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The holidays are supposed to be a time for relaxation, reconnecting and recharging. But, if you’ve ever lived through it, you know they can be anything but those things. For many, holiday burnout is real. This time of year can be characterized by spending too much money and too much time on gifts, cooking, travel and parties leading to holiday burnout. A survey conducted by OnePoll on behalf of Lowes and reported on 59 News, found that Americans spend an average of $100,000 in their lifetime preparing for the holidays. Another survey reported on in Yahoo! showed that folks in some states spend over six hours on holiday meal prep (Mississippi spends 7.1 hours).
It’s no wonder stress increases around the holidays. Should you find yourself facing burnout with several weeks of holiday festivities still ahead of you, there might be one thing that can save your sanity: delegation. If you are the “I can do everything myself” type (we’re all guilty of it sometimes), then you face the greatest risk of burnout. And maybe a total ugly-cry meltdown in the middle of a holiday party. Learning how to delegate is important all year long, but it’s especially critical this time of year. Here are ways to delegate like a pro to avoid holiday burnout.
Claim The Tasks That You Enjoy
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Make a list of all of the holiday errands and tasks that need to happen. Separate the list into three columns: things you love doing, things you can take or leave, and things you can’t stand. Claim those tasks that you love doing for yourself. If you put a lot of work into making the holidays special for everyone, then you deserve to do the fun stuff, like decorating the tree or baking the cookies. Doing the activities you enjoy will uplift your spirits and give you energy for the items in column number two. Now onto column three…
Assign The Tasks That Cause You Stress
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Assign the tasks that cause you stress to other people. You don’t want to dump these all on one person, but you can spread them out amongst your support group. If the idea of standing in line at the post office to ship off presents or circling the airport to pick up relatives makes you sweat, assign someone else those tasks. Diving on a grenade and taking on these less-desirable tasks robs you of energy and can leave you resentful of those around you. So let your teenage kid with a driver’s license handle the airport pickups.
Watch That Perfectionism
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Once you’ve decided to delegate a task, let it go. Give them the instructions they need up top, and then let your helper help you. If you wind up micro-managing, then you won’t feel relieved of the obligation. If you feel perfectionism creeping in, stop and ask yourself: “Do the cookies really need to be perfectly symmetrical?” “What’s so wrong with slightly uneven gift wrapping?” Many of the things you fret about probably don’t need to be perfect.
Make The Main Dish. That’s It.
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If you’re hosting the big holiday meal, you have enough work to do without creating four side dishes three appetizers, two desserts, and a couple of craft cocktails. You handle the ham, the turkey or the roast. You make the main dish, and asks your guests to bring everything else. They probably have already offered – so take them up on it.
Send Someone Else On Errands
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If you have a helper who can drive, send them to handle errands. Your family members can pick up the holiday ham, that last string of twinkle lights, extra foil for the appetizers, and one more handle of spiced rum. If you find yourself reaching for your car keys to grab one more thing at the store, while you’re knuckles-deep in stuffing, just ask someone else to run the errand. You’re holding down the house, and others can tackle the store runs.
Make A List Of Assignable Tasks
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It can be really helpful to write out every holiday task – from tiny to major – to see it all in front of you. Now you can start to identify which things you can delegate. If you’re having a hard time getting started, below is a list of items that can be delegated:
- Addressing holiday cards
- Post office drop-offs
- Writing holiday cards
- Organizing the family photo
- Wrapping presents
- Decorating
- Curbside store pickups
- Gift research (ask your partner or child to research several options within budget for items on your list and present them to you)
- Sous chef work (chopping veggies, grating cheese etc.)
- Grocery shopping (make the list, then send someone else)
- Airport pickups
- Preparing the guest room
- Tidying the home
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