Achieving a work-life balance during the holidays doesn’t have to feel as impossible as stopping Santa from eating a Christmas cookie. The winter holidays are a great time to cozy up with family and friends in front of a fire, drink apple cider and watch holiday movies. But as the year comes to a close, your job may bring a lot of extra demands, too. According to U.S. News & World Report, nearly 40 percent of Americans find it impossible to maintain an ideal work-life balance during the holidays. It may sound difficult, but with some focus, planning and organization, it is possible. Start preparing for a productive and restful holiday season today with these five ideas.
1. Schedule (All of) Your Holiday Time
If your job and family responsibilities are particularly demanding, then schedule every holiday activity (even small tasks like shopping, decorating and wrapping) on a detailed calendar. Does it suddenly look like more than you can handle? Lea McLeod, a job coach, wrote on the Muse that taking extra time off from work can help. If you have enough time available, try to schedule one day off a week in December.
2. Let Go of Perfection
When you have a lot of responsibilities, give yourself a break and let go of perfectionism. If you’re hosting a party and don’t have time to cook, it’s OK to serve food from a nice restaurant nearby — and there’s no reason to feel guilty about not attending every get-together. The important thing is the quality of your time with friends, not the quantity of events you attend.
3. Maximize Your Time
Find ways to make the most of your breaks during work so you have time to spend with friends and family. You can save time by shopping for holiday gifts online, or doing a few holiday tasks on your lunch break, so you don’t have to run errands when you get home. If you need to stay home to care for a sick kid, talk with your boss about working from home. This way, you won’t feel compelled to catch up by working longer hours when you go back.
4. Delegate and Prioritize Work Responsibilities
Don’t try to take on too much! If you work on commission, consider whether spending a little less on gifts is worth working fewer hours trying to get that last sale. If you work on a team, let others help shoulder the load. Delegate responsibilities so everyone has time off. Lisa Chenofsky Singer of Chenofsky Singer & Associates told Business Insider that designating an on-call “point person” can make a big difference over the holidays. If you have a point person, then other people can have protected “off time” where they don’t have to worry about being contacted by work.
5. Unplug During Holiday Events
Your time with your family and friends is as important as your time at work, so block out important events and put them on your work schedule, letting your colleagues know you’re not available at those times. During those events, stay away from your computer and your phone. You don’t want to be constantly checking text messages while you’re looking at holiday lights with your children. Really unplugging can also leave you more refreshed, helping you be more productive when you’re back on the job.
By budgeting your time effectively, delegating what you can and prioritizing the things you actually want to do, you can achieve a work-life balance during the holidays that would make Santa and his elves proud.