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263: Holiday Special: Balancing Work and Festivities with Host Kendra Corman · Imperfect Marketing

• 0:29
  Speaker 1: Welcome back to Imperfect Marketing.
• 0:31
  Speaker 1: I'm your host, kendra Corman, and today is a special holiday episode for you.
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: As we dive into that festive season, many of us find ourselves juggling work commitments with holiday preparations and celebrations.
• 0:44
  Speaker 1: It's a time of year that can feel both exciting and still yet overwhelming right Because we're so busy.
• 0:51
  Speaker 1: So in today's episode, we're going to be exploring strategies for balancing work, festivities and your personal life during this busy time.
• 0:59
  Speaker 1: We're going to go ahead and revisit some valuable insights from a past test, discuss prioritization techniques and share some personal strategies that I've found effective.
• 1:08
  Speaker 1: By the end of this episode, you're going to have some tips that are going to help you stay productive at work while still enjoying the holiday season.
• 1:15
  Speaker 1: So grab a cup of hot cocoa and marshmallows and let's get started.
• 1:20
  Speaker 1: So let's kick things off by revisiting a concept we explored way, way, way, way way back in episode 60, which aired January 1st 2023.
• 1:30
  Speaker 1: In that episode, I had the pleasure of interviewing Blaine Elkers, who introduced us to the idea of the 30 minute hour.
• 1:37
  Speaker 1: Now you might be wondering if you haven't listened to that episode, kendra.
• 1:41
  Speaker 1: How can this possibly relate to balancing work and holiday festivities, and how on earth do you get an hour in 30 minutes.
• 1:48
  Speaker 1: Well, let me tell you, it's more relevant than you might think.
• 1:51
  Speaker 1: His 30-minute hour concept is all about maximizing productivity by adopting what he calls a day-before-vacation mentality.
• 2:00
  Speaker 1: So think about it how productive are you the day before you leave vacation?
• 2:04
  Speaker 1: Suddenly, tasks that normally take an hour get done in 30 minutes.
• 2:07
  Speaker 1: You're focused, you're efficient and determined to clear your plate before you go right.
• 2:20
  Speaker 1: Blaine breaks this down into three key components, which he calls PDF plan, delegate, focus.
• 2:22
  Speaker 1: First plan just like you meticulously plan your day before vacation, try planning your work days around the holiday season with the same level of detail.
• 2:28
  Speaker 1: Know exactly what needs to get done and when you're going to do it.
• 2:31
  Speaker 1: Next, delegate Look at your to-do list and ask yourself does this need to really be done by me?
• 2:37
  Speaker 1: If not, delegate it.
• 2:39
  Speaker 1: Don't have team members.
• 2:41
  Speaker 1: Try Upwork, because this is going to apply both at work and in your holiday preparations.
• 2:46
  Speaker 1: Maybe your mom can help you with it, maybe a colleague can handle that report.
• 2:49
  Speaker 1: Perhaps your kids can take charge of decorating the house right.
• 2:53
  Speaker 1: Finally, focus this is where the magic happens when you sit down to work and you give it your full attention.
• 2:59
  Speaker 1: No multitasking, no distractions, just like you wouldn't be scrolling social media the day before vacation at 10 o'clock in the morning, right?
• 3:07
  Speaker 1: Try to bring some of that same level of focus to your work this holiday season.
• 3:13
  Speaker 1: The last essential piece of Blaine's advice is to release your inner perfectionist, and that's why this show is called Imperfect Marketing.
• 3:19
  Speaker 1: Done is better than perfect.
• 3:21
  Speaker 1: Progress is better than perfection.
• 3:23
  Speaker 1: This is especially important during the holidays, when time's at a premium.
• 3:27
  Speaker 1: By adopting this 30 minute hour mindset, you can potentially get your work done in half the time, leaving more room for holiday festivities and relaxation.
• 3:37
  Speaker 1: It's not about working more hours or longer hours, right, it's about working smarter and more efficiently.
