Festive Planning - Working Parents & Top Tips for Busy Business Owners

Why is it that we always tend to struggle with the build up to Christmas and yet it is the same date EVERY YEAR! Why do we not always plan for it?

The Christmas holidays can be hit and miss for certain businesses - some can be very quiet, eerily even. Whilst others ramp up activity and can be super busy, especially those in retail! Juggling work commitments and entertaining the children, especially young ones, can be challenging over the festive period. Read our top tips below on how best to manage this:

Look ahead

We all know when the holidays are - look ahead and plan for it! If you have trading history, how did you manage it last year? What worked well, what didn't? Can you repeat the same successes this year? Also sync your school calendar to your personal and business calendars so that you know when the children go back to school (those dreaded inset days crop up all the time!)

Diary management

To ensure you can be the best parent and best business owner, organise holiday clubs, sleepovers, play dates –this festive time of year it is all about family - so lean on them! Then block out time in the early AM and late afternoon PM to work – this leaves the middle of the day to be with your family on those days where you don’t have anything pre-booked for the children – this is what works best for the mums on our team. But please do tell us what currently works for you? We’d love to know.

Delegate

Consider who will be working over the festive period and start to delegate to the team. If the team are international, remember that their holiday period may differ to yours slightly. Be sure to respect boundaries at this time of year also. If you don't have a team to delegate to, then plan, plan, plan to help you maintain focus and clarity. You can always reach out to us as well, we'd love to help!

Communicate

If the pandemic has taught us anything, it has reminded us that we all have lives outside of the office. Why should you have to hide your family commitments from your work colleagues or clients. If they don’t understand this then perhaps it isn’t the best fit or the best dynamic. Explain to your children, that you need to work (if they’re old enough to understand) and you’ll be with them after. This also teaches them patience, a great skill to have! Finally, explain to your colleagues that any background noise they may hear during a call is your children, and this will take the pressure off you to not always appear to be “perfect”. And remind yourself, being a parent is the hardest but most rewarding job in the world. Period.

Ask for Help

We are never too old to ask for support and yet we don’t often take advantage of this. Liaise with friends and family and if this isn’t an option, then outsource to your VA or OBM at Interactive VA Ltd – people outsource their domestic duties so why not outsource for your business. You will see that it is money well spent!