Author: Tammy Doss
Traditional Holidays can be stressful, and you may be extra busy at this time of the year with your career or job search, family, children returning to school, fund raisers, or any number of activities. Having three or four big events may seem overwhelming. However, with a little planning and delegating you can enjoy most of them and not take on the full responsibility for all planning or execution.
The first thing to do is prioritize what you know you have coming up and what is most important and satisfying not only to you personally but for your family, partner, and friends. Fun things to do like Trick-or-Treating, cooking your favorites for Thanksgiving, Holiday parties you go to each year, Christmas, Kwanzaa, Hannukah or any other fall/winter celebrations that you are currently aware of need to be noted.
Get the calendar out! – Or these days it is get your phone out. Start filling in the dates of which, you are sure. We all know when Halloween (10/31/22), Thanksgiving (11/24/22) and Christmas (12/25/22) are. If you do not already have them on your calendar now is a wonderful time to put family and friend birthdays on your calendar too. Enter your vacation or PTO days off you have scheduled so you can really see when you are available. Remember to mark everything except your vacation or PTO to repeat yearly so it saves time next year.
Once you have the basics in your calendar, you can clearly see what dates are still available and you can start to plan for special invitations and events. This is half the battle. It feels great to pull up October, November and December and see everything that you have scheduled and plan for those you want to attend. Always set aside time to relax and rejuvenate. Going to everything is not necessary.
Of course, life is not all fun and games, so you need to be flexible with the time you do have. Working late, an untimely funeral, automobile troubles, terrible weather and sickness just happen as part of life. Having something to do every day is too much!
Do your best not to over commit. You will not be forgotten, and you can participate next year if you find yourself booking too frequently. Keep in mind the one-time events that should top your priority list. Weddings, graduations, baby births, special anniversaries are things that only happen once so if you miss them, they do not come around every year.
Relax and remember who and what are being celebrated. All the food, decorations and fancy outfits are just a bonus. What is the meaning of the tradition or holiday? Will you be able to attend all or part of an event? Will you be a guest or host? What level of contribution will work for your budget and time constraints? Can you enjoy yourself or just feel like you are running from one commitment to another? Keep these questions in mind when you consider adding one more thing to your busy schedule!
AND….. if you are looking for a permanent position, a career change or simply a temporary job please contact us at The Job Shop (415-227-8610) and one of our recruiters will assist you. It is our goal to make you the PRIORITY and ensure you have all the tools needed to succeed. Happy Holidays!