It is already December, and I bet you can already feel the stress of the holiday season (and all of 2020!!).
How do you keep your sanity during it all? We want to help you simplify these next few weeks and going into the new year so you can keep your sanity and stay happy (and healthy) over the holidays!
Here are 3 quick tips to own the “holiday hustle!”
1.) Schedule “Me” time!
Yes, you heard that right! What would benefit you the most during the busiest time of year is to schedule “Me” time.
The best way to do this is to pull out your calendar (I prefer one I can write on, the old fashioned way!) and mark on your calendar every commitment you already know about – every party, event, meeting, etc. that are non-negotiable and that you can’t miss. Once you have those all scheduled, now schedule your “Me” time! Now is not the time to skip workouts or just say “I am too busy and I am going to take the week off.”
Instead, schedule this very important time just like you would a doctor’s or dentist appointment. Place it in your calendar and make sure you hold yourself accountable to it by either letting people know that are close to you (like your family) that you have appointments with yourself on these days and times. Or even better, stay accountable to your coaches here at Epic Fitness by scheduling your coaching appointments and sticking to your plan.
2.) Prioritize your day with the ONE thing that is non-negotiable to get done each day.
After diving into a ton of time-management books and the like, the biggest aha I got was after reading “The One Thing” by Gary Keller was this:
Time is the most valuable non-renewable resource that we all have the exact same amount of. It is the way in which we use it that becomes the issue.
What Keller recommends (and what I find super fascinating) is actually making a “to-do” list with just ONE thing on the list. Yep, you heard me right – ONE THING! This leads to what they call in the book the “focusing question”, which is:
“What’s the ONE Thing I can do such by doing it everything else will be easier or unnecessary?”
This reflects back another important concept known as the Pareto Principle. 20% of your effort will produce 80% of your results. So, instead of having a never ending to-do list that will leave you even more stressed at the end of the day when you don’t even have half of the items complete, find that ONE thing and focus intently on getting it done each day.
Whether it is a project at work, some cleaning you have been putting off at home, or anything in-between, the power of the ONE thing is real!
3.) Say “No” more than you say “Yes”
As I just wrote that, I know this may be wildly unpopular. I have been a “yes” man most all of my life, until I realized that respectfully saying “no” gave me freedom that I never thought I had the ability to have.
You will be asked by many people if you can do many, many things over the holidays. This is where you should be hyper aware of the amount of commitments you are making and how it actually affects your life and your stress levels, especially during the holidays.
We have all been there – you just double booked yourself– and you really want to do both things! Isn’t that one of the worst feelings? Gracefully saying “No” can be hard, especially if you have said yes in the past to similar things. But it also helps you avoid this awkward feeling.
One of the best ways to get your sanity back during the holidays is to not be afraid to say “no.” Don’t even think that you have to give a reason why, it is ok to just say “thank you so much for the invite, but I will be unable to make it.”
One of the worst ways to respond is to say, “I will try to make it.” The word “try” presupposes the likelihood of failure by about 110%! Honestly, say it in any sentence and put yourself in the shoes of the receiver. “I will TRY to make it to your party.” Or, “I will try to pick you up from the airport.” How would that make you feel if you were stuck at the airport and that is the line your friend pulled on you! As Yoda famously said (make sure you recite this with the accent!):
“Do or do not. There is no try.”
I know this habit will be a tough one, but once you start to say “no” to little things, you will see the amount of freedom and time it brings back into your life!
Most importantly, enjoy this holiday season with your family and the people that mean the most to you and that lift you up!
Ready to own the holiday hustle and schedule more time for YOU?! Click below to apply for our upcoming New Year New You Challenge, and how you can get started even earlier than next year with us!
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