Ferris Bueller was absolutely right: Life moves pretty fast, and if you don’t stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it.
Did you notice it was Halloween? Have you gotten to actually enjoy anything about “Spooky Season”? Or do you have so much going on right now that everything other than work is passing you by in a blur, and you could swear it was just September?
If you’re so focused on work and your to-do list that you can’t carve out the time to schedule a scary movie night or go pick pumpkins, you’re probably not achieving an ideal work/life balance this fall. And, it’s a good indication that you’re not going to get to fully enjoy Thanksgiving or other upcoming holiday events.
You’re only going to get busier and have more to handle as we move closer to the end of the year.
Time management and good productivity get really, really critical in November and December. Not only so you can get through all the work that needs to get done before year end, but so you can slow down, savor life, and spend meaningful time with the people who matter most during the holidays.
I know that you know all that! You’d probably love to prioritize personal time too. There’s just so much that needs to get done at work. The stakes are so high.
For a lot of professionals, fear and anxiety are high too. They’re key factors that keep you from enjoying a sense of peaceful productivity and the work/life balance you crave.
So before Spooky Season is truly over, let’s talk about navigating fear and anxiety around your work and your goals.
Fear and anxiety around work are totally normal, and totally counterproductive to good time management.
If you’re someone who experiences anxiety or fear when you think about what you still have to get done this year…. Are you clear about what’s behind that anxiety? Identifying what you’re anxious about is important for defeating that fear.
There are so many ways fear and anxiety can show up around work and goals, like:
Fear of success...
What if you actually do land the dream client, who could potentially introduce you to other high-paying clients, and help you take your business to the next level? What if you get so much business that you have to hire more help and move to a new space? Even though you’re working so hard to achieve a certain vision of success, the reality of achieving that success can be daunting.
Fear of failure...
Failure is part of life, but that doesn’t make it any less scary. Within the context of your business, failure could mean losing money, time, customers and/or reputation. So we can acknowledge that none of us is crazy to worry about failing, but it’s also not productive for time management.
Fear of disappointing others...
Clients, co-workers, your network, your kids, your partner, your friends, your pets… when you’re totally overwhelmed, it always feels like you’re letting someone down. And if you’re active on social media and within your network, it can feel like everyone’s going to think less of you if you’re not constantly achieving.
Anxiety about missing out on things because there’s so much work to do...
Work/life balance gets really tricky near the end of the year. You’d love to take weeks off to relax and visit family and enjoy holiday traditions. If you enjoy the holiday season, it can feel like this time flies by too quickly and there are too many demands on your time.
Anxiety about what’s next...
Do you ever just get so paralyzed by the number of things you have to do, that you physically can’t start working on any of them? Or worry more broadly about what’s going to happen with politics and industry trends, and what those shifts are going to mean for your business? “What happens next?” can be a scary question when you don’t have an answer.
3 Steps for Managing Year-End Anxiety
- Revisit your most important priorities. Realistically, you might not get “everything” done by year-end. If your to-list is just too long for the amount of time we have left this year, you’re going to stay anxious because you know you’re kind of doomed to fail. So check in with yourself about your most important priorities for the next two months. Are there things on your to-do list that aren’t aligned with those priorities? Can they get shifted from your “have to get done” list over to your “would be nice to get done” list? Shift your perspective to focus on taking action on your top priorities, rather than letting your focus be split by a dozen different things on your to-do list.
- Lean into planning, in a way that feels comfortable to you. Time management planning can be a source of fear and anxiety for a lot of people! Usually that’s because they’ve tried and failed at time management planning in the past. And usually that’s because they just haven’t found the right planning system yet. I always say, everyone’s wired differently. Creating a really regimented schedule might not work for you! Maybe digital calendars don’t work for you and it’s time to try a paper planner, or vice versa. Because here’s the thing: having a plan for your day/week ahead can soothe some of the panic that comes with uncertainty.
- Celebrate your wins and successes. Anxiety about the present and future can be so all consuming that you forget to enjoy all the things that you’ve already done. Make a big deal of every success and victory you have. Remind that anxious voice in your brain that you actually can achieve great things and that you’re allowed to enjoy your life and accomplishments.
Need more support building good time management and productivity strategies for yourself?
I get how stressful and busy the last few months of the year are, especially for business owners and self-employed professionals. I’m here to support you in whatever way feels useful for you—reach out to talk more about what that could look like.
Attorneys, join me on Thursday, November 7th at 12ET for a free webinar! Year-End Time Management Strategies for Attorneys will help you build structure and learn to overcome distractions that keep you from thriving. Click here to reserve a spot in this free training!
Be well,
Sarah
- Try This Exercise for Better Productivity, Less Anxiety and More Peace - November 15, 2024
- Anxious About Preparing for Year-End? Don’t Let Fear Derail Productivity - October 30, 2024
- Year-End Time Management: What Could You Accomplish in 2 Months? - October 15, 2024
