It’s no secret that as a service provider, your busiest months at work are also very busy in your personal life. Especially in warm weather states, our books boom throughout the Holiday season with the onset of tourists and winter visitors escaping freezing climates. As a newer provider in the industry, I would often work 2-3 weeks straight without creating space and time to enjoy my loved ones, let alone the season itself. While I had a lot more energy to be available for that in my twenties, now that I am welcoming thirty, my body and my mind simply can’t handle that sort of work load anymore, and I know I am not alone. I want to share some tips that have helped my friends and I thrive throughout the year to create a healthy work-life balance while still maximizing your earning potential as a service provider.
Make the most of this Holiday Season
Prioritizing Your Goals
Before anything, it’s important to create some time to sit down and look at what your goals are as a service provider for the season. Are you trying to build your clientele seasonally, to gain some more clients who might be winter visitors? Are you trying to simply work as much as you can to earn the most possible? Are you saving for something? How are your records looking for the upcoming tax season?
Remember to set some goals in your personal life during this time as well. As we say hello to December, it’s a good reminder that this year is almost done and it’s a great time to plan to make any changes in your life, because it’s no secret that January 1st brings refreshed motivation for most people.
Sit down with yourself and get comfy, even if it’s for an hour or less, and get really clear on what your main goals are right now. Number them from most to least important, and then you can start allotting time to each of these tasks to ultimately get them all done. This is a form of self care, so lean into that! Maybe throw on a face mask and sip some good tea or coffee while you do this to make it feel more relaxing than stressful.
Utilize Time Blocks in Your Schedule
Now that you have a clear picture in your mind of what your goals are, you can start implementing time blocks to help move the needle on tackling these goals. Break down each goal into smaller goals, and estimate how long it will take to reach this goal if you work on it for X amount of time each day/ X amount of days per week. If you are working most days in the salon or shop, save time in advance to work on these goals even if it’s just 30 uninterrupted minutes at a time. Block that time out on your schedule so you can hold yourself accountable to getting it done within that time block. Slowly but surely, you’ll chip away at these projects.
For instance, I like to allocate morning time each work day to catch up on emails, and one of my constant goals is to never let them accumulate or feel overwhelming. Setting aside that time block in a day allows me to stay on top of things and hold myself accountable to doing so. Scheduling time in your day to work on specific things will allow you to also fully enjoy your free time- which leads us into our next topic.
Catch Burnout Before it Comes
We’ve all been there. The work keeps coming, and it feels like you’re never going to catch a break or get through it all. This happens to all of us, whether new to the industry or well seasoned. The key is to catch the burnt out feeling before it comes. Your mental health will always come first, and without your body and mind stable and rested, you won’t be able to give your best version of yourself to your clients. If you really need a rest day, take a rest day! It’s time to stop jam packing our “days off” with more stuff to do. We aren’t effective or, let’s face it, very pleasant to be around if we are in need of a break. Order groceries online for delivery and grab some takeout while you’re at it, you deserve it.
We will always (hopefully!) have an influx of clients during the holiday season, and if we aren’t careful with their accessibility to us, they will scoop up all the free time in our schedule months in advance. One way we help avoid this at Bold, is our books only open up 90 days in advance. That allows all of our artists to plan for their time to travel/ have days off, so that no clients need to be rescheduled when events do happen, and everyone gets to book the time they need when the artists are available. It’s really a win-win situation! Clients are usually grateful to be able to book those holiday appointments in advance.
It’s imperative for us as service providers to take advantage of these months to work our little buns off and stash cash for the summer. So work as long and as hard as you physically can, but be absolutely sure you’re taking time to rest and recharge in between. Balance, friend, is the key here.
Never underestimate the power of a good cat nap.
Keep Your Body + Mind Strong
It’s easy to fall off the wagon with our nutrition and exercise this time of year, but it’s more important than ever now! Load up on your veggies, vitamins, supplements, proteins, and all the good stuff you can fit in your little body. Movement will help your mind and your immune system because let's face it- sicky season is upon us. Take extra precautions with hand washing, sanitizing, and disinfecting your surroundings including door handles, cash registers, salon phones, etc. We gotta fight to keep one another healthy! Be mindful of alcohol consumption, especially when you work the next day- no judgement though, I speak from unfortunate experience, working long hours with a hangover feels like a death sentence when you’re no longer twenty.
Have your clients reschedule if they're sick- and be strict on that! We work in close proximity to other humans, and at the end of the day go home to our family, and germs are spread just that easily in these environments. Eat nutritionally dense and comforting foods, drink hot tea with honey, enjoy extra protein and fiber, and above all, stay hydrated, my friend.
Hydrate, you beautiful and dehydrated human.
Remember Your Why
One big thing for us to remember to get through these seasons with our sanity intact, is that it doesn’t last forever. Hopefully you are booked and busy year round, but if you’re like most states, you have a season of extra “business”. Remember that this is the time to capitalize on earning the extra money to set aside some for your slow summer months. Enjoy rakin’ in those dollars!
Really take this time to love on your loved ones. Extra hard, because nothing is permanent and our number one mission in life should be to love each other. The money, the social media growth, the recognition in the industry- all of that is great, but it should never be your only “why”. Your family, your pets, your home, your friends, and your memories, laughs, hugs, and kisses with them- those are your why. Remember that and you will be just fine.
We hope you enjoyed this blog composed by Lanna of Bold Beauty Company. See you next time and have the Happiest Holidays!