5 Tips to Avoid a Christmas Season Meltdown

"Cardinal" by Sarah-Lambert Cook

I could easily give you 5 tips about preparing for the holidays, but I imagine one or two Google searches will turn up pretty much everything you'll need in that regard. Preparing for holidays business-wise is not too difficult--it's a matter of kicking it into gear and just plain doing it. Preparing for the exhaustion of selling through an increasingly busy season to increasingly frantic customers all against the backdrop of your own holiday plans can be incredibly exhausting and ruin your own season if you're not careful. Here are 5 tips to help you keep calm in the middle of the rush:
1. Take the time to treat yourself. This is your holiday season too! Sit down and enjoy some Thanksgiving left-overs, kick your feet up and watch 'It's a Wonderful Life,' take a long bubble bath...treat yourself to some creature comforts--they go a long way.
2. Don't pull all nighters fueled by caffeine or energy drinks. I know, I know, it seems unavoidable sometimes, well, it's not. If you think you're approaching a time where you need to be up for hours on end take power naps. You'll feel a lot more energized after an hour curled up on the couch than you will 3 hours after that Red Bull when the sugar catches up to you. If you do need some caffeine, stick with some strong tea.
3. Don't take all of the tasks in your business so seriously. Some stuff is grunt work, so find a way to make this fun and include others. Swap some time with your neighbor where you'll make dinner for them if they'll answer treasury convos, get your kids involved stuffing cards and freebies into packages, make it a girl's night and make your packaging with some friends over wine.
4. Take a day and clean up thoroughly. Get rid of trash, vacuum extremely thoroughly, organize everything. Now is the time to get cleaning done. You probably won't have much time while you're working through the holiday season and even if you do, you won't want to waste it cleaning, so get as organized as possible ahead of time.
5. The best laid plans of mice and men... Stress can be unavoidable, and even with a stock of dark chocolate, plenty of rest and lots of help you can still find yourself caving under pressure: this is not the time to pick a fight with your family. It's not the time to call people and fuss and whine about how things are rough. Everyone gets a little stressed over the holidays, but these are the holidays, so remember not to alienate your friends and family with grumpy behavior. Try your absolute hardest to Keep Calm and Carry On without biting someone's head off.