Well, here I am staring at a blank blog page and wondering what today’s post will be about…my brain is teeming with all sorts of things…personal and professional….there’s so much on my mind that trying to decide which pressing thing will get my attention today is challenging – at best. It’s nearly August, and even though you might be thinking that summer is in full swing, I’m actually thinking that it’s close to winding down. Like any other consultant/writer and business owner, we are always ahead of ourselves…thinking about the next phase, so that by the time it comes – we’re prepared.
When you’re self employed that preparation is magnified…so much so that in order to make sure that the important things in my personal life don’t fall by the wayside as I get caught up in the business, I am insanely (well, not insane as far as I’m concerned!) planning oriented. And to prove this to you, I have already thought about Christmas – in detail. Yes, you heard me correctly. I know, I know you probably think I’m crazy or just beyond obsessive, but the truth is that Christmas actually comes at the same time every year…it’s not a surprise. Summer is the time of year when client work is a little slower and I have the time to prepare. And in order to be sure that I have the time to enjoy the holidays when they get here, I actually take the time in the summer to do whatever advance work and planning that I can.
So for those of you who have not fallen off your chair with shock and laughter yet…here’s what that actually means. My holiday gift list is complete. The shopping I need to do against that list is done. One of the joys of the holiday for me is to hand make many of my gifts, so that also means that whatever I need to have on hand to make those gifts, I have already purchased. In the next week or two I will start to make the non-perishable gifts on my list. Ask any crafty person and they will tell you that it is as much – if not more – about the process as it is about the finished product. We love the process of creating something ourselves. The perishable items, I will leave to the holiday timeframe since that is part of what gets me in the holiday mood. I also leave the home decorating and gift wrapping to the end too. That usually takes place in one long weekend in early December when I pop Holiday Inn and White Christmas in the DVD player and decorate and cook and wrap everything happily filled with holiday spirit. But also happily NOT fighting the crowds in the shopping malls!
So how did I get to this place of pre-planning you might ask? Earlier in my self employment career I discovered that the fall was a pretty busy time for me with clients. One year, I got so caught up in traveling and client work that Christmas snuck up on me and I was totally unprepared…no holiday cards went out and gifts were hastily purchased just to have something to give. Everything was rushed and last minute. I hated the feeling of being so far behind and under pressure and not enjoying what is supposed to be a very happy time of year with family and friends. After that holiday season was over, I promised myself that it would never happen again. So here we are. I realized that it didn’t have to be that way and set about changing my holiday habits.
They say that if you want to get something done – ask a busy person. I see a lot of truth to that. Since some busy people have figured out a way to maximize their time more than others. And I guess that includes me. I have a pretty significant birthday coming up in the next few weeks, and for me all birthdays have provided a time for reflection and renewal and an opportunity to ask myself what will I do differently in the coming year. Well, this year I have a lot to think about, both about the past and the future and I’m sure there will be many things I want to change. But one thing I won’t be re-thinking anytime soon is my approach to Christmas in July. It works for me and I think my friends and family appreciate me being calm and unstressed during the holidays – so I can truly enjoy the time I spend with them at a joyful time of the year. Cheers!
