Fa-la-la-la-aaaaargh? Take a time out and get the important things done.

I’m not entirely sure how it happened, but it seems that Christmas is around the corner and there are just a few weeks left of the year.

By my calculations, that means that around about now many of us will be running around like headless wotsits trying to get All The Things done. And not just All The Things that need doing in our business, but All The Things that need doing at home too.

Exhausting, isn’t it?

I propose a time-out.

Care to join me in taking a moment to think clearly and rationally about what actually needs to get done between now and the end of December, and how you might navigate that with a little more intention and ease?

Are you in?

First things first: stick the kettle on, make yourself a cuppa and grab your to-do list (and a mince pie).

Now take a lovely deep breath in and out to get settled, and let’s look at that list with a kind, creative, critical eye.

Might any of the following approaches help relieve some of the pressure?

1)     LET IT GO (FOR NOW…)

Last month I had every intention of upping my game on LinkedIn. That is until I chose to run a pilot of a new course to help people tame their to-do lists. I had to create the course and invite some wonderful humans to test it for me, so there was never going to be time to focus on LinkedIn as well.

Did I leave LinkedIn on my to-do list and feel like a stressed-out failure every time I looked at it?

No, thank you very much!

I accepted that in saying ‘yes’ to the course I needed to say ‘no’ to something else, and removed LinkedIn from my list (for now).

I’ll be picking it up again in January. (And yes, you can hold me accountable for that!)

Is there anything on your list that you know, realistically, if you’re really and truly honest with yourself, isn’t going to happen right now? Let it go (for now…).

2)     NOT IDEAL BUT NO BIG DEAL

On Thursday we’re packing up the car and heading down the M1 to deliver gifts to family we won’t see again until after Christmas. As of now, none of those presents are wrapped. And I don’t actually have the things I need to wrap them (in my efforts to have a sustainable Christmas I’m awaiting delivery of paper tape and luggage labels to go with the packaging I’m reusing and the pom-poms I’ve been making in front of the telly).

For this to make any sense, you should know that for me, gift-wrapping is not something to be rushed! This year it involves cinnamon sticks, rosemary from the garden and the aforementioned pom-poms.

Over the weekend I could feel myself getting in a tizzy about the whole thing. I have a busy week ahead and not much space for last-minute wrapping. And then it dawned on me that I could just take the unwrapped gifts with me and deal with it when I get there. It’s not ideal, but it’s no big deal. I’m always up early, so could easily do some secret-squirrel wrapping when we’re away.

Is there anything on your list that’s not going according to plan? How might you shift your expectations and bring a sprinkling of “that’ll do” acceptance to the proceedings?

Letting go of how we want things to be in an ideal world can feel like a weight lifted when the odds are stacked against us!

3)     SLOW THINGS DOWN

One of my clients wanted to launch a course this side of Christmas, but over the last few months the consultancy work she’s doing required more time and energy than she’d anticipated. Instead of burning the candle at both ends, she chose to postpone the launch.

That doesn’t mean she’s done nothing to move the project forward. Far from it! We’ve created a web page, sent out some personal invitations and got some positive responses already. It just means we’re taking small, baby steps in the right direction rather than the great big leap we’d originally planned.

Is there anything on your list that you just don’t have the energy for? Could you slow things down a little, still moving forward but in a gentle, sustainable way?

Don’t get me wrong.

I’m not for a moment suggesting that you should give up on the things you haven’t yet achieved this year.

Instead, this is about creating space to get clear and focused on what’s most important.

By evaluating your to-do list in this way, you’ll be able to see which things have the biggest impact. The things you actually have the time and energy for. The things you’re excited to get done!

And for those things?

FULL STEAM AHEAD!

What’s the thing you’re absolutely determined to get done before the end of the year?

The thing that, if you can achieve it, will leave you feeling absolutely amazing?

Perhaps you’ve been working on your new website and it’s THIS close to being finished. Or maybe you want to finish sorting out your contracts so you’re all set up for 2020. Or maybe the thing that’s revealed itself as most important right now has nothing to do with your business at all.

Whatever that thing is for you, it’s not too late to get it done!

Roll up your festive jumper sleeves and follow these simple steps to glory:

1. Take a look at your calendar so you’re clear on the time and energy you have available to you over the next few weeks.

2. Take a moment to make sure you’re clear on what ‘done’ actually looks like!

3. Then get clear on the steps you need to take to get there.

4. Check in with yourself. Now you have this level of clarity, does this still feel achievable? If so, that’s great! If not, you might consider reducing the scope.

5. Schedule time in your calendar to work on the thing. (Please, I’m begging you, also schedule in time for rest.)

6. Go get it done! (And that includes your rest !)

Chances are you’re not going to be able to do All The Things in the next few weeks.

Identifying which tasks you’re willing to loosen your grip on and which you’re determined to achieve will help you focus on what matters most.

Which tasks will you be letting go of or slowing down over the next few weeks? What will that give you space to complete? I’d love to know, so please do share in the comments!