Adapting for success during the holiday seasons


Reader —

The holiday season brings a unique set of challenges to your usual energy patterns.

Between personal obligations, end-of-year business demands, and the general festive atmosphere, December rarely follows your typical workflow. This is exactly why understanding your energy patterns becomes even more critical during this time.

Many business owners make the mistake of trying to maintain their usual pace in December while adding holiday commitments on top. This is a recipe for burnout. Instead, let's look at this through the lens of values-based alignment.

First, acknowledge that December is different. Your energy will likely be pulled in new directions, and that's okay. Rather than fighting against this reality or feeling guilty about it, adjust your expectations to account for it:

  • Understand your seasonal constraints. Map out your known commitments — both personal and professional — first. These become your fixed points.
  • Be realistic about your capacity. You probably can't maintain the same workload as other months. That's not a failure; it's just context.
  • Prioritize ruthlessly. What absolutely must get done before the year ends? What can wait until January? Remember, everything isn't equally important.
  • Honor your natural rhythms. If events exhaust you, don’t plan important tasks after them. Instead, schedule time for rest. The opposite is also true. If events leave you with a high, plan some productive time afterward.

The key is to work with the season rather than against it. If December always leaves you exhausted and behind, it's time for a different approach.

Our team’s last working day of the year is Dec. 20. If you’d like to discuss how to adjust your expectations of yourself and your business this month, reach out before then.

To your success!

Gwen


Flexibility Isn’t Free

Think your "go with the flow" approach is what makes your business special? Think again. This week on The Business You Really Want, Tonya and I talk about how “winging it” is costing you more than you realize — in time, money, and team morale.

Every business runs exactly as it was designed, even if you never consciously designed it. The good news? You don't have to sacrifice creativity or spontaneity to build a more intentional business.

Listen to find out:

  • Why flexibility without structure leads to chaos
  • How to identify high-impact areas for improvement
  • Where to add structure without stifling creativity
  • The surprising truth about what customers really want
  • Simple steps to break free from operational chaos

Ready to transform your business from reactive to intentional? This episode shows you exactly where to start. Whether you're a creative entrepreneur who fears structure or a seasoned CEO looking to scale, you'll discover how to build the systems your business needs to thrive.

  • Schedule a call to discuss how I can help you design your business with intention.
  • Join the Small Biz Book Club to discuss applying big ideas from business books to small business reality.
  • Book me as a speaker or podcast guest.

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Everyday Effectiveness | Biz Ops Exposed

Gwen Bortner is a no-nonsense Operational Strategist and Business Advisor with an intuitive coaching mindset. She helps visionary female entrepreneurs achieve their most ambitious goals without the stress and overwhelm of trying to do it all on their own. Her approach comes from the belief that personal and professional success looks different for everyone, and most business owners waste time and energy trying to conform to outside expectations and definitions of success. From finance to IT, and small business operations to academia, Gwen has seen cookie-cutter strategies put organizations on the fast track to frustration, burnout, and eventually failure. Problem-solving is her zone of genius, and Gwen can quickly discern the root cause of issues, simplify systems and processes, then create the most direct path to any given solution.

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