• 3:44
  Speaker 1: So now that we've talked a little bit about that 30 minute hour that Blaine shared with us, let's dive into the importance of prioritizing tasks and setting clear work hours this holiday season.
• 3:54
  Speaker 1: One tool that is super important to me and I've been using for I don't know five, six years, maybe now um is the full focus planner.
• 4:02
  Speaker 1: Each week, I use it to set three main tasks or goals, and this is incredibly helpful in focusing on what truly needs to get done, especially like busy times during the holidays.
• 4:12
  Speaker 1: By limiting myself to just three main tasks a week, I'm forced to really think about what's most important.
• 4:18
  Speaker 1: It's not about doing everything.
• 4:21
  Speaker 1: It's about doing the right things.
• 4:22
  Speaker 1: So I want you to ask yourself what tasks, if completed, would make the biggest impact on my work or business.
• 4:30
  Speaker 1: Those are the ones you get done.
• 4:33
  Speaker 1: When it comes to setting work hours during the holidays, be intentional.
• 4:37
  Speaker 1: It's really easy to let work expand to fill all available time, and it will fill all available time you give it.
• 4:43
  Speaker 1: That's a surefire way to miss out on the joy of this season.
• 4:47
  Speaker 1: So instead, I want you to decide on your work hours in advance.
• 4:51
  Speaker 1: Be realistic.
• 4:52
  Speaker 1: You might need to adjust your usual schedule to accommodate some holiday activities.
• 4:56
  Speaker 1: Communicate these hours clearly to clients and family members so that they know when you're working and when you're not, and then, when you're working, really work, apply that 30-minute focused hour that we talked about earlier.
• 5:11
  Speaker 1: And when you're not working, truly disconnect.
• 5:15
  Speaker 1: Enjoy time with your family and friends without consistently checking your email.
• 5:19
  Speaker 1: Right, get that phone away, because it's not about the number of hours you work, but the quality of work you do in those hours.
• 5:27
  Speaker 1: I used to think that your work, the quality of work you do in those hours.
• 5:31
  Speaker 1: I used to think that being busy was being productive.
• 5:32
  Speaker 1: It's not, and the quicker you can get there, the better off you're going to be this holiday season.
• 5:36
  Speaker 1: So one of the biggest time eaters in our professional lives is meetings.
• 5:40
  Speaker 1: During this holiday season, it's more important than ever to be strategic about how you manage your meetings.
• 5:45
  Speaker 1: So one of the things that I've found really effective is that I move most of my networking meetings out by at least two weeks.
• 5:51
  Speaker 1: So if you contact me today, you can have one in two weeks.
• 5:54
  Speaker 1: But I take it a step further during the holiday.
• 5:57
  Speaker 1: If I have a particularly busy holiday week coming up with family events and things like that, I block it off on my calendar, along with the week before and the week after.
• 6:05
  Speaker 1: Not that I don't take meetings during those times, but it creates a visual red flag over my entire calendar that forces me to pause and think does this meeting really need to happen in this window?
• 6:16
  Speaker 1: Can it wait until after the holidays, or can it be handled with a quick phone call?
• 6:20
  Speaker 1: It's amazing how much more you can accomplish with fewer meetings.
• 6:24
  Speaker 1: Right, because let's get things done.
• 6:27
  Speaker 1: So by reducing meeting time, you're freeing up more time for focused work and, of course, enjoying the holiday season, so don't be afraid to reschedule non-essential meetings.
• 6:37
  Speaker 1: Most people understand and, especially during this time of year, are pretty thankful for it.
• 6:44
  Speaker 1: And remember a cleared calendar is a gift you give yourself.
• 6:48
  Speaker 1: Okay, so you might be thinking but Kendra, won't I get less done if I'm working fewer hours and having fewer meetings?
• 6:54
  Speaker 1: Not necessarily.
• 6:56
  Speaker 1: In fact, you might surprise yourself by getting the same amount of work done, if not more.
• 7:01
  Speaker 1: Yep, I said it, you might get more done.
