The Sneaky Lie I Tell Myself Over The Holidays

Every holiday season, I tell myself a “sneaky” lie.

It seems harmless on the surface.

But recently, I was thinking about all the damage it’s done:

  • Increased stress
  • Disappointment
  • And less energy to attack the new year

But here’s what you may not realize…

I bet you tell yourself the same thing… and are likely experiencing the same negative side effects.

So what is this little white lie?

It goes something like this:

“I don’t need to take a break over the holidays.”

Sound familiar?

It’s a belief that’s been engraved into my brain for a looonnngg time.

But I realized this year (while attempting to renovate + move into my new house, grow our biz, and spend time with my family all at the same time) that this guilt trip I give myself does more harm than good.

By trying to juggle everything at once…

My work projects get delayed anyways. My anxiety spikes. And my family hates me because I become an inattentive, resentful a-hole instead of the caring husband / son / brother that I know I can be.

It’s just not worth it.

Now, I’m not saying that you should do ZERO work over the holidays.

You’ve still gotta keep the lights on. And if you manage the day-to-day operations of your business, you know that there’s no such thing as a day off.

But don’t kid yourself into believing that you can (or should) experience the same level of productivity that you do during any ordinary two-week stretch.

Heck, even if you don’t celebrate a single major holiday during this time of year, you have to recognize that your employees… or coworkers… or vendors… or JV partners… all likely do.

And while you might be able to work at full capacity, they surely will not.

So what should you do instead?

Simple:

Plan to slow down in advance.

Check off all your major projects a few days before the holidays begin and don’t dive into your new ones until January 2nd.

That way, you won’t be disappointed when the holiday lull hits your team… you’ll get to recharge your AAA batteries with some legit R&R… and by the time your New Year’s hangover wears off, you’ll be ready to roll full steam into 2021.

Alright, that’s all I got for ya tonight.

Gotta help my wifey unpack.

Your pen pal,

Matt Rizvi