If you're feeling a bit anxious about what needs to be done in preparation for the big day, here are a couple of my tried & tested tips to help you get through the festive season, relatively unscathed:

• Make a list. It works for Santa & it will for you too! Divide a page into two columns. On one side list the things you need to do in preparation for the big day (gift shopping), and on the other side, things you would like to do for the big day (baking, or in my case, making rum balls).

Everyone knows this, but so often we get caught up and stuck in the "doing", and where we're going gets lost somewhere along the way.  

A couple of years ago I was excited to be working on a new project.  One of the first discussions I had with my business partner was what the process would be to wind up said project.  How will we know when we're finished and how will the business be wound up?  Well this project came to fruition, we worked it well and then wound the business when it had run its course.  It was a true testament to the philosophy of "starting with the end in mind". 

We were contacted recently by a lovely man whose brother had passed away in tragic circumstances. 

His brother lived in a rental property and had died without a Will, meaning that his estate will be a lengthy process.  With my client and the rest of his family living away from Toowoomba, they really needed assistance to move items out of the house and placed into storage, until the estate can be progressed.  Of course, we are happy to help.

Overwhelm.  Verb.  To buy or drown in a huge mass of something.

Or be in business.  If you're in a SME, it's really easy to be overwhelmed with the amount of things you need to do, and are responsible for because you know, the buck ends with you! The problem with overwhelm, is that it can be paralysing.  By putting some tried and tested strategies in place, you can move through this state and actually get things done!

Know Yourself.

Do you operate best in the morning, or are you a night owl?  Can you focus best with background music playing, or do you need quiet?  Of course everyone's different, so what works for your colleague may not work for you.  This doesn't mean you can't try different methods of working styles, however, to work at your optimum level you need to know how you work best - and do that.