How to Slow Down During the Holiday Hustle
Last week, I was in my small town post office, mailing out a bunch of Book of Stories (yay!), when the postmaster looked at me - my face buried behind the mountain of packages - and said, “business owner, eh?”
And because this is the way of small-town post offices, we chatted for a good 10 minutes about what it means to be an entrepreneur.
As I was walking out the door his parting words were, “Just keep going! That’s the key to a successful business: never let up.”
I’ve been thinking about his words ever since.
the truth is, I want to let up. I don’t want to always keep going. If there’s one thing grief has taught me, it’s the importance of rest.
In the hustle and bustle of owning a business and entering the holiday season (aka “MUST SELL SHIT” season) and nearing the end of the year (so much fucking pressure) and dealing with the inevitable grief that comes with the holidays, all I want to do is slow down.
There is so much I’m excited about with the Forced Joy Project - creating more Book of Stories, building out the Forced Joy Club as a safe space to connect with a community of grievers, and even some fun holiday grief gifts to help with the rage we may be feeling (stay tuned!).
It’s just that sometimes I don’t know how to balance both the pressure to run a business based on grief and also honor my own experience and need to 1. Rest, and 2. Live a meaningful and fulfilling life both inside AND outside of the work I do.
How do you go slow when paying the bills depends on the growth of your business? How do you go slow when your role is founder, but also accountant, marketer, writer, PR consultant, strategist, salesperson, and so much more? How do you go slow when you’ve built a business to support grievers, but you yourself are a griever?
How do you go slow when everything around you is screaming to go fast?
I’m not sure.
But I know the heart of this business has always been intentionality. Be intentional about what I sell (is it something I can truly stand behind and believe will be helpful to grievers?). Be intentional in how I interact with this community (with honesty and as a human with flaws). Be intentional about how I grow (thoughtfully, which sometimes means slowly).
And this season, I want to be intentional about not just growing, but intentional in how I grow. I want to grow a business that supports the life I want. I want to grow a business that feels balanced. That feels calm.
I don’t know if that’s possible (so far, all the other entrepreneurs are preaching the opposite), but I’m going to sure as hell try. So even though my to-do list is a thousand miles long (ALWAYS) and I am full of stress (ALWAYS), I am vowing to myself to be more intentional in going slow. And here’s how I hope to do that:
20 minutes of writing a day (and using this adorable accountability tool to help get me started). Writing is important to me and it’s usually the first thing to get knocked off the list when I’m overwhelmed. So I’m committing to 20 minutes - that’s it. It can be working on the book, drafting a piece to submit, or even just random thoughts in my journal.
Move my body. I’m not talking about high-intensity workouts that feel too much these days, but a simple daily walk. My widow bestie Mira just launched a 30-day #walkingwithgrief challenge that I’m using as motivation to get outside every day. Want to join? Sign up to her newsletter (and bonus, I hear a walking playlist is coming soon!)
More reading, less Netflix. Note, I didn’t say no netflix - it’s winter and a girl’s gotta binge every once in a while. But I’m attempting to substitute that end-of-the-night reality show for a chapter of a book. On my list? This and this.
Spend less money. Sometimes when I’m in a holiday funk, I over-purchase for others as a way to pull me out of my funk (it’s the look-how-happy-my-gift-made-them syndrome). But as I attempt to grow Forced Joy Project without the safety net of a second (and third) job, I can’t afford to do that. This year, the aim is meaningful gifts (that may even require me to get a little crafty!) I’m loving this, this, and this for some fun DIY ideas.
Just Say No. I know it’s the season of holiday parties and festive gatherings. But are we saying yes because we want to go? Or because we feel like we should? Sometimes it’s hard to distinguish the two, but this season I’m challenging my people-pleasing tendencies and learning the difference between want and should.
Does this resonate with you? Let me know by commenting below. I'd love to hear from you!