✨ How to stress less in your biz this holiday WITHOUT sacrificing results
There was a time when going on an epic vacation for the entirety of December (hellloo, currently traveling to Thailand and the Maldives!) would have freaked me the eff out.
Anddd I’m guessing that if you’ve been in business for a bit, you’ve probably had a glimpse of those thoughts as well as you prepare to take time off for the holidays...
...will there be clients when you get back?
...will you actually be able to stick with the boundaries you set for yourself? (and if you’re going “what boundaries, Amanda?” then we definitely have to work together…)
...how can you keep marketing your biz without feeling like it’s cutting into your time away? (because you should be able to step away, right?!)
...will the biz as you know it all come crashing down?
It’s funny how quickly those thoughts can snowball into ones that are totally and completely unreasonable if you let them.
If I’m being honest, back then, I was totally letting them back then.
Simply put, I wasn’t doing the mindset work to manage them—I was indulging in those thoughts and letting them consume me.
And well, that’s enough stress and anxiety to not want to step away ever again. (Not exactly the desired result, huh?)
But with time, mindset work, a bit of experimentation, and a massive dose of permission to find what works for me, I want you to know there’s another way—one that feels SO much better.
With the holidays approaching, I know that for many of you, being able to put the laptop away and truly be present with friends and family is your top priority.
But that doesn’t have to be a source of a lot of stress, anxiety, and guilt. I get it—when your biz feels THAT important, stepping away, and actually feeling like you’re taking a BREAK can be a struggle.
I’m here to give you a massive dose of permission to use this time to rest and recharge.
Use it as an opportunity to step away from your biz, get out of the routine of daily life, and really ENJOY. I mean that was the reason you started this whole biz thing in the first place, right!? To have the flexibility and time freedom you crave?
And yet when that becomes a remote possibility, our brains are so fearful of letting us have it.
But I really believe the holidays can be a time of relaxation and joy so you can experience more success that actually FEELS like success.
So this week I’m filling you in on how to shift your mindset around your time off over the holidays and truly ENJOY it without sacrificing results (even if your business is your number one priority!).
Decide what your holiday break will look like ahead of time
The holidays that have been the hardest for me to step away from my biz are the ones in which I didn’t truly DECIDE what my boundaries were around that.
Meaning that I say that I was taking time off, but then…
I’d be burning the midnight oil and bending over backwards to complete design projects before then.
I’d feel guilty every time I felt the desire to check my email during that break.
I’d feel behind the second I returned to my desk after that time away.
Not exactly a winning strategy, I might admit, because it left me feeling like I could never truly win.
That’s why I’m a huge believer in deciding what your holiday break will look like AHEAD of time.
That means that if you haven’t given this any thought, it’s time to get that journal out, put pen to paper, and really DECIDE how much you want to work on your biz during the holidays. (And remember that not at all is a totally viable option!)
Maybe that looks like not touching a single thing in your biz?
Or only planning and dreaming about the year ahead?
Or working for an hour or two and then calling it quits?
Personally, I’m not taking coaching calls this month while I travel, but I’m checking in once per day and making this a bonus month of Basecamp support for my current clients—because that’s what felt good to me.
And because I have a giant library of marketing content to repurpose, I know that I can continue to be visible and add value with minimal time and effort.
This is one of the amazing things about having a content plan—knowing that you can continue to market your business without feeling tied to it 24/7. It also happens to be something that I love to support my clients in during my Consistent Clients marketing and mindset intensive.
There’s no right or wrong answer when it comes to how much you want to work during the holidays, so I encourage you not to go down the rabbit hole of beating yourself up or second-guessing that decision (because in my experience those thoughts NEVER yield more of the results you want in life or biz!) but really ask yourself what you want.
GET CLEAR ON THAT.
Because knowing what you’d like your holiday break to look like is going to make it so much easier to keep your mindset in check, stick with your boundaries, and take actions that are in alignment with that!
Know your boundaries and communicate them
Clients can’t respect your boundaries if they don’t know what they are.
Can I get an AMEN??
I remember one Christmas that my brother came out to Colorado to visit. We had planned on a day of skiing together, but at the time I was DROWNING in design work.
“I just don’t think I can go,” I voiced with a feeling of defeat.
What I now know to be true is that I COULD have gone IF I had been willing to communicate my boundaries to my clients.
I learned a lot around boundaries the hard way, but those lessons learned have been invaluable not only in my own businesses, but also in helping my clients navigate these icy waters.
