5 productive ways to spend your Christmas break

The change of seasons and holiday period is a good time to do things differently. So if you’re in business and you’re looking to make the most out of this time of year, here are my top 5 recommendations for being productive over the holiday whilst still enjoying some time out. 1. Read a bloody book. What would happen if every time you went to mindlessly scroll through Instagram you picked up a book instead? My guess is you would activate a different part of your brain, learn something new and allow time and space to spark your creativity. It doesn’t have to be a self-help or business book, it could be a mindless novel that takes you into a magical land, either way, I challenge you to get yourself down to a bookshop, wander aimlessly for a 20 minutes or so and find something that tickles your fancy. 2. Download a course/workbook. Holidays are a good time to break the routine of always working ‘in the business’ and take some time to work ‘on it’. When things start to slow down and people find themselves in a more joyful relaxed mood, it’s a great time to get some perspective on what you’re trying to achieve in your business and clarity about where you want to go next. Now is a great time to treat yourself to that workbook, course or journal that will help you to facilitate this process. If you’re looking for some help here - try working throughout Marketing 101 ebook & workbook to review your business and make a plan for the new year. I suggest the following worksheets: 1.1 Review your why 1.2 Business goals and targets 1.8 Customer incentives and why they shop with you 2.1 Refining your business values 3.4 Developing your brand tone of voice 5.1 Social Media Health Check 5.5 adding Value to your customer 6.4 understanding your customers WHY and getting to know them 3. Tap into your intuition. Remember when you first started out and you were full of awe and wonder of what it would be like to run your own business? You followed your heart with ease and knew deep down that you had to give it a crack. Then somewhere along the line, you got caught up in the ‘doing’ and the dreaded ‘hustle’ that keeps you trapped in the grind. This season, see if you can tap back into the fun and excitement of running a business. Take some time to sit still, meditate, be silent, whatever you want to call it and ask your heart ‘why am I doing this?’ See if you can reignite the joy that you felt the first time you realised you were an entrepreneur. 4.  Rest and restore. No matter how many elixirs, health shots, exercise classes or tables you do/take, nothing will replace a solid 8 hours of sleep. Sleeping is when our bodies rest and restore. Our organs have time to process any stress they have encountered in the day and allows the space for our internal systems to recalibrate our health and wellbeing. Use those public holidays to stay in bed that little bit longer or force yourself to retire to the couch/bed before midnight. Your body, mind, and health and thank you for it. 5. Seek a mentor. Where in your life could you use an extra set of eyes, ears or brains? Often we go through our lives playing out the same old routines from the day before. We accept the conditions of how things are done and the way they get done. It’s not until we take some time out of our every day to reflect on what could be done differently. Ask yourself the question, where could I use some help and how could I 10 x this business and take things to a new level? A mentor, coach, colleague or peer is a good way to get an instant perspective on life and business. Find someone who inspires you, will challenge you and help you see a bigger, brighter future for yourself and one that aligns with your purpose and what you want to create in this world.  Enquire now for a 1:1 business coaching session with Kaylene, founder, StartUp Creative