Once again this year, Event Coordinator made it into the top 5 most stressful jobs. Plus studies have shown that 90% of people feel stressed during the holidays. That means those of us in the events industry are at risk of having a tough time in December…
Contents
- So, what can we do about it? Check out these tips to help you limit Christmas stress.
- Prioritise with 2 lists
- Use your eventprof super powers
- Stop expecting perfection
- What issues and topics do you struggle with in your business and personal life? The Simplifiers’ CEO – Mary Baird-Wilcock, CSEP is launching our new podcast and we want to you to tell us which topics you want us to simplify! Let us know HERE
So, what can we do about it? Check out these tips to help you limit Christmas stress.
Prioritise with 2 lists
Why 2 lists? Well, the first is for the “must do” tasks. That might mean, doing the food shopping, visiting family members, wrapping presents etc.
The second list is your “want to do” list. This is for all of the fun stuff. Maybe that means going ice skating, having a Christmas movie night or trying out a few new recipes. Your “musts” and “wants” will depend on family traditions – maybe your family would be upset if you cancelled their annual Home Alone marathon…
But remember – if you combine both lists into one, you’ll risk overwhelming yourself. Instead, focus on getting through the stuff that’s really important so you can actually choose a few things off your second list and enjoy them instead of being more stressed by them.
Use your eventprof super powers
Your work life is all about project management and juggling multiple tasks, people and whatever is thrown at you. Don’t forget that when you start to feel like things are getting on top of you!
Create your own version of a Christmas planning timeline or even a production schedule! Write down what needs to happen and when including allocating time for you to make yourself presentable before guests arrive. Give yourself buffers in case tasks like shopping, cooking or even unwrapping presents takes longer than expected.
If you have a particularly busy Christmas, give your partner and kids copies of your timeline to keep them on track and so you don’t have to run around after them. It’ll make it easier to delegate tasks to family members too!
Non eventprofs might think it’s a little extreme but we all know it works when it comes to events – so why not simplify your life a little?
Stop expecting perfection
We all want to have the “perfect” holiday season for ourselves and our families but if we set our expectations too high, we risk not living in the moment and truly enjoying the time we have together.
Most people are too busy unwrapping their presents to notice that there’s a bow out of place and there is probably so much food already on the table that the one dish that didn’t work out won’t be missed. Christmas tree falls down? Everyone will laugh about it every Christmas after. Let’s not even get started on family dynamics!
There is only so much you can control. Let go a little and actually enjoy the holidays! Oh, and don’t forget to try out some of these Christmas cocktail ideas!
What issues and topics do you struggle with in your business and personal life? The Simplifiers’ CEO – Mary Baird-Wilcock, CSEP is launching our new podcast and we want to you to tell us which topics you want us to simplify! Let us know HERE
