PODCAST EPISODE № 24

How to Manage End-of-Year Planning and Overwhelm

by Anita Charlot

Listen to How to Manage End-of-Year Planning and Overwhelm:

It’s that time of year again. Staff evaluations, end of year reporting, fundraisers for your various organizations, board meetings, strategic planning, employee reviews, merit increases, bonuses, and the whole host of other holiday related responsibilities.

You’re right in the middle of it and are completely overwhelmed.

I know you are. I’ve been there too.

I am no longer willing to go through December dreading the months’ responsibilities at this stage in my life. I’ve created a space in which I am now able to get things done within a limited timeframe with limited resources. I’ve also figured out how to do it without driving myself, my team, or my family crazy.

In this episode, I will share an easy process for wrapping up the current year’s responsibilities while preparing for the new year in both your personal and professional lives. I hope you find something in this episode that helps you breathe a little easier, and stress a little less. If you want my help in figuring out how to get it all done with less stress, block time on my calendar soon at calendly.com/CoachAnitaCharlot. The sooner we talk, the faster you can get things done.

Don’t forget to download your free copy of my End-of-Year Planning Template. The link is below.

See you inside the episode.

What You Learn:

How to organize your end-of-year tasks in order to streamline completing your projects
Deligating the work so you are not doing everything by yourself
Easy ways to involve the family and ask for help either virtually or in-person
More about the Executive Relationship Mastermind Group and why it may be the perfect sisterhood for you!

Featured on the Show:

Follow this link to download your FREE End-of-Year Planning Template
Download 10 Tips on How to be a Detailed-Oriented Manager to help manage details, projects, and even yourself with ease!
Learn more about how you can work directly with Anita
Love the show? Leave a review of the show in Apple Podcasts (click the link to find out how).
Follow me on Instagram!
Find me on Facebook!

Episode Transcript

For as long as I can remember, December has always been my hibernation time. I’ve always taken Christmas Eve through the new year off from my work as my time to reflect, release, recharge and recommit to my goals. So much so that when I mentioned to my oldest son that I will be off during this time again this year, he thought it was a given. He’s never known me to work the last two weeks of the year, and that this year will be no different. I guess you can tell that this son is an entrepreneur and has no clue about not being able to take off when you want to!

When the kids were young, I took off when they were on Christmas break, and I’ve been doing it every year since. If not completely out of the office, at least at a reduced schedule. The end of year wrap up can be stressful for so many reasons. Family, board positions, end-of-year reporting, fundraising, employee reviews, strategy planning sessions for the next year or two  while juggling the holidays can be pretty challenging. Throw in children or elderly family members, and your responsibilities can grow far beyond what you feel you can handle.

Here is a list of four year-end challenging scenarios that I will walk you through and give you solutions to that maybe you can tweak to your own particular situation. I will provide the work challenges first and then move on to the personal challenges. While these are in no way comprehensive, and there is so much more to do in order for solutions to come easy for you, if you need help brainstorming send me an email through the contact page on my website, and I’d be happy to help you.

Our first word challenge will be time management. I could spend hours sharing the benefits of time management, but it would not be helpful to you at this time, right? You are already up against deadlines and do not have the liberty of putting things off. The things on your list have got to get done this month before year-end, but you, as always, have waited until the last minute.

How can you possibly get everything done? Believe it or not, you do not have to do everything yourself.

If you’re anything like I was, you feel the need to do everything for reasons ranging from, you don’t want anyone knowing that you haven’t completed it yet to, you don’t trust anyone to get it done correctly and don’t have enough time to train or coach anyone through it.

Well, here’s a possible solution. I want you to write down all tasks and responsibilities or activities that you are responsible for and that need to get done by the end of the year.

But I’m going to help you with that!

So this is a system that I use personally and share with my clients. I started using it because I was spending far too much time on the small tasks, and not focusing on the things that only I could do.

So I’m going to ask you to start by downloading the free template – remember, the link is in the show notes – that I use. It is a straightforward tool, and will help you organize your responsibility so that nothing falls through the cracks. Or you can simply grab a piece of paper, open Word, Excel, or Google Sheets and follow these instructions.

So I want you to make four columns from left to right, and I’m going to give you the column names.

