Balance while busy sounds like an oxymoron. Especially when it comes to the holidays.

The holidays alway feel busy. Sometimes it’s a fun busy with the full streets and shops and a sense of holiday magic in the air. However, it mostly leans towards an overwhelming busy. A too much, too fast, all at once kind of busy. Do you know what I mean?

It’s in these moments that finding balance in the busy sounds unrealistic. There’s a mentality that we just have to strap ourselves in, keep our heads down and push through, waiting until the New Year to pop our heads up and breathe again.

Which also doesn’t make any sense because with the start of every new year, there’s again this mentality that we are going to jump right in, hit the ground running with all our new habits/rhythms/goals and etc. Yet, how the heck are we supposed to do that when we just came out of an equally busy, albeit slightly different, busy? But that’s a post for another day (like literally I’ll post about that in December – get notified for that post drop here).

So the question becomes, with the start of the holiday season, and busy-ness, how can you commit now to balance and rest in the midst of hustling?

It starts now.

It starts with knowing in advance what the holidays hold for you and I. Not just in our heads, but written down with a calendar in front of us.

When we see things written out in front of us we are more apt to 1) remember it and 2) have a fuller understanding of what’s going on.

I use a digital calendar for work and with my family, however I also write everything down because when I do, I’m better able to see everything with a birds eye view thereby am less likely to forget a meeting or appointment and can see where and when I’ll need to reserve energy or expend more.

It starts now also means not waiting until Thanksgiving is around the corner, but starting now before the season begins.

What do you have going on this holiday season? Pull out a planner or calendar and piece of paper and write them down.

Set your limits.

The people-pleaser, overachiever, and includer-connector in me wants to do everything. I want to be the “yes” girl. However, I know (or rather am told by much wiser individuals) that this will burn me out. I can’t say yes to everything and also stay kind, rested, and present with family and friends.

I have to know my limits. I have to spend some time reflecting on what will be my “yeses” for the season and how many additional “yeses” (either weekly or monthly) I can say yes to.

For example, I know I’ll have two family gatherings, those are mandatory non-negotiable yeses. I know I’ll have at least two markets, those are non-negotiable yeses. I know I’ll have at least two Christmas parties and 1 Friendsgiving. Those are my yeses. And assuming those all take places on weekends, that’s 7 weekends of events. AKA all of the holiday months. How many more yeses can I realistically say yes to, if it’s a weekend event? Probably not much more with my capacity and other life things I have (small business life, family time, etc.). See how that works?

What are your non-negotiable “yeses” and how many more “yeses” do you have per week/month?

Decide what is restful for you this season.

And schedule it in. Whether that’s a walk outside, a coffee date or time alone. Figure out what will restore you this holiday season and commit to scheduling it in your calendar so that when the busy happens, you know there will be time for rest. If you have one of our Kindred Planners, we have a built-in section to remind you to be still and rest every week.

What will restore you this holiday season? Write these things down and bonus, start putting it in your calendar/planner now.

I cannot promise you that one, or all, of these things will ensure every moment of this season will be smooth, perfect, or un-overwhelmed, but you will be better prepared and hopefully will overall be balanced between rest + fun-holiday-busy.

With joy & gratitude,

Val

PS: Think that you need a daily or weekly or monthly reminder to rest and be still? Check out our newly launched 2023 Kindred Planner or our Be Still Journal.

PPS: We’re launching a new product mid-November. Here are three clues for what it is:

1. It is in collaboration with a fellow small business owner and podcaster that I was a guest on.
2. It is a product to build a rhythm of quiet time.
3. It is for the self-proclaimed busy people.

What’s your best guess as to what it is? Want to be in the know when this product drops? Sign up for our kindred letters to be among the first to know!