271: 10 Easy Steps to Ease the Stress of the Holidays as a Mom and Business Owner

Camille: 0:00

These are conversations that are important to have with your kids, your partner, or anyone else to know exactly what is happening, when, where, and how important it is. So you want to make an impact. You're thinking about starting a business, sharing your voice. How do women do it that handle motherhood, family, and still chase after those dreams? Listen each week as we dive into the stories of women who know. This is Call Me CEO. Welcome back, everyone. It is time to talk about the holidays and it can get stressful pretty quickly. My goal here is to speak to you specifically, mothers and women who own a business and are looking to bring down the stress. This is 10 tips. I'm hoping to do it in under 10 minutes. So this is if this is your first time here, let's dive in. I'm already tripping on my words because I'm so excited about talking about this. And I first want to say you're amazing. You are doing enough. And these tips are meant to help you and inspire you. So take what works for you, disregard the rest. But I want you to know that these steps, if taken into account, I hope will help you to remember and feel grounded that you can still have time for you. And you can still have time where it's crazy and get things done and do it all, even when it feels crazy with the school performances, client projects, the quarter four deadlines, holiday cards, and all the magical in between that there is time for you. So step one, I want you to set your holiday intention before the chaos begins. Pause and ask yourself, what do I want this season to feel like? Do you want it to be calm and connected? Do you want it to feel joyful and spontaneous? Do you want to feel organized and peaceful? Once you know that, that will help you to guide every decision from business projects to family plans based off of that intention. You can even write it on a sticky note or have it on your planner as a reminder or even as the screensaver of your phone, something that you see all the time. And you keep that intention top of mind so that it helps to make your decision making easier. Step two is to audit your calendar, take a look at what you have going on from November to December, and highlight what is essential. This is for business and in family. These are conversations that are important to have with your kids, your partner, or anyone else to know exactly what is happening, when, where, and how important it is. It is impossible to attend every event, volunteer for every class party, or to host the perfect dinner. Choose what is most essential and give your permission to simplify. I actually have a freebie available in the show notes called the Ultimate Time Audit. It's a way that you can go through and actually see how you are using your time and prioritizing yourself so that you are not burning out. Take advantage of that because this is actually a great time to do that. I'm recording this in October and I'm hoping that we can get this out to you so that you can do it sooner rather than later. Step three is to communicate boundaries early. Let your clients, your team, and your family know what your availability looks like during the holidays. You might be saying things like, I'll be taking limited limited meetings after December 15th, or perhaps your team will be out from Christmas Eve to New Year's Day or however you decide to do that. If you set clear expectations early, you protect your time and your peace for yourself and your family. Step four is to automate and delegate. This is the perfect season to lean into systems. So whether that's scheduling social posts, automating emails, and if possible, delegating those tasks that drain your energy. That is also very much involved in the time audit where you can see what are the things that you could delegate that don't require you for every little piece of the business. So if you have a virtual assistant or team member, ask them to take over repetitive tasks for a few weeks. This is a good time to even test to see if there's a heavier load that you can release. And maybe it's something that you can let go of altogether. Remember, you don't have to do everything yourself to make it successful. This is something that I coach women on a lot. Are you ready to reclaim your time and finally focus on the tasks that actually grow your business? Whether you're looking to hire a VA or thinking about becoming one, I've got the perfect solution for you. If you're overwhelmed with your business, I personally connect entrepreneurs with highly trained virtual assistants, graduates of my 60 Days to VA program, so you can confidently outsource and scale. Or if you're looking for a flexible, profitable business from home, my 60 Days to VA course gives you everything you need to have to become a successful assistant without the trial and error. Head to CamilleWalker.co to get started today, whether you're hiring or launching your own business. I'm here to help you make it happen. You can also grab this link below and schedule a free discovery call with me to see if it's the right fit for you. Number five is to create a holiday light list. I want you to take this a few different ways. I want you to think about how you can make your load lighter, but also make a short list of holiday activities that fill your heart or make your heart feel light. So maybe it is baking cookies with your kids, driving to see Christmas lights, or a quiet night of gift wrapping with a Hallmark movie all alone. Keep it short and simple, and this is your must-do list for joy. So one thing that I've had a tradition of for a few years is watching the show Emily in Paris, because typically that season has been released in December, and that's when I do my Christmas wrapping early. And what's so fun about that is that I can have it be a part of my tradition, but I'm also getting something done and it's something I look forward to that I save for that special time. Number six is to simplify gift giving. Instead of overthinking every gift, create a simple formula. For example, it could be something to wear, something to read, something to play, and something to share. Or I've heard of other themes where you could say something they want, something they need, something they wear, and something that they experience with you. I love gift-giving experiences to my kids because truly your time and presence is always going to be the guest, the best gift you can give to your kids. Step seven is to schedule your own recharge time. Even if it's just 10 minutes in the morning with your coffee or a special drink or a quiet walk after dinner, those are moments that you can reflect and have meditation time or journaling or just sitting in silence, and it can make a huge difference. If you are looking for mind resets for your kids, I actually am a co-host and creator of Five Minute Meditations for Kids, where we have very specific intentions for creating stillness, having some peace, and it's a great way to help them prepare for nighttime. There can be a lot of activities and things going on during the school year. And check out that podcast because we have a ton of resources for helping your kids to feel more settled too. Step eight is to keep your business goals realistic. You might not grow 200% in December, and that's okay. The season is about maintenance to not overextend. Maybe this is a time that you are really pushing hard for sales and it's your marathon time of your season. And you know that, that you keep it realistic, that you push it hard, and then you have very clear boundaries for when you stop. But sometimes it can be the most productive to rest and reset if it is a season that you can do that. Step nine is to ask for help and to receive it. You don't have to be the hero of the holidays. Ask your partner, your kids, your team to help share the load, wrapping gifts, cooking, cleaning, or managing details. And here's the real challenge is to receive that help, to be willing to not only ask for it, but to receive it and knowing that done is fun and it doesn't have to be perfect. Step 10 is to practice gratitude and presence before you fall asleep each night. Think of three small moments that made your heart smile. That can be the smell of cinnamon rolls, your child's laugh, or that one moment of quiet. So there you have it 10 simple ways to ease the stress of the holidays as a mom and business owner. Remember, the season doesn't need more of your hustle, it needs your heart. You are building a beautiful life, one that is full of love, purpose, and joy. And when you take care of yourself, everyone around you feels it too. And today, if today's episode resonated with you, I'd love you to share it with another mom entrepreneur who could use more calm this season. And don't forget to take advantage of my free time audit that will help you to understand what you can do and what you can delegate to create more systems and more peace in your life. I hope you have the best holidays ever. Make sure you are subscribed and follow us at CallMe CEO Podcast and CamilleWalker.co on Instagram. Thank you for being here. We'll see you next time. Hey CEOs, thank you so much for spending your time with me. If you found this episode inspiring or helpful, please let me know in a comment in a five star review. You could have the chance of being a featured review on an upcoming episode. Continue the conversation on Instagram at CallMe CEO Podcast. And remember, you are the boss.