The Most Wonderful Time

With a bit of planning, your business can do more than “survive” the holidays.

According to singer (and famous Iowan) Andy Williams, this is the most wonderful time of the year—all the friends coming to call, the holiday greetings, parties for hosting. And let’s not forget the last-minute deadlines, the overbooked delivery schedules, and the dwindling patience at every corner.

But you don’t have to skip the holidays to survive the season. Approaching this time of year with intent—and a little holiday wisdom—can help you and your business navigate this hap-happiest season of all and maybe even enjoy it.

Make a list, check it twice

Being organized is always a good practice. But being organized during the holiday season is an absolute necessity. Keep your planner updated and prioritize the tasks on your daily to-do list.

As holiday gatherings, business closings, and daily routines fill the calendar, it’s easy to lose track of deadlines and seasonal activities. Even easier is overcommitting and then finding yourself disappointing clients and family.

Santa may be able to make every child’s wish come true, but the rest of us have limited time. Give yourself the gift of space in your day, especially in this busy season. Blocking off just 30 minutes a day for “administrative” tasks will provide a much-needed cushion if other appointments run long and will give you the opportunity to complete phone calls, paperwork, or calendar updates on a daily basis.

Having that planner updated will not only help you see potential conflicts, it will give you permission to say no to invitations and events that are lower priority, allowing you to focus on key projects, tasks, and people that cannot be put off until January.

And blocking off out-of-office time ensures that you won’t be scheduling work when friends and family are celebrating. Rescheduling will give you some breathing time to enjoy the festivities.

Christmas cards have all been sent

Communication can make or break the holidays for you and your team. If you are not sharing that updated calendar with team members and clients, the changes will do little good.

Keeping an office-wide calendar with vacation times, project deadlines, and office closings will keep everyone involved informed of team availability and holiday hours so that meetings and projects can stay on schedule.

Communicating some of those key details to customers and business partners as well allows them to work around your adjusted schedule if needed. A quick email blast with holiday hours goes a long way toward building business relationships. Your clients and contractors will appreciate the advanced notice more than the sign on the door or the automated voice mail when your office is closed.

The end of the year is also the perfect time to send a card or gift thanking your customers and partners for their support or encouraging them to consider new projects in the year ahead before their calendars fill up.

Parties for hosting

Just like Santa’s reliance on his elves, as a business owner navigating the holidays, you know survival would be impossible without your team. Don’t let the season slip by without acknowledging that.

A gift, a party, an afternoon off to celebrate the holidays together—choose an expression of gratitude that is meaningful to your team and that reflects their value to your success as a company.

You don’t have to break the bank to show your appreciation. The thought you put into company events is what really counts.

How are you creating a company culture? How can your holiday celebration be an extension of that? Consider unique ways to connect with employees that reflect your core values as a company and that celebrate the year’s successes, recognize the struggles, and remind your team of the reasons why you exist as a company.

Peace on earth

Short of hiding out in a cave, there is really no way to eliminate the chaos that the holiday season has become. But it is possible to reduce the stress and find a little peace on earth amid the shopping lists, the end-of-year deadlines, and the holiday travel.

Keep yourself on task, keep connected to your clients and your team, and keep the purpose in mind: Whatever your faith, the heart of the holiday season is not packages, boxes, or bags.

The heart is the people.

Take the time to celebrate well this wonderful time of year.