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Take a Break!

Written by Posted On Thursday, 17 October 2019 05:00

It’s that time of the year again. You know, the approaching holidays with the non-stop schedule of buying gifts, prepping food, baking cookies, keeping the house sparkling clean, going to parties, relatives to visit, and on and on and on. You race from one event to the next, and fall in bed exhausted every night. There’s never enough time to pack it all in, and by the time New Year’s rolls around, you’re irritable, worn-out, and maybe even sick from the latest bug going around.

And somewhere in all of that chaos, you’re supposed to be focused on business and hitting your year-end sales goals. It’s enough to make you sit down and cry.

If you’re finding yourself nodding in agreement to all of that, and thinking to yourself ,“I just want to run away and avoid the holidays this year…” then you need to spend some time investing in yourself and take a break from the action. Here are some tips on how to take care of you.

• It sounds counter-intuitive, but blocking time out for YOU each day will make you more productive in the long run. Make sure you time-block a lunch hour each day (and eat something healthy). 

• Plan your day so you can be home for the evening with your family, or if you’re living the single life, so you can spend time with your friends. Limit evening appointments to no more than twice a week. Listen to some music you love, read a book, have a game night with your kids, walk the dog…You need that downtime each evening to relax, de-stress, and recharge your batteries each day.

• Start small, and block an afternoon off to go get a massage, get your nails and hair done, or catch an afternoon movie with the kids…and make sure you change your voicemail and set an autoresponder on your email saying you’re out on appointments for the remainder of the day, but will respond the following day. Avoid the urge to constantly check your messages! I promise, they will be there in the morning.  

• Plan a weekend off to go to a nearby trendy hotel with your partner, get together for a weekend with your best friends, or have a staycation at home. You’ll be energized from being with people who feed your soul, and can tackle your work with renewed enthusiasm after taking this short break.

• Learn to say “No!” This is a hard one for most women, but really, you don’t need to bake cookies for every party you’re invited to. You don’t need to accept every invitation you get during the holidays. You don’t even have to keep your house sparkling clean if you don’t want to. It’s ok! Take some time to identify the experience YOU want to have during the holiday season, and then pick and choose the activities that will nurture you and create that experience.

• Instead of buying a bunch of gifts for your family, consider having an experience with them instead. Take the money you usually spend on gifts and plan a trip to a new destination.  People rarely remember what gifts they get from year to year—but they will remember that awesome vacation you took together.

• Delegate, delegate, delegate! This is a perfect time to get other people involved in helping you stay on top of all you need to do. If you don’t have an assistant, consider hiring a college student, or stay-at-home mom to help you get all those Christmas cards addressed, or to run errands for you. Hire a housecleaner to give your house a deep clean prior to all the family coming over for dinner. Consider catering a meal rather than cooking everything yourself.

• Remember to stay hydrated, eat healthy (all those holiday carbs can really sap your energy—so choose to offset them by having a salad or healthy soup the next day), walk or exercise every day, and take your vitamins!

By incorporating some self-care into your daily schedule, planning down-time, and learning to say “No”, you’ll find that you are more relaxed, have more energy, and you’re more productive at work.  You may even find that your holidays are filled with more happiness than you thought possible as you approach them with less stress and more time for yourself!

 

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Terri Murphy

Terri Murphy, Communication engagement specialist, author, speaker, consultant, and Master Coach with Workman Success.  She is the author of 5 books, TedTalk speaker and co-radio host on KWAMtheVoice.com. Contact: TerriMurphy.com or Email: [email protected]

https://terrimurphy.com

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