Preventing Year-End Burnout

Are you ready for everything the next few months is bringing your way?

The holidays, the end of the calendar year (and fiscal year for many of us), school wrapping up for our kids, the parties, the shopping, the cooking … and trying to get work done in there somewhere. Whew! It’s exhausting just thinking about it.

And it takes a toll on our productivity and well-being. Work suffers as a result of the stressed late-nights with too much to get done, and that just leads to more stress.

So if you’re already feeling the burn, and we’re just hitting Halloween, let’s talk about how to prevent burn out between now and January.

Less Quantity, More Quality

Now is the time to stop and think strategically about what you want to accomplish before the end of the year. Then once you know your priorities, put those first on the to-do list and let everything else get done when and if it gets done.

This is especially important for your business at this time of year, but you can use your priorities to guide your personal and family life as well.

Stop Comparing

Ever catch yourself thinking thoughts like these? “Her business is so similar to mine but she’s making double the income,” or “The lights on their house are always straight out of a magazine, and then there’s my house.”

It’s natural to compare, but it only adds to your stress and doesn’t actually help get the lights on your house or earn you more money. Plus, for all you know, she’s not actually making double the income or she’s driving herself bonkers doing it. You don’t know the whole story, so cut yourself some slack.

Rest

Yes, you need to get plenty of sleep at this time of year. But you also need rest from technology, so try putting the phone down when you’re with family and friends… from the hustle and bustle, so schedule time where you can really focus and get work done without a second thought for turkey basting or gift wrap… and from the daily barrage of sweets and candy, so make sure you’re getting enough exercise and take time out for some nutritious, delicious meals that will leave you feeling satisfied enough to pass on the cookie exchange.

Take Stock

This is the best time of year to take notice of all you’ve accomplished. It’s easy to forget how much you’re doing as you’re doing it, so next time you’re feeling frazzled and frustrated, look back at where you were in January and how far you’ve come since then – how many clients you’ve worked with, how your email list or followers have grown, how much income you’ve generated, and how many lives you’ve touched with your work.

Delegate

What 3 things on your to do list right now could someone else be doing? This doesn’t just have to be business related either. Maybe you could pay your teenager to wrap some presents this year.

You don’t have to be the hero who gets everything done. You just have to keep things in motion, and that means delegating when you have too much to handle yourself.