Avoid Holiday Shutdown

Do you start getting sluggish this time of year? Holiday activity, social demands and family obligations start to take over our lives about now and many of us shut down productivity. I noticed this recently in my email correspondence. Many that I was getting or sending included some mention of “after the holidays.” Like, “I probably won’t get to that until…Let’s schedule that for…Can it wait ‘til…”


This is a challenge to you: Take five minutes from your day TODAY and consider your top three goals for the next few months. This can be personal (fitness, health, emotional), career (increase sales, create new marketing material), ministry (reach out to young girls at church, help single moms during holidays), marriage (increase sex, make time for more intimate connections)…Whatever is looming over you. Believe me, if you are still and quiet for 30 seconds and ask God, He’ll show you the top three.

Next, create three first baby steps toward accomplishing each goal. Then give yourself a manageable deadline for those steps. This will give you an action plan so it isn’t just a wish list that seems too big to get done.

Finally, make yourself accountable to someone. Share your list with a friend, or a whole lot of friends. Group accountability can be great too-- as you share your goals, but especially as you take bites out of the little steps of accomplishment. We all need a swift kick, a good idea or a pat on the back as we make our way toward goals.

I’m on a roll right now and don’t want to put life on hold. I’m not suggesting the holidays don’t slow us down, they often do. But don’t let your momentum come to a screeching halt only to have to pick up and start over in January. Sit down and begin to consider the challenge... this second before the phone rings or you get another E vite or the cat brings in a dead bird or…

Share your "momentum-through-the-holiday" goals! Or are you too busy to think about it?
Diane Markins