Let’s face facts: the holiday season is often hectic. On the personal side of the equation, many people spend time buying gifts, planning travel, hosting get-togethers, and caring for children once school breaks begin. On the professional side, wrapping up year-end activities happens right alongside regular duties, putting a lot of people’s plates.
Fortunately, there are steps you can take to battle burnout during the holiday hustle. Here are some tips that can help you recharge and reclaim the joy of the season.
Prioritize Self-Care
Self-care is critical all year round, but it’s particularly crucial during periods of high stress. While a lot of joy comes with the holidays, it’s also one of the busiest seasons. As a result, prioritizing self-care is a must if you’re going to remain balanced.
Make sure to carve out time regularly during the week for activities you find refreshing or enjoyable. Precisely what kinds of activities work may vary from person to person. Some may find that a 10-minute meditation each morning works well. Others might want to dedicate 30 minutes before bed to reading a book. What matters is that the activity leaves you feeling refreshed and centered, so feel free to select the ones that best meet your needs.
Set Realistic Expectations
Many professionals overburden themselves during the holidays, and that can lead to an increased amount of stress. Additionally, managers may incidentally expect too much of their team members, primarily since they aren’t accounting for the hustle occurring in their personal lives during the holidays.
If you want to avoid burnout, make sure to set realistic expectations, both when it comes to yourself and as it applies to others. Honestly assess whether you can add a task to your plate before committing to avoid overbooking yourself. When assigning work to employees, speak with them about their current workloads before assuming they can handle more. By doing so, it’s a lot easier to maintain balance and avoid situations that could lead to burnout.
Learn to Delegate
Delegation is often critical if you want to avoid burnout during any time of year, but it’s especially vital during busier periods, such as the holiday season. If a personal or professional task doesn’t comfortably fit into your schedule, consider whether someone else is well-suited to tackle it instead. If so, connect with them and see if they’re open to taking it over.
For work-related delegation by managers, prioritization can also play a role. Make sure that critical tasks are being handled by an appropriate employee, and identify any activities that could safely wait until conditions calm. That ensures essential duties don’t fall through the cracks without putting anyone on the path toward burnout.
At Essium, we know that the strategic implementation of key technologies can make challenging workloads easier to manage for staffing agencies. If you’re looking for an onboarding solution that streamlines the process and makes hiring more manageable this holiday season, Essium wants to hear from you. Contact us to learn more about our comprehensive onboarding solutions and how we can help your recruitment agency thrive.
