Start Now, Stress Less This Holiday Season

 Day 312 of 2026

Hi Friends,

I’ve been thinking about how quickly the calendar fills up this time of year. The holidays are still a few weeks away, but while I was out running errands today, I caught myself thinking about a task I’d been putting off all week. Every day, I’d told myself I’d get to it tomorrow. Now it's Saturday, and I am still thinking about it in the grocery store checkout line.

That made me wonder what else I’m counting on having time for later. Once travel plans, family gatherings, and end-of-year deadlines start piling up, I’ll be glad I spent 15 minutes getting started this week.

In Harvard Business Review, Alice Boyes explains that we sometimes procrastinate because we lack a routine, want to avoid an uncomfortable feeling, or get stuck in an unhelpful way of thinking. The next time you catch yourself saying “I’ll do it tomorrow,” ask what’s making the task hard to start today. Read “How to Stop Procrastinating”

Make the first step smaller

“Finish the report” sounds like something you need a free afternoon to do. “Write three bullets about what changed this month” fits into 15 minutes. If you’ve been avoiding a tricky email because you’re worried about how it’ll come across, write a rough draft and give yourself time to reread it before sending.

Put it on this week’s calendar

Work without an urgent deadline tends to get pushed aside by whatever shows up in your inbox. Pick one task you’ve been avoiding and give it a specific time this week. “Thursday at 10, draft the introduction” is easier to follow through on than “get to it sometime.”

Check what depends on other people

If your report needs numbers from a coworker or a project needs someone’s approval, ask early. That gives people time to respond before their calendars fill up and gives you a chance to work on the pieces you can handle in the meantime.

Look at your calendar for this week and pick one thing you’d be glad to have started a month from now. Give it 15 minutes today.

Wishing you peace and happiness from my heart to yours!

Peace

Monita