HOW TO STAY SANE IN THE BUSY FESTIVE SEASON

In the lead up to the festive season, there is a manic rush of clients to get their beauty treatments done before the holiday break.

There are four things at play during this busy time:

1. You need to look after you
2. You need to look after your staff
3. You need to look after your clients
4. You need to look after your business

Phew!

That’s a lot of responsibility and no doubt some of you will be feeling the stress of trying to be all things to all people.

What can you do to get on the front foot to ensure you have a smooth operation to year-end and the energy you’d like to enjoy the festive break with your loved ones?

Many of you will know that an airline’s inflight safety video will tell you that if an oxygen mask appears, to put yours on first before attending to children or those around you.

This analogy is perfect and means that first and foremost, you need to take care of you.

Set aside 30-60 minutes where you won’t be disturbed and map out a small routine or program of self-care.

Perhaps you have a program in place already, in which case, why not spend that time reviewing what’s working, what isn’t and making any adjustments.

Here are some thought-starters that some of my clients have shared with me in our work together.

1. Daily meditation
2. Daily affirmations
3. Regular exercise – walking, running, gym, swimming, yoga or pilates
4. Clean eating
5. Creating a vision board for your goals (business and personal)
6. Getting out in nature
7. Reading an inspiring book
8. Listening to a motivational podcast
9. Watching a movie – drama or romantic comedy
10. Doing community service

With your self-care program mapped out, you can then attend to other business matters that will help alleviate any stress and promote a happy workplace through to the year-end.

1. Get your staff wellbeing in place and underway. They too need strategies to manage the busy season so they can enjoy their holiday break. Once you equip them with a self-care program, you can free yourself to focus on you.
2. Ensure your ‘Love Your Client’ program is working well. This is about staff training and making sure your business systems are in place to capture all details of new clients and nurture them to encourage their loyalty in the New Year.
3. If you have a festive promotion, then get your staff up to speed so that your promotion has every chance of success. Provide the necessary training and ensure staff know how to track the promotion so you can understand if it’s working or not.
4. Finally, get your business bills and any outstanding business (or personal) matters dealt with ahead of the festive break so you can go on leave and enjoy!!