how to prepare for holiday overwhelm

We are in the final stretch of 2023 – so how are you going to “get it all done” without collapsing into exhaustion?  Oftentimes, people desperately hope that they can integrate some “hacks” to get a handle on things and become one of those in-box zero people.  Unfortunately, a hack isn’t going to cut it.  It might make some marginal difference but it’s not going to transform you or your workday.  In order for transformation to occur, you need to go big and fundamentally re-orient your approach to time management. You can do this by shifting from a state of reactivity to proactivity.

RECOGNIZE THAT YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET IT ALL DONE. (Perfectionists / Enneagram 1s, I see you – I know this is already freaking you out.) You are going to have to make some tough decisions about things that are coming off your plate now.

Collaborate with your client or deal teams to establish the most critical items and keep revisiting this with them as you head into EOY.

Don’t assume that every client request is a fire drill.  Managing up applies externally as well internally – find out what your clients really need. Asking clients what they need rather than just reacting to their requests is a way to shift from reactive to proactive and is a better mode of client service.

Delegate and outsource what you can.

Do this exercise in your personal life as well.  I don’t send holiday cards or bake cookies so I can spend time with family and friends during the holidays.

STAY FOCUSED ON STRATEGIC GOALS (both the firm’s and your own) and make sure your high priority task list reflects those goals.

FIRST THINGS FIRST! Prioritize the most important tasks and do them before you do anything else.  Block the first hour of your day to do this high priority work.  Do not “clear out your in-box” before you attend to your most important tasks.  This is a trap! Getting through your email in an unstructured way will just generate more email – and not all of it should make it through the critical priority filter you created above.  After you have taken care of the highest priority tasks, work your way down your list from most important to least important.  You will see that some of these less important tasks can be pushed to a later date, would be better addressed by someone else or maybe weren’t really that important.