Thursday 23 November 2017

Don't drop any baubles when juggling this Christmas


With Christmas fast approaching, I wanted to take a step back and look at how you can effectively manage your time and have a fun and productive period. For me personally, I have a business to run, kids to please, as well as Wimbleball middle distance triathlon to train for!

Mastering the art of juggling

Managing to keep on top of everything and provide a memorable Christmas for all of your family means being able to juggle multiple tasks at once. Here are some of my top tips that I use and which you can try as well.

Be organised ahead of time

As a global award-winning PR, I understand the need for preparation. It helps you stay organised at busy times and keep on top of all tasks. This means preparing not just your business schedule, but also all other tasks of running a household, and any other passions you pursue.

Set expectations

This means managing everyone's expectations of what you will be able to get done. What is actually achievable in the time given? This includes any clients, you have, as well as kids who are expecting to get to see their mother more over the holidays. There are only 24 hours in a day and you have to be realistic in terms of what you can deliver.

Take some time off

This comes down to great preparation and is crucial to avoiding burnout. The Christmas period is a time to see your family and actually take some time off. So, even though you will still be busy, do schedule in some much needed time to switch off. It also means putting in the extra effort for the first two weeks of December. Four weeks' worth of work needs can be squeezed into two, and it will be worth it in the end, trust me.

Online shopping is great!

I wonder how much time it would be if you calculated the hours spent queuing in department stores and sitting in traffic. Shop online and spend a little bit more for gift wrapping and you can get 90% with the click of a button. I actually buy gift throughout the year too so that there isn’t as much to do in December.

Where’s the proof?

Well, I’ve been doing exactly this, and much more, for years now, and Christmas 2017 will be no different! My triathlon in Exmoor takes place next June and I’m already well into my training schedule. My plan over Christmas is to get up early so I can still see my family in the daytime, as well as training with my daughters and the dog, who are also passionate triathletes – LOL. To top it off, I will be hosting Christmas day this year!

As a final tip, if you are also cooking Christmas dinner, why not save a little time by roasting all vegetables, rather than spending hours preparing and cooking four (or more) varieties. Also, why fill the entire oven with a whole turkey that takes hours to cook, when you can just by for a crown, which is far less effort and cooks twice as quick!  I also get a lot of the items in foil trays.  To reduce washing up!

Have a happy, productive (and cost effective) Christmas.

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