Episode 118: How to be present this festive season

00:51 Welcome to Unfrazzle, a podcast for solo business owners with a big vision who are ready for a kinder more sustainable approach to productivity. I'm Louise Miller and each week i share bite-sized insights to help you step away from the hustle stop faffing and stay focused so you can make your brilliant ideas happen and make a bigger impact in the world Before we dive into today's episode, if you enjoy what I'm sharing here on Unfrazzle and you'd like to support the podcast. You can buy me a cuppa by going to BuyMeACoffee.com slash Louise Miller and making a one-off donation. I'll pop a link to that in the show notes. Okay grab yourself a cuppa and let's get started!

01:31 I often talk about how mindfulness can help your productivity by making sure you're focusing on the thing that's in front of you, noticing when you're being pulled off course by distraction and then bringing yourself back to the thing you want to be focusing on. Being mindful is simply about being present instead of ruminating on things that have already happened or fretting about what's coming up next and at this time of year i think that becomes particularly important because it is easy for overwhelm to kick in So I know my life is relatively simple, right? We don't have kids so i don't have to juggle all of that extra festive shenanigans that happens when you've got small people in your life at this time of year. But we do still have a lot to fit it during the festive season! We have three family Christmases which mean traveling all over the place and making sure that the right gifts are ready wrapped and packed at the right time

02:15 I am a bit of an eco-warrior so i tend to over complicate things with my Christmas shopping, making sure i'm buying things as sustainably and ethically as possible. Making gifts where i can, making my own wrapping paper all that stuff which i know is my choice and i love it but it's still something that i need to do! And we host an annual christmas gathering for our friends every year which means loads of baking and making sure the house is straight So, whatever you've got going on this festive season it's easy to get in a fluster about all of the things that we didn't get done and the things we need to do next. Maybe you didn't get as far as you'd hoped with a work project and its proving hard for you to switch off or on the day before your due to see your sister you realise the gift you bought for her still hasn't arrived

02:57 Social media feeds us this idea of how things should look and feel at this time of year, and it is easy to think that unless you have the perfect We all have our own peculiar kind of festive triggers that can turn this time of year into one big headache if we're not careful.

03:34 So from a practical point of view, I find that it helps to grab a calendar and i don't usually use a physical calendar but at this time of year. I just print off a month's review from my Google Calendar and scribble on that and map out what I'm doing when I'm doing it And as soon as I can see when I'm going to wrap presents, when I'm gonna make the mince pies, when I'm gonna clean the house before the party...I start to relax knowing there is time and space for everything important. Would something like that help you navigate whatever coming up in the next few weeks? And then every year I share my festive mantra with you in the hope that it will help you to settle in and be present with the people and experiences going on around you. So, I'm gonna share that with you again today You've probably heard this before if you've been in my world for a while but I think its important so Be where your feet are Instead of worrying about yesterday's tricky conversation or constantly checking your watch to make sure you leave your in-laws in time to miss the traffic...Be where your feet are

04:31 Enjoy the company of the people you're with rather than thinking about what needs to be done or where you need to be next. Instead of checking your phone to see what everyone else is doing, immerse yourself in your own experience Be where your feet are So those five words help me stay present so that I can enjoy these next few weeks without turning into a ball of stress. Could they help you too? Maybe write them down somewhere where you'll see them if it feels like they could And as this is my final podcast of this year, I just want to take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful festive season and a peaceful new year. Thank you so much for listening this year i'm so happy you're here and i will be back in your ears in January

05:11 Thank you for listening to Unfrazzle. If you enjoyed this episode, please share it with a friend who needs a dose of calm productivity in their life and I'd love it if you could leave me a rating and review as that will help more people discover this podcast! If you would like to hear more from me to help stop faffing and take back control of your time, you'll find the link to join my mailing list in the show notes and I would really love for you to join us so thanks so much for your support and look forward to seeing you next time