Can you hear that? Jingle bells, crackling fires and carol singers. It can only mean one thing…Christmas is nearly here!

But if you’re a small business owner, Christmas could be the time for cold sweats and a to do list as tall as our decorated tree. No mince pies, turkey and games by the fire.

When I first started working for myself, the stress felt very real. I didn’t plan well and ended up spending a big proportion of the holidays taped to my laptop. This year, I’m easing in and can’t wait for the glasses of mulled wine with a good book in hand. How? I’m going to share my tips on keeping our businesses afloat during Christmas and New Year whilst relaxing and spending time with our nearest and dearest.

1. Plan content ahead

With content creation, I recommend two options for the festive period.

1. Take a break. You may have a dip in engagement but you can take a proper break without piling too much up before you close your laptop down for the holidays.

2. Schedule in content in advance. This is really easy and effective to do for social media accounts in particular. If you’re not scheduling in advance already, here’s how: Facebook has it’s own scheduling tool in your business page menu. Tools like Hootsuite and Later are great free apps for scheduling in Twitter and Instagram posts. And for Pinterest? Tailwind is the one, it’s a paid tool but you may find the free trial covers you.

2. Cover your first week back

Even when we love what we do for a living, it can feel incredibly overwhelming to return to an inbox that’s sky high. Whichever option you pick from above, I would always recommend creating some content for the week you’re back at your desk.

I recommend covering at least a week of content such as blog posts, email campaigns and social media posts. Future you will thank you for it!

3. Set boundaries

Set boundaries for yourself. And. Stick. To. Them.

Oh, I’m speaking to myself as much as to you here. I’m the number one culprit of having a very blurred line when it comes to business boundaries.

What works for me is picking my holiday dates early. I let everyone know and have it blocked off in the diary. When it comes to planning the weeks in the lead up to the break, I know exactly what working hours I have left of the year.

4. Let everyone know

This way we can set expectations with our audience, customers and clients in advance. Let everyone know in the lead up to the Christmas break. An easy way to do this is to add a sentence or two to your email signature. Then, every time you are sending an email, you’re also letting everyone know of your holiday dates.

If you sell physical products and are unable to deliver during the festive period then I recommend adding a message at every key stage of the buying process on your website. Don’t forget to update automated emails with realistic delivery dates too. I’ve definitely learned from experience that this message can never be in too few places. You’d be surprised how much can be missed by customers.

And the last thing before you log out? Pop that Out of Office email responder on to let everyone who gets in touch know when you’ll be back.

5. Schedule worry Time

If, like me, you’re going to worry about your business break, then I have the perfect answer for you. Schedule in worry time. I know, it might sound a little bananas but this tip has transformed by work and life. Give it a try if you’re a chronic worrier like me.

To do this, have a couple of short (an hour or less) slots where you allow yourself to open your laptop to check up on things. Every time a panicked thought pops up in your mind, crush it by reminding yourself that you’ve got that scheduled in for later.

6. Get help

If you think you need help then get it. You know what’s best for your business. This may be in the form of paying out for a new application or hiring a festive elf to lend a hand with admin tasks during December.

7. Take Time off

This is an important one. Really try to truly disconnect because you totally deserve it. You’ve put in the hours, worked through the headaches and earned the wonderful clients.

Story time. I once worked so hard, so focused on my business that when I took a week long break off, I just couldn’t start again when I was back. My mind and body were exhausted. See, I hadn’t given myself enough time to look after me before the break and my body was telling me it was going to make me have the time it needed. Yes, burn out is very real. I was skeptical before I felt it in my bones. It was a scary time, one that I hope you never get close to experiencing!

So, to keep achieving amazing things in the new year, you’re probably going to need to hit reset. If this means switching your phone off and going on a digital detox, or spending every second with your nearest and dearest - do it. Your mind and body will thank you for it in the new year. Your reward? A mind bubbling with ideas and a body itching to move through your goals.

So, Merry Christmas everyone! 🎄 I hope you have the most wonderful relaxing time ready to hit 2020 with all we’ve got.