The festive season is meant to be a time of celebration and rest, yet for most SME leaders and their teams, December is an absolute onslaught. Year-end deadlines, clients needing deliverables before the break, budgets for the new year, staff parties and somehow, somewhere in the middle of all that, you’re supposed to buy presents, see family, and enjoy yourself.

No wonder so many of us limp into January feeling utterly exhausted.

The problem isn’t that December is busy. The problem is how we approach it. We treat this time of year like a sprint that we just need to survive. This affects our wellbeing and the quality of our work.

Saying ‘just get through it’ isn’t enough

Most people think that we’ll just push through, get everything done, and then rest over Christmas. Except it never quite works out that way. Not only is it busy at home over Christmas, it’s also not fair on your family and friends if you’re exhausted and spend the break recovering rather than recharging.

Then there’s the impact on work. If you’re tired, your decision-making skills deteriorate, you may become short-tempered, small problems feel insurmountable. But never fear, the Hour Hands team has put its collective experience together to help you plan and set realistic boundaries for the next few weeks.

Hour Hands top tips for looking after yourself this festive season

1. Set boundaries and stick to them

We suggest that we should all work smarter. That means setting boundaries and enforcing them rigorously. Here’s how we do it:

1. Audit your commitments ruthlessly. Look at everything on your plate for December and ask does all this genuinely need to happen before year-end? Could you move some tasks to January? Or even outsource some of them? 
2. Decide on your non-negotiables. This includes your lunch hour, leaving time or gym session. Whatever it is that keeps you functioning at your best – and healthy. 
3. Communicate clearly. If you’re not available after 5pm, say so. If you’re not checking email over the weekend, put it in your out-of-office. People can only respect the boundaries that they know exist.

2. Take time to rest

Rest isn’t something that happens when all the work is done, it needs to be scheduled and prioritised. 

That might mean blocking out an afternoon mid-December to completely disconnect. It might mean saying no to a festive networking event. It might mean delegating the Christmas party planning to someone else (FYI Hour Hands organise the best parties!)

Athletes don’t train hard every single day. They build in rest days because that’s when the actual improvement happens. Business is no different.

3. One for the PAs – You’re not the office parent

If you’re a PA or office manager, you’re likely to be the person holding everything together during December. You’re likely to be managing schedules, organising events, remembering gifts for clients, and somehow still expected to do your actual job.

We say ‘you are not responsible for making Christmas magical for everyone else at the expense of your own wellbeing’. Set boundaries around what you can realistically handle, delegate where possible, and if no-one has time – outsource the action or let go of the task completely. 

We’ve got to stop sacrificing wellbeing for productivity

We all tend to sacrifice wellbeing for productivity without recognising that the two are intimately connected. The businesses that thrive long-term aren’t the ones that grind their people into the ground but they are the ones that recognise sustainable performance requires boundaries, balance, and leaders who model healthy behavior.

We challenge you to take care this silly season so you can hit January actively ready for what’s ahead.