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The E-junkie Holiday De-Stressing Guide
We are deep in the 2015 holiday season and the stress it probably weighing you down. We are here to offer you the gift of de-stressing! While there are many ways to relieve stress, we are going to go through ones that are good for your and your business.
There are plenty of other ways of de-stressing, but most of them will fall into the above three categories. Remember we all want our business to do well but it is easy to get to the point where you are so stressed you can’t think straight and if you don’t have some checks and balances in place you might get to that point without even realizing it.
Good Luck and Good Sales.
Delegate
- Don’t be afraid to pass off tasks to your trusted employees. You might feel like you need to do as much as you can yourself but often bosses bite off more than they can chew. Delegating effectively will make your business run more smoothly. Start by planning out your week and being realistic about what you can actually do yourself. Any task you can’t be 100% sure you’ll be able to complete yourself, assign it out to others within your company. Be clear with the assignments and check in with the employees who are expecting to complete them, but let them complete the task for the company. You can only do so much.
- Push less important tasks to the back burner until the new year. If you’ve taken a good hard look at what you and your employees can manage during this busy time of year and realistically you don’t have time to complete every task in a given work week, start to rank projects and move deadlines backwards. Working yourself to the bone will only mean that tasks get done at a subpar level.
Unwind
- Turn off your phone. I do not mean that you have to shut down during business hours. But take time for yourself, when the day is over to relax and turn off your phone to tune out for some me-time. Disconnecting for a few hours now will make you a better worker later.
- Get out of the house. Sure it is the holiday season and you have a to-do list a mile long but go out. Take a little chunk of your time to yourself to get out in the world. Go to your favorite restaurant, go to a concert, a movie, a nightclub, something where you can just enjoy the time and not think about the next day. This de-stressing will make your work time more productive and you might even find the solution to a work problem while you're out and about. See: the shower principle.
- Plan your next vacation. It might seem odd to plan a getaway while in the thick of the holiday rush but this will provide an objective for you to work towards. Take a few moments to research flights, check out accommodations on Airbnb or look up restaurants in a city guide. Even if you don't book a post-holiday trip now, the daydream will get you through to the other side of this busy season. Goals equal productivity.
- Get moving! Exercise is a proven stress reliever. Go to the gym on your lunch break, take a walk after work or do a yoga class to start your day. The release you’ll get will set you on a path to de-stressing and being more productive when you sit back down at your desk. And you'll reap the benefits of a more healthy life style while you're at it.
Check in
- It is important that you keep track of your health during this busy time. One of the worse things we can do to ourselves when we get stressed is to stop considering our health. This causes some of us to eat too much, or not enough. Others drink a too much or don’t get enough sleep. All of these things are detrimental to your productivity now and in the future. Take some time to think about how you feel and visit a doctor if something is not feeling right.
- Make sure you are sleeping. Check in with yourself after every day and create a regiment of how many hours you can work to still ensure you get enough rest. Pre-determine a quitting time and stick to it. Exhausting yourself can lead to illness and will cause a decrease in your productivity.
- Create a meal plan for the next two weeks and pre-cook whatever you can during your time off. Stock healthy snacks at the office so you never have an excuse to skip sustenance. If you’re crazy busy and so is your team, consider catering to ensure everyone eats a balanced meal at least once a day during this extra busy time.
- Take a moment to breathe! Slow breathing exercises are proven to decrease stress and anxiety.
There are plenty of other ways of de-stressing, but most of them will fall into the above three categories. Remember we all want our business to do well but it is easy to get to the point where you are so stressed you can’t think straight and if you don’t have some checks and balances in place you might get to that point without even realizing it.
Good Luck and Good Sales.