In fact, I have a client who had planned to take time off for Thanksgiving but wasn't sure it was going to happen when their client voiced that it would put them in a bit of a bind.
With a few emails and some open communication, they were able to find a solution that worked for both of them but it was BECAUSE they were willing to have that conversation.
It’s up to you to know and communicate your boundaries so you can both enjoy your holiday AND support your clients without having to sacrifice one for the other.
I recommend giving your clients a heads up that you’ll be away and what your boundaries are concerning holiday time.
Chances are they’re going to be enjoying their own time with friends and family so this shouldn’t come as much of a surprise.
Establishing clear boundaries sets expectations on both sides so you don’t feel guilty when that email comes through while you’re away.
Be conscious of that screen time
Grandma’s spotty wifi is actually a gift.
So this holiday season, give yourself permission to put the phone down and give your mind a REST so you can come back with a clearer perspective, more energy, and ultimately experience more GROWTH in your biz.
Because the times that I’ve had my absolute BIGGEST breakthroughs in biz have been when I’ve stepped away from work.
It’s when I’m at cruising at 35,000 ft.
It’s when I’m on those long car rides.
It’s when I’m skiing down the slopes.
It’s when I’m relaxing by the fire.
It’s when I’m giving my mind the space it needs to wander and be creative, rather than being glued to my phone.
Not to mention, if you’re taking time off around the holidays to be with family, chances are you’re going to want to BE WITH FAMILY, right?!?
This is why I like to set boundaries around screen time while I’m away.
You can scroll Insta and Facebook when you’re back in your day-to-day life.
It will still be there. Promise.
But I also know that this can be easier said than done!
It can be hard to turn your brain off entirely and not think about work AT ALL when it’s such a big part of your life. But honestly, what I’ve found to be true is that thinking about the biz all the time is hardly ever productive work AND can be a major source of burnout.
So decide what that looks like for you ahead of time and then hold yourself accountable to sticking with it.
By giving your mind a break, you’ll be able to come back to your day-to-day with a fresh perspective, more energy, and better ideas to build and grow.
Create content ahead of time
Want to know my all-time favorite way to save time and energy in your biz around the holidays?!
REPURPOSING CONTENT.
Chances are, if you’ve been showing up consistently in your marketing for a while now you have a GOLD MINE of content that you’re sitting on.
And if you just wanted to shrink into your seat when I said that because you HAVEN’T been marketing your biz consistently, then check out my Consistent Clients marketing + mindset intensive because it is going to absolutely blow your mind and help you to land clients on repeat. But I digress...
Remember, with so much of the content you’re putting out being subject to various social media algorithms, there’s a decent chance that much of your audience didn’t even SEE IT the first time.
And personally, I feel like the valuable content that you poured your heart and soul into so you can make a massive impact for your potential clients deserves to see the light of day more than once, right!?
RIGHT.
Just because you’re taking some time away from your business this time of year, doesn’t mean it has to feel that way to your audience.
Heck, I’m probably sitting on a beach in Thailand while you scroll this post. But the beauty of that is that I’m gaining visibility, adding value, and supporting my audience in creating the thriving life and biz they desire, all while being a living, breathing example of that too.
Pretty cool, right?
That’s why repurposing content can be SUCH a great way to save time, while still showing up for and building a relationship with your audience.
Drop that content into a scheduling platform like Later and watch that content go out and those discovery calls roll in while you’re sipping eggnog and binging Home Alone, or however else you like to spend your holiday!
The bottom line
Honestly, I’m SO over messaging that says you HAVE to run your business in a certain way to be successful during the holidays and plan for the year ahead (or any time of year for that matter!).
As an online business owner, taking time away from the biz is necessary to rest and recharge so that you can avoid burnout (whether you take that time now or any other time of the year).
But taking that time during the holidays, when everyone else is doing the exact same thing, is actually a gift.
And feeling guilty about stepping away isn’t doing you any favors because it’s hindering you from giving your mind the rest it needs to come back to work refreshed and ready to grow even more.
With the right boundaries, systems, and strategies in place, you can set expectations. I encourage you to get your mindset on board so you can view this time away as an essential part of being a business owner that actually leaves you with more results, not less.
By doing so, you’ll feel more positive and productive when you return, better able to pour that energy into marketing content, sales calls, client interactions, new ideas, streamlined offers, and so more.
Tell me in the comments below:
How are you enjoying success that actually FEELS like success this holiday season?
Photography by Jennifer Morgan Photography
