I hope everyone had a happy Thanksgiving (and success on Black Friday and Cyber Monday if that’s your thing). Now that all of the turkeys/tofurkeys/turduckens have been consumed, it’s officially holiday season 2012. The whirlwind month of family time, catalog finishing and last-minute fourth-quarter earnings is upon us. The one thing school taught me that never seems to resonate in the real world is that the holiday season is a time for relaxing and watching marathons of Boy Meets World and NCIS (I have eclectic tastes). The holiday season is actually the busiest time of the year for most of us. We have to put away the leftover apple pie, stop watching Punkin Chunkin and focus on work. Here are three ways to do it without impacting your holiday cheer:
1. Suit Up
Take a cue from America’s favorite cad, Barney Stinson from How I Met Your Mother, and suit up. Even if you are typically a casual dresser, the holidays give you a time to get a little fancy, or encourage your clients to add a little something extra to their corporate or uniform wears. A holiday theme or some glitter shows the celebratory spirit of the season.
2. Be Thankful
Thanksgiving is over, but the thanking season isn’t. If you haven’t sent thank-you cards to your clients, now might be a good time. Holiday-themed cards with well wishes and a thank-you for their business will go a long way for repeat business in 2013.
3. Prepare for Travel
I bought my flights for Vegas last week. Are ready for a pick-up in work travel? Booking my flight made me realize how much I want to do in the month and a half before the trip. Take a morning this week or next to map out your January travel plans and rough goals of what you want to accomplish before then. Getting that out of the way relieves some of the stress for the next month, because you know what you have to do and what you can leave for after Vegas.
