I had this great idea for this blog… and so I did some Googling to find out what the most popular methods were for avoiding burn-out around the end of the calendar year.

And lo and behold… the first 20+ search results all talked about making it through the end of the school year!

But is it really that hard for kids to make it through the end of the year? I know they have homework assignments all year long, then at the end they get hit with the large projects and finals and grades, but come on… YOU’RE GETTING A THREE-MONTH BREAK! The end of the school year means months off for the summer!

For those of us who have full-time jobs and maybe our own kids, whether it’s summertime or the end of the actual calendar year, we don’t get a long break from work and parenting.

So the end of the calendar year, meaning November and December, can be extremely stressful for working adults—especially those with kids.

On the work front we have…

• Year-end reviews
• The task of making sure things run smoothly while people try to take vacations
• The task of making sure client work gets done so employees don’t have to work on holidays
• Taxes are coming due
• End of year reporting

And on the personal front (keep breathing!), we have…   

• Gift shopping
• Planning
• Decorating
• Parties
• Grocery shopping & cooking
• Festivals/concerts/plays
• What to do with the kids while they’re out of school
• Cleaning the house for company to come over
• Packing & traveling for vacations
• Trying to not emotionally eat your way through your to do list
• And entertaining relatives you may not even like that much!

There are just so many things going on, that you might need a nap just thinking about all this stuff!

This is such a wonderful time of year… but let’s be honest, it can also get pretty hectic. How are you expected to be present and enjoy the holiday season with so many tasks on your plate?

I know I haven’t actually given you any ways to avoid burn-out yet, but I have some answers. Here they are:

• Take care of yourself FIRST! I know this is a foreign concept to most of you but if you take care of yourself first you will have plenty of time and energy to take care of others, and… you will enjoy it more.
• Get plenty of rest – your body will thank you.
• Stay hydrated – it’s important! I make my team remind me to drink water, we even have a daily recurring task to remind me.
• Don’t overbook yourself – it’s ok to say NO! (Did your head explode?) I promise nothing will fall apart and no one will be mad at you and if they are they will get over it.
• Play Christmas music (or your favorite soothing music) (and turn up the volume when people begin to annoy you).
• Don’t try to host or cook everything – Say yes when Aunt Jane wants to host dinner. Offer to bring a side dish or dessert.
• Take a real vacation! Don’t do any work when you’re away. If you need help setting up your systems to run without you, give us a call today.
• Go for walks or exercise breaks. Taking frequent mental and physical breaks is important to good self-care.

Of course, if you don’t see it already on this list, you can add your favorite way to hit the reset button or get some rest and relaxation.

Share your personal 1 – 3 top ways you’ll avoid burn-out below!