Harness the Holidays

Personally, I love the holidays.  I love the energy and the decorations and even hearing the same 30 familiar songs over and over.  I love getting together with family.  I love the holiday outfits, the holiday activities and yep, even the holiday shopping!

You don't have to talk to too many people however to realize that not everyone shares my enthusiasm for this magical time of year.  In fact, most people I talk to say that the holidays are hectic, harried and for those who are truly disenchanted, horrific.

Fear not friends, I'm here to help.  Below are a few ideas on how to put the happy back in your holidays.

1) Own your holiday experience! Close your eyes and picture the holidays as you would like them to be.  Chances are, you'll be thinking about some special memories from holidays past...and likely they won't have anything to do with gifts or amazing holiday recipes.  Choose and write down a few (just a few) things that would make the holidays feel like they 'should'.  Now put yourself in that mind space. Now live there for the next 6 weeks.  Spend time on the things that make you happy...the things that will give you that warm fuzzy feeling you just thought about.  Let the other things go...seriously...I promise you won't miss them.  There is no right or wrong way to celebrate.

2) Take back your holiday calendar.  Go get your calendar...right now...I'll wait.  Okay, now write down all of the commitments you know of at this point through the end of the year.  Look at the month of December...does it have enough white space?  Think about the things that you really want to do...is there time left for them?  Pick days/times and schedule them, even if it is baking cookies with your kids, catching up with a friend for coffee, etc.  If you don't have your own priorities on the calendar, it's easy to push them off (and usually never get to them), when another invitation pops up.

3) Separate Buying from Shopping.  For many people, the gift buying is what spoils their holiday time.  Not that they don't want to give, it's the buying itself (the crowds, the rush, the pressure).  If this is you, do the majority of your shopping online and then make a few special trips to the store for the last few items.  You will enjoy the shopping experience so much more when you aren't rushing from store to store buying in mass.  Take in the people, the sites, the sounds, the smells.  If you aren't enjoying it, go home and order the rest online. 

Happy Holidays!

Organizing for Travel

Even for those that have mastered the art of "fly by the seat of your pants" (this is not me, I'm terrible at that), being organized during travel can save a lot of worry and headaches.  Here are my top 5 tips for organized travel.

1)  Prepare a Packet with Key Information - Include your flight information, hotel address, directions if you aren't using (or don't trust) GPS, a list of additional stops/destinations with addresses and phone numbers.  By doing this ahead, you'll save yourself time while on your trip and have peace of mind knowing it is all at your fingertips.

2) Pack light, but within reason.  I went on a family vacation once, and I thought I'd impress everyone with my 'light packing' skills.  Let me tell you, huge mistake.  The whole vacation I kept thinking, "I wish I had this, I wish I had that."  Don't go overboard, but take what you need.  If you want that special pair of shoes to go with your outfit, throw them in...you won't regret it.

3) Make a list ahead of time, but don't pack ahead.  I know some won't agree with this.  Making a list ahead of time makes complete sense.  As you think of things, you add them to the list.  But, wait until you have time to spend 1 hour packing, then whip down the list and pack it up.  If you pack a little at a time, you lose track, spend lots of time going back through to remember what you already did and are much more likely to forget something.  List upfront.  Pack all at once.

4) Communicate your plans to friends and family.  Let them know how long you'll be gone, forward an itinerary to someone that can reach you in case of an emergency at home. IMPORTANT DISTINCTION: Informing friends and family is NOT the same as posting on Facebook that you'll be gone for two weeks on your dream vacation in another country.  If you are going to do this, just go ahead and also post that you'll leave a spare key under the mat for any bad guys who may want to visit your home while you are out. Common sense, I know, but it is amazing how many people do this!

5) Always, always, have one bag packed with 1 day/night essentials.  Even if you are driving, you should have a separate bag packed with one set of clothes, some toiletries, etc that each person traveling would need if you need to make an unplanned stop.  Obviously, if traveling by air, this is a must!  If your luggage has never been lost, knock on wood now, and I will pray for you it never is.  But, pack an essentials bag, just in case.

Happy Travels!

It's Okay to Say No!

It's been said, "If you can't say no, what good is your yes!"  This is so true.  There is no faster way to create chaos in you life than not being able to say no.  It is always with the best of intentions, but suddenly you are buried under a slew of work and you can't give anything proper attention.

I know about this syndrome, because I am afflicted with it!

I keep learning and trying to improve, so I'll share with you a strategy that has really worked for me.  You can apply this to work or home.  I'll use work as an example.

First, identify the top 3-5 (never more than 5) projects that are your top priorities.  Socialize this list with your boss.  It doesn't mean that these are the only things you'll have to work on, but they are the things that you can't take your focus off of.  We'll call these your 'key initiatives'.

Next time you get an email or phone call asking you for a favor, or when you are on a conference call and there is a call to action and the phone goes silent (this is a killer for me)...resist the urge to give an immediate response.  Think if the action will progress one of your key initiatives.  If so, and you are able to do it...great, take on the action item.  If not, think about whether taking it on will derail one of your key initiatives.  If so, then do not take on this action.  Simple, right?

Okay, things aren't always so cut and dry...I know.  So, for those cases when you really feel it is something that needs to get done and you are the best person to do it, then determine the impact it will have on your key initiatives.  Then have a conversation with the stakeholders for the key initiative that will be impacted to see if it's acceptable to push the deadline.  If you end up with competing priorities from different sides,  you will need to decide or go to your manager for help prioritising your key initiatives. 

Having thought through the impacts, you can make a logical decision rather than an emotional one.  By setting realistic expectations and meeting deadlines, people will have greater confidence in you, you will be happier, and you will also be able to jump in and  help when something urgent is truly needed.