First column is a task, call it whatever you like, that indicates work that needs to be done. 
Second column is labeled, “I have to do this.”
Third column is labeled “can this be broken down?”
Fourth column is”:will delegate to.”

So initially, I was only going to give you three columns for personal and professional, then I decided that since you are here listening to this episode, you could really use the help. So I want to honor you today by giving you the bonus column and the bonus worksheet I typically save for my clients.

The bonus column that I am referring to is “can this be broken down?”

And I’ve included a Google sheet that will help you break down the different phases or parts of a bigger task or project. Should you decide to use it, please feel free to email me and let me know if you found it helpful.

Once you’ve downloaded it, I want you to take your time to fill it out. Or if you opened up Word or Google Docs or Google Sheets, once you filled out this template, I want you to go through and identify the task that only you can do. When you have gone through the list in the first column of all of the tasks, I want you to put an X in the column that says “only I can do”, right? And then I want you to look at the bonus column, which says “Can this task be broken down?” I really want you to spend a good amount of time on whether or not this can be broken down, and if so, how. Can it be broken down into phases or parts? Is there anyone else who can do these things, right?

You don’t have to do everything yourself.

If there’s one person, write their name in that section. If there’s more than one, put more than one name in that section. You never know, the one person that you thought of initially may not be available, or it may take a group effort for everyone to work on different parts and then you come back together as a group and have one working session to go through and get it completed.

Remember, this spreadsheet is just a sample to get you thinking about how to get things done quickly. There are automated workflow systems, checklists, collaboration tools, and the like to consider. However, by using this end-of-year planning tool, this is something I thought would be quick, easy and efficient, that has no learning curve for you to worry about and could be done while you’re simply waiting on someone or having your morning coffee or as a brain dump before you go to bed. I know before I go to bed, my brain is always so active. It just keeps going, and I’ll quickly grab a notebook and do a brain dump and then I can sleep because once I put it on paper, my brain thinks “oh, okay, she wrote it down, it’s going to get done”.

So you can name or rename or remove and add columns and rows as you see fit for your specific situation, and if you need help, reach out and we’ll figure it out together.

Most importantly, don’t forget to save it. So I’ve made the mistake before of creating, you know, this great document or two or three. I’ve done this more than at least 10 times, 20 times maybe in my entire career, and I forgot to save it. I get so focused on you know the layout and the format and the bold and italicize and if it’s a checkbox if it’s a radio button, and then I never hit save and something happens and the work is lost. So do not forget to save it!

Once you’ve completed this first portion of the activity. I want you to close the document and either go for a walk, go do some dishes, go to lunch, but do something else for about an hour.

After your break, I want you to open up the document again and take another look at it. You will either remember other items that you forgot to put on the list, or you will see that there are more tasks on the list that you can delegate to someone else. Either way, once you know the difference between the number of items you have to do, and the number of items taken off your plate, you should begin to feel a lot lighter right away.

So here’s work challenge number two, and this is a big one: fighting with yourself to give up control. Even though the process I gave you may be simple, the biggest challenge is your ability to relinquish the task at all.

This is where fear sets in, and your mind begins to go into protection mode, telling you things like only you can do it right. What if they mess it up, and you have to circle back and do it yourself anyway? You could just do it right the first time! What if you leave it to someone else, you trust them to get it done, they mess it up, and then it reflects poorly on you?

Well, these fears are all valid. I have had these fears, and so have my clients, but we have managed to work through them.

Here, let me give you an example: A former C-suite client worked in a male dominated industry; she would arrive at work earlier and leave the office later than her male counterparts. She didn’t report to them. These were simply other team members and colleagues. She didn’t want to seem like she wasn’t able to handle her workload, especially since she was a new mom.

So while she was working crazy hours putting stress on her marriage and not spending time with her newborn child, the men in the office played golf. They didn’t worry at all, because my client would make sure all of the work was done, and that nothing would fall through the cracks.

When the male co-workers would miss something, they didn’t beat themselves up about it. They simply stated they forgot or implied that it wasn’t their fault implicating my client as the culprit. But my client would not permit herself to do this, even when the opportunity presented itself.

So what was the solution?

