Turns out the holidays and your business share the same chaos…here's some tips to do better
There are two kinds of chaos in life…
The kind you can laugh about
The kind that makes you say “how is this my life right now?”
Holiday chaos tends to be the first kind and business chaos tends to be the second.
BUT spoiler alert… they’re the same thing. Your nervous system just tolerates one better than the other.
No matter what you celebrate, the holidays always expose where your systems fall apart. It might be Diwali prep with last minute shopping, Hanukkah gatherings stacked on top of work deadlines, Lunar New Year cleaning rituals that take over your entire weekend, Thanksgiving timelines that never make sense, Eid food prep that requires twenty ingredients you forgot to buy or Christmas gatherings and cookie exchanges you haven't found time to bake for.
Every holiday shows you the same thing:
Where you try to wing it
Where you underestimate the workload
Where you hope things magically come together even though you never made a plan
When you pay attention to what goes wrong during any holiday season, you start to see the same cracks in how you run your business.
These moments are not about the holiday itself. They are about what happens when things get busy and you don’t have structure.
Let’s walk through the classic holiday moments so we can see exactly how business works, or how it falls apart.
1. You do everything last minute
Everyone has lived this regardless of the holiday. You swear you’re going to start early, then suddenly it’s the week before the celebration and you’re scrambling for gifts, ingredients, outfits, travel plans, decorations, or supplies for a ritual you forgot you needed.
This is business without systems.
It’s the client request you forgot to write down.
It’s the invoice you meant to send.
It’s the workflow you promised yourself you would finish later.
Holiday panic is temporary, but business panic repeats itself every single day, week, month until you fix the root cause.
Quick tips to do better:
WRITE THINGS DOWN (Mindblowing, I know)
Write them down in ONE place (I highly recommend somewhere electronic that you can put due dates on)
Check the list regularly
Last minute chaos disappears when you build the habit of looking ahead. Yes, you may still leave things last minute because of procrastination, it happens - but it won’t be because you forgot!
2. Nothing is coordinated and everyone assumes someone else handled it
Every culture has gatherings that unravel in the exact same way.
Someone thought they were bringing sweets for Diwali
Someone else thought they were covering the challah for Shabbat dinner
Three people brought side dishes for Thanksgiving and no one brought drinks
Lunar New Year potlucks end up with fourteen desserts and no mains
Everyone assumes someone else handled something important.
This is the same confusion that hits small businesses.
Someone assumes the client file was updated
Someone assumes the onboarding email was sent
Someone assumes the plan was shared
Someone assumes the deadline is obvious even though no one clarified it
Assuming is a business’s worst nightmare.
Quick tips to do better:
Make responsibilities clear
Assign tasks and due dates instead of hoping someone will pick them up
Document workflows so every step has an owner
When people know what they’re supposed to be doing they take accountability, and things get done on time.
3. Technology doesn’t behave and suddenly the whole plan collapses
You can always count on technology to break at the time you’re the most stressed. Tech issues don’t discriminate.
You try to play music and the speaker refuses to connect
You try to host a virtual candle lighting and the internet drops
You try to print a recipe and your printer decides it is retiring that day
You guessed it! I’m gonna tie it to business now! Why? Because it happens there too!
A form stops working
A payment link fails
A client portal glitches
The tools you rely on suddenly do not feel so reliable. But the issue is not that the tech didn’t work, the issue is that you probably didn’t notice it until it was a much bigger problem!
Quick tips to do better:
Expect tech to break
Create backup plans
Check your tools monthly
Do backups of your apps and systems so if something crashes, you don’t lose it all
Technology breaks but if you’re prepared (and know it happens) it’s just a small inconvenience instead of a full disaster.
4. Too many people want too many things and you say yes out of guilt
Ohhh the expectations that you have to get every single person you’ve ever met a gift, or go to every holiday gathering you’re invited to.
One more event
One more recipe
One more visit
One more thing someone insists you have time for
You say yes because it feels easier than the reaction you will get if you say no (basically you’re a people pleaser.)
I know this is going to come as a shock, but business works the same way (I know, crazy).
Projects expand (scope creep)
Clients push for more
New exciting clients pop out of nowhere
Timelines change without warning
Everything feels urgent
Quick tips to do better:
Say no
That’s it. It’s that simple. They may be upset if you say no, but that’s ok… you’re job isn’t to protect them, it’s to protect yourself.
Decide what you can and can’t handle (to yourself) and then say no to anything that doesn’t fit in your boundaries.
So, let’s recap:
WRITE THINGS DOWN (Mindblowing, I know)
Write them down in ONE place (I highly recommend somewhere electronic that you can put due dates on)
Check the list regularly
Make responsibilities clear
Assign tasks and due dates instead of hoping someone will pick them up
Document workflows so every step has an owner
Expect tech to break
Create backup plans
Check your tools monthly
Do backups of your apps and systems so if something crashes, you don’t lose it all
Say no
Whether you’re planning a Christmas party or running your business, stop making your life harder. You’re doing it to yourself!
You don’t have to be an operations magician to make things more organized and less chaotic.
Systems give you capacity ---> Capacity gives you clarity ---> Clarity gives you freedom
Let’s go into 2026 with more freedom!
