As an entrepreneur, I know how challenging it can be to juggle running a business and enjoying the holidays. Stepping away from your business for days at a time can seem completely impossible, and even if you think you did take a break, chances are you spent more time than you thought checking your email or thinking about projects.
That’s because as business leaders, we all have the drive to succeed, and at times, this can have a negative impact on our work/life balance. For many of my clients, that work/life balance is one of the main things we work on together because the Entrepreneurial Operating System is designed to help you take back control of your business so that you can focus on what really matters. Here is my advice on how you can minimize your stress, enjoy the holidays, and set yourself up for success in the new year!
Set Your Priorities: Balance Work and Play
One way you can be proactive around the holidays is to identify and solidify your top priorities, or Rocks. What are the things you absolutely need to get done before the end of the month? What can wait until after the new year?
To give you an example, my husband and I run our family on EOS, however, we realized this month that we were overwhelmed with all the issues, tasks, and to-do’s we had. So, we sat down and did a special Holiday Rock Setting Session, identifying which Rocks we NEEDED to accomplish in December. When we started off, we had 35 things on our combined list—way too many for us to ever achieve. After reviewing it several times, making some tough decisions, and looking at what absolutely could not be done another time, we were left with just 5 Rocks. One of the Rocks we decided to keep was to be intentional about our 1 on 1 time with each kid. One that was cut? My daughter’s college applications, realizing that this was something she should do on her own with our guidance and support. Not only has this process helped us from feeling overwhelmed, but has given us more insight on what’s most important in our family and what we can empower our children to do themselves.
By focusing and scheduling out your workload for the next couple of weeks leading up to the holidays, you can see what you can realistically achieve in that time. If you have too much on your plate to get done in that amount of time, this is the perfect chance to practice EOS’s Delegate and Elevate tool.
Delegate Your Work
As leaders, it can be easy to take on all the responsibilities of the business, but this can be overwhelming and leave little time for you to focus on the rest of your life. The Delegate and Elevate tool is designed to help you delegate some of your responsibilities to the rest of your team. As the boss, you need to stop taking on all the responsibilities of your team, and instead empower them to solve their own. This eases your workload, allowing you to focus on what’s really important, and giving you time to recharge. If you want to learn more about this topic, check out this book, The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey, with advice from three famous experts on how managers can meet their own priorities, give back other people’s responsibilities and let them solve their own problems.
Unplug & Unwind
I know we’re all guilty of sneakily checking our work email or being distracted thinking about our business when we should be relaxing and spending time with others. Smartphones make it easy for us to constantly be working on our business, however, when you’re scheduled to be off, make sure you unplug. Remember, you aren’t recharging YOUR mental batteries if you are constantly on your phone working. The best way to enjoy the holidays and get the break that you need is to set the phone, tablet, and computer aside (even if it’s just for a few hours) and be present in the moment.
Let Go of Worker’s Guilt
If you’ve mapped out what’s truly most important to get done and empowered you and your team to accomplish them, checking them off of your to-do list, then it’s time to take that well-deserved break! It’s been a crazy year and we all deserve some downtime to relax and enjoy time with family, so don’t apologize or feel guilty for taking the time you need! The pressure and to-do’s of your work will be there when you return.
In fact, a break is one of the best ways for our minds to rebuild and refocus. With a chance to relax and reflect, you’ll go back to work in the new year with a fresh perspective, ready to take on the issues in your business and achieve your goals.
If you’re looking for ways to get more out of your business in the new year and work on achieving a healthy work-life balance, let’s connect! I’m here to help you achieve your vision for your business and take your business to the next level!
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