After partnering with her to work through her challenges in this area, she was able to not only stand up for herself, but together, we created workflows, process maps and implemented systems that allowed her to do more of her work in less time. We had to work through the emotional blocks keeping her in the I-don’t-want-to-look-bad mode, and show her ways to gain respect, not take on work that didn’t belong to her and properly utilize her own team members, thus giving her back valuable time to spend with her family.

Change is not easy in the workplace due to fears, and ironically, there are just as many if not more fears in our personal lives.

So now I’m going to take you to the personal examples. Here are two examples for you to learn from:

Personal challenge number one: preparing for the holidays. The holidays can be stressful for so many reasons. Take for example, if you’re hosting at your house, right? You have the planning, the shopping, then the meal prep, then the cooking, and the baking. You have to clean your home before and after the guests. You have to be concerned about decorations, buying presents, trying to figure out how many people are coming, if they’re bringing plus one or plus two. Maybe there is some tension between family members where you have to keep this family member away from that one, or tell this family member to come two hours ahead of time because they’re always two hours late. You know what I mean. You’ve experienced this before, right?

Or maybe you’re so overwhelmed, but you don’t want to ask for help. Because your family members expect you to do it all. You’ve always done it, so why would they even think about helping you? Maybe the matriarch of the family never asked for help so they figure why should you? Or maybe you fear upsetting family members should you choose to switch things up a bit.

All of these are part of the stress that comes with preparing for the holidays.

Another stressful area is growing through the emotional guilt should you want or need to switch things up a bit. Maybe you don’t want to host, or maybe you don’t want to spend the holidays at your parents or your in-laws house.

So how do you handle this? Well, every situation is different but again, here is a possible solution for you.

To keep from burning out, let’s use the same template you use for your work challenges to determine exactly what you need to do and what you can delegate to others.

Once you identify the things that you can delegate to others, I want you to reach out and ask other people to do these things. Give them plenty of time to prepare. So if a person is not used to having to do this, you need to recognize that, right? They may not be as seasoned, as you are at the art of hosting Christmas. So set up calls to go over their tasks, you know, give them shopping lists, it may take you 5-10 minutes to sit down and, you know, send an email with the recipe.

They can always call you if they need help, right? You can have them call you, you can answer questions. It’s going to be a little bit more of an experience for you this first time around, because you’re used to just doing things, and I find that when I need to delegate something to a team member of mine, it takes me longer, right?

It always takes you longer when you have to train because it would be faster if you did it yourself, but you don’t need to spend that time being bogged down and being involved in everything. So in order for you not to do that, you have to be able to relinquish control. So you’re going to have to be available to answer their calls, and it’s going to be nerve wracking, but you’re going to do it and you’re going to, you’re going to do a great job.

If you can do it over video, right? Maybe you both can make a certain dish, and you can answer questions while you both are cooking and you see each other on video. If you have an iPhone, maybe you can FaceTime. If you have a Facebook portal, maybe you can use that. I’m not endorsing either one of these things, I’m not getting paid to endorse them, put it that way. I’m just providing you with options. Facebook portal, and Apple can feel free to pay me for promoting their products, but I’m not getting a kickback right now. I’m just trying to help you manage your end-of year planning and delegate and manage the questions that are happening.

Maybe you can do it and you can do it with a glass of wine. Just make sure that the other person is not drinking too much because you can probably do it with two glasses of wine. They’re new, they need all of their senses intact, so just be mindful of that.

Also, you want to be prepared to support them by permitting them to make a mistake, right?
Sometimes when we give somebody something to do depending on what it is, and we want it done our way. Well, it doesn’t have to always be done your way, and sometimes people need to learn by example. So if you give them an extra ingredient, or tell them don’t forget this or don’t do it this way, or that way, and they make it and it’s a flop, then they’ve learned a lesson.

And it won’t be your fault!

Some family members may try to blame you for it, but you’re not responsible for making everybody happy. You have to learn how to put yourself first, because there’s no need for you to do everything if you have other able-bodied family members to do it. So you have to be able and willing to let them make a mistake.

It doesn’t have to be your way as long as it gets done, and I’ve learned that there is nothing that a little gravy can’t fix, honey! Okay?

