Be Present This Holiday
Don’t miss out on another holiday with friends and family.
We all know the holidays are stressful. I know from personal experience how hard it is to be present during the holidays, especially when the specter of work stress haunts you like the ghost of Christmas future. There are a few things I have learned that can help make working (or not working) over the holidays a little bit easier.
Plan Ahead
Lay out the days and times that you want to be unavailable and focus on spending time with loved ones. Be realistic about what you think you can do and write it down. If your team is working over the holidays (please don’t do this unless you must!), make sure your colleagues know when they can contact you and expect a response. If you know you will need to do some amount of work, communicate it to friends and family so they can set expectations.
Disconnect
Now that you have made a plan to disconnect, you just need to do it. Turn off your notifications, put your phone away, turn off your smartwatch, whatever it takes. Remove the potential distractions and keep them put away. This will give you the space to focus on the here and now and enjoy the time you have.
Don’t Dwell
If something unexpected comes up, deal with it quickly. If it cannot be handled quickly, do not dwell on it. Take the time to write that email, or slack message so it will not be rolling around in your head as a distraction. If at all possible delay any response until a designated work time, especially if there will be extended back-and-forth required to resolve the issue.
If you feel your mind wandering towards work, step away and write down what you are thinking. This will get it out of your head and allow you to be more present to what is around you. You will be amazed at how effective it can be to take 10 minutes in a bathroom to write a note down that can free your mind for a whole evening.
Have a Script
If you know you are going to get asked about work and you don’t want to discuss it, come up with a few responses that will let you redirect the conversation.
Some of my favorite responses to “how is work?”:
“Work is good, I have been spending my time after work doing X.”
“Work is good, I actually have a vacation coming up where we are going to X.”
“Work is good, the other day on the way to work I listened to a really interesting podcast about X.”
If small talk stresses you out, this can be a great way to ease your anxiety.
Don’t Beat Yourself Up
If you get distracted or need to step away to handle something, don’t let it ruin the remaining time you have. It is not easy to disconnect and shed work stress. Be kind to yourself and set reasonable expectations that work for you.
Final Thoughts
There is no right or wrong way to enjoy the holidays. Choose whatever will make you happy and energize for the rest of the year. Managing work/life balance is very personal and you should decide for yourself what will make you happy. I hope that you have a great holiday season.