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Where the Wild things are….
……taming Your Inner Stress Monster by contributing Columnist Kristen Evans aka Firebirdhouse 
We’ve all been there. You begin Monday morning by discovering that you forgot to buy milk at the store, and end Friday evening by looking at a list of to-dos that is only slightly shorter than the IRS tax code, despite having worked on it for the entire week.
Add in family obligations, unexpected interruptions, and the multiple time demands of running your own business, and it’s no wonder that the stress monster makes a home under our beds the closer we get to the holidays.
Fortunately, there are some tried and true tips out there for all of us multi-taskers wishing we had a couple extra days a week.
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Plan Ahead – we’ve all heard this one, but it’s worth repeating. Planning now for things like supplies, inventory and packaging materials will save you endless headaches as well as time.
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Get Organized – Put needed supplies (i.e., tape, boxes, and envelopes) together in one place, set up routines for answering questions and email, etc.
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Set Holiday Policies Early – brick and mortar retailers often set holiday policies (i.e., returns, shipping, etc) months ahead of the holiday season, allowing customers to plan and get questions answered before they make a purchase. Do the same for your indie business.
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Don’t Promise More Than You Can (or WANT) to Deliver – does your family leave town the last two weeks of December? Are you going on a vacation, or throwing a huge holiday bash? Take stock of when and where you will be, then state realistic times for shipping, custom orders, and any last minute changes. Setting expectations with customers is a sanity-saver during the holiday crush.
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Make a List – According to Marcia Ramsland, author of Simplify Your Time, your short term memory can only hold 7 things before it begins throwing out tasks. Save yourself from a monster meltdown by making a list and marking things off as you complete them.
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Do Double Duty- Lessen the stress of a long list of online tasks by using an all-in-one website like www.socialoomph.com, which allows you to update all of your social media sites at once.
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Take a Time Out – Stepping away from your to-do list, no matter how long it is, or how many things are marked “urgent”, can help you regain perspective and give you a needed breath of fresh air.
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Delegate – During the holiday crush, divide and conquer your stress by asking for help with routine tasks, whether it’s picking up the milk, walking the dog, or putting dinner in the oven.
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Have Some Fun – We often forget that laughter and fun are the best treatment for stress. No matter how bad it gets, set aside some YOU time to spend with family, pets, or just playing in the snow.
When all else fails, remind yourself that the holiday rush is only for a couple of months and that time-and sanity-will return. Meanwhile, there’s always chocolate. Maybe the monster under the bed wants some, too. It’s worth a try.
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Picture courtesy of Caelum
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Tags: firedbirdhouse, holiday rush, monsters, organized, simplify your time, stress
October 22nd, 2009 at 3:44 am
Great advice. I’m not organized
enough to follow all the suggestions, but I’m definitely going to try to “Not Promise More than I Can Deliver” and “Delegate” this season!
October 22nd, 2009 at 7:38 am
Great article. Keeping a date book really helps me instead of a calendar hanging on the wall. This way I can write all my lists in it and keep track of what’s done/not every week.
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:28 pm
These are terrific tips. Thanks for sharing.
I forget the part about down time often. And, I don’t make too many lists because they overwhelm me.
October 25th, 2009 at 12:16 am
And see, I’m not a list person. I do find myself getting distracted easily though. Thanks for the tips