You want to make it a point to work through the tribe guilt or shame for wanting to do something different, and this may be a bit more ingrained than you think. The ability to delegate knowing that someone else is capable of doing it versus the guilt, family shame or fear associated with it may be rooted in a much deeper cause, and it may take some time to grow through. But if my clients can do it, so can you.

So our personal challenge number two is reviewing your personal goals, otherwise known as New Year’s resolutions or New Year resolutions or New Year intentions, whatever you want to call it.

Do you have a list of goals that you intended to complete this year that you consistently put off, and now you’re scrambling to get them all done in December? Things like meeting aggressive year end numbers, preparing for the next year for you and your family, rushing to set all of your medical dental vision appointments so that you don’t lose your flexible spending money. Oh, wait, that’s me. I’m sorry.

Yeah, I am pushing all of these appointments so that I don’t lose this money at the end of the year. Trust me! Which is why you see my glasses changing so often. If I get to the end of the year, God willing, and I have not had any health challenges and there’s money left, that means Mama’s getting a new pair of glasses. Okay?

What about losing weight or working out regularly, scheduling time for yourself without guilt?

Well, here’s a possible solution. It’s all about proper planning, scheduling and accountability.

Would it be helpful to you to have a group of other Executive Women committed to reaching their personal and professional goals? Would it be a good use of your time to have online, in-person, and electronic systems that help you get organized and keep you accountable? With regular check-ins, reminders and brainstorming sessions? Could you benefit from networking with other women just like you that are committed to getting things done? How much easier would it be to learn from the successes and failures of others to shorten your learning curve, and fast track your success with a peace of mind?

Well, this is exactly what I’ve been searching for over the past several years, and I am happy to announce that I will open up my new Executive Relationship Mastermind Group in 2022.

I will only be accepting six women as founding members of this group as we will work together to build a sisterhood of success and collaboration. We will expand our network and our net worth and improve our relationships along the way. A true sisterhood of supporting each other through our personal and professional lives.

Applications for this mastermind will open in January 2022, and I will personally select six women and set up an interview to discuss the mastermind in detail, answer any applicants questions, and determine if this is the right mastermind for you.

More to come about the application process, and the link to apply later this month. If you are selected to participate in this mastermind, please understand that there will be a six month commitment. At the end of the six months you will have the right of first refusal before I begin promoting the mastermind for the next group of amazing women.

I can guarantee you that the women who are a part of this mastermind and apply what they learn will walk into every meeting prepared, walk into the next month knowing what her goals will be while celebrating her accomplishments, will look forward to December with grace and ease, will disconnect from the hustle and bustle of the year end madness, and will prepare for the next year from a place of confidence and calm, all while being in command of their emotions, most likely in an exotic location. That’s right, you heard it here first!

The bottom line is there is no one solution to solve all of your challenges or reduce your stress. And truth be told, it may take more time and preparation on your end upfront to pull this off time which you “think” you don’t currently have, but if done correctly, it will benefit you in the long run and for years to come.

Be sure to download this episode and the worksheets provided in the show notes so that you can begin to reclaim your time, reduce your stress and recognize the challenges you need to grow through for your professional and personal success.

Head on over to the show notes right now. Looking forward to supporting you through this time and beyond, and I would love to have you as part of the mastermind so stay tuned for the announcement and the application link.

Until the next episode.

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How to Manage End-of-Year Planning and Overwhelm

PODCAST EPISODE № 24

How to Manage End-of-Year Planning and Overwhelm

by Anita Charlot

Listen to How to Manage End-of-Year Planning and Overwhelm:

What You Learn:

Featured on the Show:

Episode Transcript

Enjoy the Show?

IF YOU LIKE IT, SHARE IT

Get the free video training...
"Can He Handle Your Grind?"

podcast

stay in touch

PODCAST EPISODE № 24

How to Manage End-of-Year Planning and Overwhelm

by Anita Charlot

Listen to How to Manage End-of-Year Planning and Overwhelm:

What You Learn:

Featured on the Show:

Episode Transcript

Enjoy the Show?

IF YOU LIKE IT, SHARE IT

Get the free video training..."Can He Handle Your Grind?"

podcast

stay in touch

Get the free video training...
"Can He Handle Your Grind?"