We’re SO close to Christmas, so I thought I’d round up my 3 non-negotiables when it comes to preparing my businesses for the holidays. 

These actions will not only save your time and stress, but they’ll also allow you to truly check-out and enjoy some downtime with your family this festive season. 

1.Do a brain dump. 

Getting ready to “check out” for the holidays often feels ridiculously overwhelming, but it’s often because all of the to-dos are stuck in your head, swirling in circles. Give yourself 10 minutes and sit down with pen and paper (or however you prefer to take notes) and get every. single. thought out of your head and written down. 

Next, separate the list into “do now” and “do later”. You’ll probably find that not every task is as urgent as you think, and some of them can probably wait until after the holidays. 

Not only will this process free you brain up for other important tasks (like listening closely to conversations with your children to remember what Santa is meant to bring!), but it will also make sure nothing is missed because you WROTE IT DOWN instead of putting all of the pressure on yourself to remember it! 

2.Communicate the plan. 

There’s no point writing lists of all the things to be done if you don’t communicate them with the people who either need to carry out the work, or the people who will be impacted. 

Let everybody know where you’re at, what you’re going to have time to get to, what tasks you need their help with, and what items are going to have to wait until you return from leave.

Have a task that’s been on your to-do list for too long but you’re just too tired to tackle it this time of year? Don’t let it weigh on you over Christmas. Make the decision that this will be a “do later” task, communicate with whoever needs to know, and give yourself a break! 

3.Set your out of office. 

You can choose your approach, whether it’s more formal or casual, but let people know you will be out of office and, if relevant, who to contact in your absence. If the answer to that is “nobody!” that’s fine too! Just ensure your out-of-office reply clearly outlines when they can expect to hear back from you. 

And one bonus tip! 

This one isn’t essential… but I always consider it a little treat for “future Stacey”. Clean your desk before you go on holidays! You’ll be so grateful to return from Christmas and step into a fresh and tidy office space.