For the entrepreneur, these short weeks can be brutal. We need to be at the top of our game. Everything at work is piling up, backed up, and chaotic. Unfortunately, everything at home is also piling up, backed up, and chaotic. During crunch time like this, we need to be good at juggling both our business and personal lives. How can we avoid getting so caught up in the frey that we miss out on life itself?

Define your purpose for this week, and serve only that purpose. It is simple. But not easy. Be brutal to hack every unnecessary thing off your list, including your pet projects that do not serve your highest aim. What good does it do to get everything checked off, if it stresses out your whole team? Stressed employees do not supply good customer service. And so you have cooked the perfect Pinterest meal. What does it matter if your whole family is stressed out? It would have been better to have a Christmas hot dog.

Accept that life is full of chaos. It comes included in the package. Every small business, if they are honest, experiences at least some of this stuff. Years ago, we were booked with work three months out, when Todd, our right-hand man, was in a severe car accident and was not expected to live. He pulled through, and we were elated. But without his expert labor in our work flow, chaos ensued. Right when Todd went down for the count, I had just finished my third time-management course. It covered “how to get control of your life”,  followed immediately by “how to cram two days into one”. I remember thinking I had just been sold a bill of goods. My whole life was screaming that we are not ultimately in control. You cannot live two days at once. And besides that, who wants to? Life has no guarantees. This day is yours. Be in it.

Embrace the chaos. Wherever work is being done and new things are being discovered, messes will be a part of the process. Innovation is never tidy. Teach yourself to be comfortable within the mess, and you may find yourself using the word ‘eureka’ more frequently than you do now. Chaos is an indicator that creativity is happening.

I expect a messy short week. That is small business. And that is life. I have much to do. To be fully present–in your life and in all your relationships–is the real present under the tree. It has your name written all over it! Don’t allow your business to rob you of the most important things in life. People, those people we love to work with everyday, and our family and friends, are our most important asset at any time of the year. Take time to breathe. Enjoy. And have yourself a Merry little Christmas!

That’s this week’s Imagination Hat!

One of the most glorious messes in the world is the mess created in the living room on Christmas Day. Don’t clean it up too quickly. –Andy Rooney

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