• 7:03
  Speaker 1: This relates to a principle known as Parkinson's Law, which says that work expands to fill the time available for its completion.
• 7:11
  Speaker 1: In other words, if you give yourself all day to complete a task, it will take you all day, but if you only give yourself an hour, you'll find a way to get it done in an hour.
• 7:20
  Speaker 1: During the holidays, we naturally have less time available for work, but instead of seeing this as a limitation, view it as an opportunity to become more efficient.
• 7:29
  Speaker 1: When you know you only have a few hours to work, you're likely to be more focused and less likely to procrastinate.
• 7:36
  Speaker 1: You're going to prioritize more effectively, focusing on what truly needs to get done and not inventing new tasks, and you'll find creative solutions to get things done more quickly.
• 7:46
  Speaker 1: The key is to be intentional about your time.
• 7:49
  Speaker 1: Okay, be intentional about your time.
• 7:51
  Speaker 1: Don't let work expand to fill all your available time.
• 7:54
  Speaker 1: Set clear boundaries, stick to them and you're going to find that you can accomplish just as much in less time.
• 8:01
  Speaker 1: I want you to remember you're not aiming to create additional projects during this busy season.
• 8:06
  Speaker 1: Instead, focus on meeting your essential commitments efficiently.
• 8:11
  Speaker 1: Quality over quantity is the name of the game here, just like it is in almost everything we do.
• 8:17
  Speaker 1: So before I wrap up, let's recap the main strategies I have shared for balancing work and festivities during the holiday season.
• 8:26
  Speaker 1: First, re-listen to episode 60.
• 8:29
  Speaker 1: Adopt that 30-minute hour mindset Plan, delegate and focus.
• 8:33
  Speaker 1: Two, prioritize ruthlessly.
• 8:36
  Speaker 1: Focus on just a few key tasks each week.
• 8:40
  Speaker 1: Three, set and communicate clear work hours, usually important.
• 8:45
  Speaker 1: Four, be strategic about meetings Reschedule, shorten or cancel where possible.
• 8:50
  Speaker 1: And five, trust that with focus and intention, you can maintain productivity even working fewer hours.
• 8:58
  Speaker 1: All right.
• 8:59
  Speaker 1: So what are some things that you can do right now?
• 9:01
  Speaker 1: Number one block off your calendar for the busiest days of the holiday season that you know you're going to be busy.
• 9:07
  Speaker 1: Identify your top three priorities for the week and schedule focused time to work on those priorities.
• 9:15
  Speaker 1: Okay, and then look at your upcoming meetings and see which ones you can reschedule for after the holidays Can anything move?
• 9:22
  Speaker 1: Or maybe the meetings stay, but the assignments get delayed, and then set specific work hours for the coming week and communicate that with your clients.
• 9:33
  Speaker 1: The goal isn't just to get through the holiday season, but do enjoy it while still meeting your commitments and possibly even growing your business right.
• 9:42
  Speaker 1: It's about finding that sweet spot where you can excel at work and still have time to savor festive moments with the ones that you love.
• 9:48
  Speaker 1: Thanks so much for tuning into this holiday special episode of Imperfect Marketing.
• 9:54
  Speaker 1: I hope you found these strategies helpful as you navigate the balance between work and festivities and work hard not to get burned out.
• 10:01
  Speaker 1: If you have your own tips for staying productive during the holidays, I would love to hear them.
• 10:06
  Speaker 1: Share them with me on social media or leave a comment on LinkedIn or YouTube.
• 10:11
  Speaker 1: Okay, cause that's where I'm most active.
• 10:13
  Speaker 1: Again, kendra Cormancom.
• 10:14
  Speaker 1: Forward slash LinkedIn.
• 10:15
  Speaker 1: Or YouTubecom forward slash at Kendra Corman.
• 10:19
  Speaker 1: From everybody here at KendraCormancom and Imperfect Marketing, we wish you a joyful, peaceful and yes, productive holiday season.
• 10:28
  Speaker 1: Until next time, keep moving forward.
• 10:32
  Speaker 1: Progress, not perfection.