activity.

If you want to ensure that the biggest present you "unwrap" over the holidays isn't a big box of physical, mental, or emotional overload (and possibly a gift bag of regret), implement these seven strategies as soon as possible:

1) Establish holiday work expectations for yourself

With the ability to conduct so many of your work tasks from home (even if you’re not a WFH employee), it’s way too easy to move in and out (physically and mentally) of work mode. And while you planned to only work for 30 minutes and then shut it down, that pesky email or Teams message could capture your focus for hours if you haven’t established clear expectations for yourself.

Decide now what your holiday work schedule will look like. That includes if/when you will be responding to messages, what days you plan to work, and how many hours you will work on those days. Having this plan established not only helps you relax and embrace the present moment, but it also allows your family to know when to expect your lovely presence with them. Check out my Jones Zone video to help you figure out how you need to “be” to help you focus on what you want to get done in this season.

2) Make a “Won’t Do List”

When coaching clients who have life overload challenges, I ask them what they want their holiday season to look like. Many can’t articulate what it should look like, so instead I have them create a “Won’t Do List” to help them create a framework for a more sane holiday season.

I actually create one for myself each year too. This year my “Won’t Do List” includes:

3) “Put a bow” on as many current projects as possible

Imagine this: You’re about to bite into your favorite dessert of the holidays (Hershey Bar Pie would be mine) when your brain reminds you of something at work you have left unfinished. Moment ruined! Invest some time in the next few days to determine the current status of all the projects or assignments holding your attention. For each one ask yourself, “Where should I be with this before I take off for the holidays?” Then schedule tasks accordingly to try and get to that place. You have enough weird family members who will be a distraction in the coming days. Don’t let thoughts of unfinished items at work steal your joy.

4) Initiate work on a 2022 project

“Wait Jones,” you say. “I just read that you want me to try and finish what’s already on my plate. Why in the world would I start something new?” Fair question. My reasoning is that you’re going to have moments over the holidays where you start getting a little anxious about all you want to accomplish in 2022. Wouldn’t it be nice to have the satisfaction of knowing you had already taken a step toward success now?

I’m not suggesting anything grandiose. Outline the steps you want to take to complete the project. Schedule a conversation with someone about some aspect of it. Create a document with links to articles or resources you’ll need to execute the assignment. Anything that gives you a sense of momentum when you return to work.

5) Plan a day with no time constraints

While Jeff Bezos, former CEO of Amazon, has the luxury of not worrying too much about what time it is, you do. You spend your whole year planning around time. Take one day (with your family or solo), and avoid checking the time. It also helps if you remove yourself from technology as well.

I started doing this more consistently about six months ago and I love it! I’ll choose a half-day and lose myself in a hobby (studying about honeybees, working in our woods, etc.) or spend time with the family and we forbid ourselves to check the time. At first it feels like we are committing a crime, but by the end of the “no time” period, we wish it could be longer.

6) Keep at least one personal wellness routine

When our schedules get shaken up by travel, parties, house guests, or even our desire for a change, one of the first things that falls through the cracks is our own needs. Ironically, it’s these types of activities that help us purge the increased physical, mental, and emotional stress we experience during the holidays.

Pick one self-care routine that is a “non-negotiable.” I actually have two that I won’t sacrifice. One is my morning quiet time and the other is physical exercise. As long as those two things happen in my day, I can handle ANYTHING! Check out my blog on the importance of self-care and how it helps you personally, as well as a leader.

7) Create numerical goals and boundaries

“Relax more.” “Do not overeat too much.” “Have more time for with my family.” When I hear people say things like this about the holidays, my first thought is, “How will you know if you are successful?” Even more importantly, when the goals aren’t measurable, we have to rely on our feelings for feedback, and they can be anything but reliable. Quantifying any goal or boundary you want to establish for the holidays helps you make choices more logically and assess your progress.

You can include everything from time on social media to number of desserts you will allow yourself to try at a party to how many minutes of “me time” you want each day.

With all the pressure our culture puts on the holiday season to be perfect, you will still find yourself feeling like there's another elephant you should juggle to make the next moment more special. Resist that urge by reminding yourself that the moment you are in is too valuable to waste thinking about the future. There will be time for that later.