The holiday season can make you feel crazy. There are so many things going on and what we all want is more time to do them all. Here are 5 tips to help you take back your time this holiday season:  

1. Don’t try to be perfect. Trying to make everything perfect not only causes stress, it also wastes a lot of time that you could be spending with the people you love, or doing things you love. Good is good enough most of the time; save the perfection for making memories doing the things you love most.
2. Ask for help. There are many people who would love nothing more than to help you out on the many tasks and time constraints you have; as a matter of fact engaging those people close to you will actually help you with spending quality time with the ones you love. Consider those things that will shave time off your schedule and utilize those willing to help you get the necessary tasks completed. We are all managers at our jobs, use those managerial skills when planning the holidays.
3. Make a list and prioritize. Putting together a list and prioritizing each item will avoid the panic attack you get when you realize it’s the 23^rd of December and your house is about to be invaded by family. Develop a must do list and organize it by importance and date will take away the stress of unmet expectations. If you know what you need to do and when you need to do it, you’ll take out the threat of forgetting important.
4. Take a breather. Remember that you are important, too. Adding private time to your schedule and making a priority of decompressing will help you manage the stress level of the holidays. Go ahead and sit down, grab a cup of your favorite holiday drink (coffee or spirits), and just reflect on something positive – or enjoy some time watching favorite holiday movie or reading a book. Making time for you will make you happier.
5. Just say no. Don’t be afraid to say NO. You don’t have to go to every party or every function. Prioritize your schedule, adding the must do’s and eliminating those that can give you back time for other pursuits. Don’t commit to things that you know will be almost impossible to attend – that’s just going to add stress and discomfort, and take away that holiday joy we all want. Simplify your schedule, appointments and tasks.

The entire Holladay Construction Group team would like to wish you a very safe and happy holiday season. May your holidays be everything you want them to be, and much more.